New Delhi: When the Modi government announced this week that the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 was being given to Gorakhpur publisher Gita Press, a specialist in Hindu religious texts, it stirred up a political controversy as well as questions about the eligibility criteria for the prestigious award.
Established in 1995 on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 125th birth anniversary, the Gandhi Peace Prize aims to recognise and encourage individuals and organisations that have facilitated social, economic, and political transformation through Gandhian methods.
The inaugural prize was given to former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere for his non-violent struggle for his country’s independence, and subsequent awardees have ranged from individuals such as South Africa’s Nelson Mandela to organisations like Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank.
The winner gets an amount of Rs 1 crore and a citation. This time, however, Gita Press, which was established in 1923, declined the cash prize, stating that it wanted to stay true to its tradition of not accepting “donations”.
Notably, although the Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award, it was not announced for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018 for unknown reasons. The awards for these years were subsequently announced in 2019. Since then, a lag in announcing the award for a particular year has persisted.
Here is an overview of the award, its previous recipients, and the controversy around the selection of Gita Press as the winner for the year 2021.
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Who is eligible for the Gandhi Peace Prize?
The Gandhi Peace Prize, according to its website, is given to individuals, associations, or organisations which have “worked selflessly for peace, non-violence, and amelioration of human sufferings (particularly) of the less-privileged section of society contributing towards social justice and harmony”.
As long as these parameters are deemed to have been met, the award does not consider factors such as nationality, race, language, or gender.
For a person or organisation to be nominated, their contributions in the preceding decade are typically considered, the website says. However, it adds, older contributions may also be considered.
Who decides the winner?
The Gandhi Peace Prize jury is headed by the Prime Minister, with the Chief Justice of India and the leader of the opposition typically serving as ex officio members. Other members may vary.
The awardees for the years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were selected in January 2019 by a jury that consisted of PM Modi, the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Lok Sabha opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge, and then MP L.K. Advani.
In 2021, the jury that sat to decide the winner for 2019, comprised the PM and the two ex officio members, as well as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of the NGO Sulabh International Social Service Organisation. The same jury also decided the winner for the year 2020 after deliberations in March 2021.
However, this year, the details of the jury have not been revealed, other than that it had been headed by the PM.
“The Jury headed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, after due deliberations on 18th June, 2023 unanimously decided to select Gita Press, Gorakhpur as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021, in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods,” a statement released by the government announced.
In the statement announcing the winner this year, the government highlighted that Gita Press has “never relied on advertisement” and strives for the betterment of all.
“Established in 1923, Gita Press is one of the world’s largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagvad Gita. The institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications, for revenue generation. Gita Press along with its affiliated organizations, strives for the betterment of life, and the well-being of all,” said the statement.
Prime Minister Modi also congratulated Gita Press in a tweet and said it had done “commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people”.
Who are some of the past winners?
Last year, former Bangladesh president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was announced as the winner for 2020. He was recognised for his “immense and unparalleled contribution in inspiring the liberation of Bangladesh, laying the foundation for the close and fraternal relations between India and Bangladesh, and promoting peace and non-violence in the Indian subcontinent”.
In 2015, Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritual service organisation founded by former RSS pracharak Eknath Ranade, received the award for its significant contributions to social service. For 2016 and 2017 respectively, the award went to child welfare-focused nonprofits Akshaya Patra Foundation and Ekal Abhiyan. Japan’s Yohei Sasakawa, known for his work towards ensuring a leprosy-free world, was honoured with the 2018 edition of the prize.
For 2019, the award was bestowed upon Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman for his “unparalleled vision and leadership… in strengthening relations between India and Oman, and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region”.
Other recipients of the prize include Nelson Mandela, the microfinance organisation Grameen Bank founded by social entrepreneur Muhammad Yunus, and human rights icon Desmond Tutu.
Why is there a controversy over Gita Press?
This year’s announcement has drawn significant political attention, especially from the Congress, which said awarding the Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press is equivalent to awarding it to Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse.
Meanwhile, the BJP has attacked the Congress for its “anti-Hindu” agenda, questioning its objections. The controversy erupted after critics claimed that Gita Press has given space to literature that was antithetical to Gandhian ideas.
“The decision is really a travesty and is like awarding Savarkar and Godse,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet Sunday. He also cited journalist Akshaya Mukul’s book Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India, which he said “unearths the stormy relations” that the publisher had with the Mahatma and the “running battles” it carried on with him.
The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been conferred on the Gita Press at Gorakhpur which is celebrating its centenary this year. There is a very fine biography from 2015 of this organisation by Akshaya Mukul in which he unearths the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the… pic.twitter.com/PqoOXa90e6
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2023
In his book, Mukul argued that the “ideas articulated by Gita Press and its publications played a critical role in the formation of a Hindu political consciousness, indeed a Hindu public sphere”.
Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, however, accused the Congress of denying the “core values of an inclusive society”.
In a tweet Monday, Lekhi said Hanuman Prasad Poddar — the founder of Gita Press — was a “revolutionary arrested by the British” and that Govind Ballabh Pant later recommended him for a Bharat Ratna.
The founder of Geeta press was Hanuman Prasad Poddar Ji, a revolutionary arrested by British. Govind Vallabh Pant recommended him for Bharat Ratna . It’s first journal Kalyan fought for Dalit entry in temples. Low cost publications helped people retain their faith & pride. By… https://t.co/7Q7Lcq1z7S
— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) June 19, 2023
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
Also Read: ‘Like awarding Godse’ — Gandhi Peace Prize for Gita Press triggers Congress-BJP slugfest