Prativruttanta Satpatil Kulvruttant : Pratyaya Nondi

On 20 July 2019, Shabdalaya Prakashan published Satpatil Kulvruttant, a novel by Ranganath Pathare. (20 July is Mr. Pathare’s birthday, which is why this date was chosen for the publication announcement. However, the novel actually became available to readers from September 2019.)

The response the novel received, and continues to receive, has been both gratifying and remarkable for us. It came as a pleasant surprise and was, in some ways, quite astonishing. There is no need to reiterate that Ranganath Pathare is an important literary figure. However, this was the first time our publishing house had experienced such an immediate and overwhelming response to his writing.

We had expected the book to sell gradually, as books usually do. Following its launch in Pune in September, however, we had to print a second edition within just two months. The immediate reactions and enthusiastic response from readers were unprecedented for us. Readers expressed their views extensively, both through written responses and on social media platforms such as Facebook.

As a result, in 2020, we published a special Diwali issue of Shabdalaya devoted entirely to these readers’ responses and reactions. That issue, too, received an encouraging response.

The collection features readers’ reflections from diverse backgrounds and across different sections of society. We felt that these writings possessed considerable literary and archival value and deserved to be preserved in book form for future generations. We are especially delighted that this book has made that vision a reality.