Tulika Books

Tulika Books is an Indian publisher of scholarly and academic works, principally in the humanities and social sciences. Founded in 1995 and based in New Delhi, the imprint is associated with research-driven books on Indian history, political economy, agrarian studies, labour, culture, modern Indian thought, art, and related subjects. Its publishing program is distinguished by an explicitly intellectual and broadly left perspective, and its catalogue has included works by prominent Indian historians, social scientists, writers, and public intellectuals. The press operates within the wider Tulika publishing network. Its sister company, Tulika Publishers, is based in Chennai and is known as a separate publishing operation. Tulika Books should therefore be understood as the scholarly and academic arm of the group rather than as a generic reference to the children's and general publishing activities associated with the Tulika name. The imprint's program includes both individual monographs and collaborative or continuing series. These have included A People's History of India, produced in partnership with the Aligarh Historians Society; Comprehensive History & Culture of Andhra Pradesh, developed with the Andhra Pradesh History Congress and Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University; Agrarian Studies; Labour History; Modern Indian Thinkers, associated with the journal Social Scientist; Muttukadu Papers; and India Since the 90s. Tulika Books has also published or participated in journal-related projects, including Social Scientist in association with the Indian School of Social Sciences and Review of Agrarian Studies in association with the Foundation for Agrarian Studies. The press has a significant connection to independent publishing institutions in India. It is identified as a founder-member of the Independent Publishers' Distribution Alternative of India and the Independent Publishing Group, initiatives intended to support distribution and cooperation among independent publishers. Tulika also maintains links with LeftWord Books, another explicitly left-oriented Indian publisher. Former Tulika editor Sudhanva Deshpande later became managing director of LeftWord, while managing editor Indira Chandrasekhar has served on LeftWord's editorial advisory board and Tulika titles have been made available through the LeftWord Book Club. Indira, also known as Indu, Chandrasekhar manages the press as managing editor. Before joining or leading Tulika Books, she worked as a copy editor at Macmillan India during the 1980s and taught at universities in Bangalore and Delhi. Under her management, the press has combined academic publishing with engagement in public debates concerning scholarship, politics, cultural institutions, and publishing ethics. Tulika Books has received recognition for its art-book publishing. In 2014, Project Cinema City received Publishing Next's Printed Book of the Year award. The title reflects the press's interest in modern Indian art and artists, alongside its better-known academic and social-science list. The company has also attracted attention for the political positions associated with its management. In 2013, Chandrasekhar joined other publishers in withdrawing from the Romancing Print conference after Narendra Modi was invited as chief guest. The protest was reported as contributing to the cancellation of Modi's planned address. Chandrasekhar is also identified with the India chapter of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. These activities form part of the public profile of the press's editorial community, although they are not themselves separate publishing products or corporate subsidiaries.

Tulika Books was established in 1995 as an Indian scholarly publishing house. It is headquartered in New Delhi and concentrates on humanities and social-science publishing, with a catalogue shaped by a broadly left intellectual outlook. The imprint has published academic research, historical studies, political and social analysis, cultural criticism, and books concerning Indian art and visual culture. Its authors have included well-known Indian left intellectuals and academics. The press developed a publishing program that combines individual scholarly books with collaborative series and institutional projects. Among its continuing or associated lines are A People's History of India, produced with the Aligarh Historians Society; Comprehensive History & Culture of Andhra Pradesh, prepared with the Andhra Pradesh History Congress and Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University; Agrarian Studies; Labour History; Modern Indian Thinkers, connected with Social Scientist; Muttukadu Papers; and India Since the 90s. Tulika Books has also been associated with journals and research initiatives, including Social Scientist through a relationship with the Indian School of Social Sciences and Review of Agrarian Studies through the Foundation for Agrarian Studies. The company is part of the broader Tulika publishing network, but it is distinct from Tulika Publishers, the Chennai-based sister company. Tulika Books represents the network's scholarly and academic orientation, while the sister company has a separate publishing identity. The available reference material does not identify a parent corporation, public listing, or specific ownership structure beyond this sister-company relationship. Institutional cooperation has been central to the press's identity. Tulika Books is described as a founder-member of the Independent Publishers' Distribution Alternative of India and the Independent Publishing Group. These affiliations place it within India's independent publishing ecosystem and reflect an emphasis on alternative distribution, cooperation among smaller presses, and circulation of serious academic and political work. Indira, also known as Indu, Chandrasekhar, has managed the press as managing editor. Her earlier career included copy-editing work at Macmillan India in the 1980s and teaching at universities in Bangalore and Delhi. Her public activities have connected the publishing house to wider debates over politics, culture, academic freedom, and ethical engagement. In 2013, she and several publishers withdrew from the Romancing Print conference in protest against Narendra Modi's invitation as chief guest. The episode was followed by reports that Modi cancelled his planned conference address. Chandrasekhar is also associated with the India chapter of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. Tulika Books has maintained links with LeftWord Books, an explicitly leftist Indian publisher. Sudhanva Deshpande, formerly an editor at Tulika, later became LeftWord's managing director. Tulika titles have been offered through the LeftWord Book Club, and Chandrasekhar has served on LeftWord's editorial advisory board. These links indicate an ongoing relationship within India's politically engaged independent publishing community, while the two presses remain distinct entities. Alongside academic monographs and series, Tulika Books has developed a line devoted to modern Indian art and artists. This part of the program received notable recognition in 2014, when Project Cinema City won Publishing Next's Printed Book of the Year award. The award highlighted the press's ability to produce substantial illustrated and cultural titles in addition to conventional scholarly works. The available sources do not provide a complete account of later corporate developments, sales, revenue, staffing, or distribution geography, so those aspects remain undocumented here.

• 2014

  Project Cinema City wins Publishing Next award

  [1]Tulika Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Project Cinema City receives Publishing Next's Printed Book of the Year award, recognizing Tulika's art-book and modern Indian culture publishing.

• 2013

  Withdrawal from Romancing Print conference

  [1]Tulika Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Managing editor Indira Chandrasekhar and other publishers withdraw from the conference after Narendra Modi is invited as chief guest; reports subsequently say that Modi cancelled his planned address.

• 1995

  Tulika Books is founded

  [1]Tulika Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Tulika Books is established in India as a scholarly and academic publisher focused on humanities and social sciences.

An independent Indian scholarly press with a broadly left perspective, focused on humanities, social sciences, Indian history, political economy, culture, and critical research.

• Book series

  A People's History of India

  A historical series published in partnership with the Aligarh Historians Society. It forms part of Tulika Books' effort to make research-based interpretations of Indian history available through an independent scholarly press.

• Regional history series

  Comprehensive History & Culture of Andhra Pradesh

  A collaborative historical and cultural publishing project developed with the Andhra Pradesh History Congress and Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, focusing on the history and cultural development of Andhra Pradesh.

• Academic book series

  Agrarian Studies

  A series devoted to scholarly work on agrarian society, rural economies, land, agriculture, and related social and political questions. It reflects Tulika's interest in political economy and empirically grounded social research.

• Academic book series

  Labour History

  A publishing line centered on the history of labour, workers, employment, and organized social activity. It fits the press's wider emphasis on social history and the experiences of groups often underrepresented in mainstream historical narratives.

• Intellectual history series

  Modern Indian Thinkers

  A series associated with Social Scientist and focused on significant figures and traditions in modern Indian intellectual and political thought.

• Research papers and scholarly publications

  Muttukadu Papers

  A Tulika Books research-oriented line identified among the press's publication series. The available reference material names the series but does not provide further detail on its individual subjects or publication schedule.

• Contemporary India series

  India Since the 90s

  A series examining India after the 1990s, a period associated with major changes in economic policy, society, politics, and public culture. It represents Tulika's interest in contemporary historical and social analysis.

• Art and visual-culture book

  Project Cinema City

  An art-oriented Tulika Books title dealing with cinema, modern Indian art, and artists. It won Publishing Next's Printed Book of the Year award in 2014.

• Academic journal

  Social Scientist

  An academic journal published in association with the Indian School of Social Sciences. Tulika Books' relationship with the journal also connects to its Modern Indian Thinkers series.

• Academic journal

  Review of Agrarian Studies

  A research journal published in association with the Foundation for Agrarian Studies and aligned with Tulika Books' interest in agrarian research and political economy.

• 2013Romancing Print conference withdrawal

  India

  Indira Chandrasekhar and several other publishers withdrew from the Romancing Print conference to protest Narendra Modi's invitation as chief guest.

  Outcome. Contemporary reporting cited in the reference material said that Modi cancelled his planned address after the publisher withdrawals.

  Source

1. 1Tulika Booksen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tulika Books official websitetulikabooks.wordpress.com