Amidst the shifting tides of pre-independence and the budding dreams of post-independence India, an unassuming yet profoundly influential institution started sowing its seed, leaving a memorable mark on the upcoming nation’s cultural and religious identity. In the year 1923, Gita Press took its initial steps, not merely as a publication house, but also as a catalyst to the process of faith and ideological metamorphosis. On the occasion of celebrating its century year, let us take cognisance to the significance of the Gita Press, its impact on the perception of the Marwari community, and its subtle revolutionary nature, ironically adopted to deter a revolution itself. 

Two Marwari businessmen-turned-spiritualists, Jaydayal Goyandka, and Hanuman Prasad, set on a journey to disseminate Hindu ideology through the distribution of religious texts such as the Bhagwat Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and so on. This coincided with the proclamation of Hindi’s Independent status and the ever-intensifying tussle between religious groups. The Press, situated in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, strategized its reach by providing high-quality publications distributed among the masses at low rates. This success, speciously, is attributed to the wealth Marwaris hold, who are often predominantly associated with business and entrepreneurship. 

Caste discrimination is a complex issue that affects various communities in India. The Marwaris, who primarily hail from the Marwar region of Rajasthan, have historically faced discrimination based on their caste. This discrimination primarily stems from the stereotypes attached to the community. Stereotypes possess the potential to inflict harm, often resulting in the formation of prejudiced attitudes, and subsequent discriminatory behaviour towards a certain group. Stereotypes are cognitive, whereas discrimination is behavioural. The transformation of stereotypes into discriminatory practices can be seen in the caste discrimination that the Marwari community faces today. 

The book highlights how Bal Mukund Gupt, like many other writers and thinkers of the time, reduced the Marwari community only to their economic prowess. Gupt sees marwaris as just ‘economic giants’, who in no way could be and must be related to knowledge. This jibe came around at a time when Marwaris had established themselves as the top mercantile community in India. He goes on to say that whatever wealth the Marwaris have has been acquired by hard work and knowledge will only lead to the downfall of Marwaris. That vidya is not something Marwaris are naturally inclined towards formed the basis of Bal Gupt’s argument,

hence creating barriers for the Marwari community to gain knowledge by creating such stereotypes. It is important to understand how inherently harmful this kind of statement can be, as it downright tries to elude Marwaris of education, thereby keeping them away from a means of creating a sense of greater social acceptability for themselves in society. The gradual importance that the Marwari community was attributing to Vidya did not settle well with Bal Gupt. 

This was a time when Marwaris were looking forward to increasing their social acceptability. As we understand, only economic stability was not enough for people to be socially accepted. In a society like that of India, caste hierarchies and stratification were so deeply entrenched that anything against such social order was considered defiance. For Marwaris, who are Vaishyas, education was a big leap. Though marwaris had economic standing they did not have a social standing, and they tried to pave their way higher in the social order to gain social respect. Other people saw this as an anomaly and pointed out that they already had economic wealth. Why then do the Marwaris need education? 

Opposing this view was Shivpujan Sahay, where, in his editorial comment he wrote: “Marwaris have very little regard for learning. Even if a small fraction of their time spent in business was used for learning, the community would have been leading the nation.” On one hand, writers like Sahay believed that it was the Marwari community that was averse to the ideas of education and wanted to lead their way in the social sphere just by economic means. Whereas, on the other hand, Marwaris were deliberately kept away from education, either using social exclusion, active discrimination, and community ostracization or by deeming it completely unnecessary to their needs. 

Apart from their gradually increasing inclination towards education, Marwaris resorted to munificence to climb up the social ladder. However, this again led to tensions among sections and an identity crisis of sorts for the Marwaris. Even though Marwaris contributed greatly to community upliftment and social development, and were at the forefront of the cow protection movement, their contribution was seen restricted only to the economic aspect. 

Though their liberal charity did help them gain some social standing, Marwari merchants faced an identity crisis that reflected the classic tension in Hindu society between ‘upward social aspiration and downwardly imposed social order’. Their Economic ability and social philanthropy helped them gain increased social respect, however, this greatly contrasted societal order, and the interaction of these forces led to the assertion of new identities and religious revival. 

Community organizations took an active role in publishing journals to guide and reform the younger generation. The principles of Sanatan Dharma were seen as the remedy for this reform. Lifestyle changes were made to replicate the way of life of higher castes, which included practices of Brahminical rituals like the sacred thread ceremony. These initiatives led to a shift in religious patronage, with Marwaris replacing the aristocracy and wealthy landlords. Consequently, the social dynamics within Hindu society transformed from a Kshatriya-Brahmin interface to a Vaishya-Brahmin interface, ultimately leading to Sansritization in Marwari culture, or rather “Marwari-ization” of Hinduism. 

The book draws a contrast between the Marwaris of Calcutta and those of Bombay. The Marwari community in Calcutta was conventional in the sense that the larger community thought that revolution was unnecessary. They did not see the advantage in changing the social order. Most of them in the pre-independence era wanted to stay under the good books of the Britishers, as they thought this gave them social leverage. The Marwari community in Bombay exhibited a relatively more open nature, attributed to their prosperity derived from industrial ventures and increased engagement with the global society. This increased openness comes from exposure to phenomena like Westernisation, industrialisation, and globalisation. These have over time greatly helped the community to overcome social prejudices against themselves and establish a strong social reputation. 

Even though there have been considerable social changes and wider acceptability, the Marwari community still becomes an object of jealousy, derision, and condemned for being self-aggrandizing.

Author:Payoja Ostwal