Tanuj Goswami
(tanujuri03@gmail.com)
A reputed century-old business establishment, ‘Jadumoni Chapakhana’ (JC), in the heart of Golaghat town, still stands tall, bearing an eloquent testimony to the rich historical legacy of hard work, perseverance, and a firm commitment of an enlightened family dedicated to the service of the people year after year.
This historical venture was established by the late Tirtha Nath Goswami, the grandfather of the present generation, who was the Xatradhikar of Dhalar Satra, Borbam Chungi-Jorhat.
Tirtha Nath was a multi-faceted person, an intellectual scholar with a far-sighted outlook. He sensed the extreme need for educating the people and the society through books. So, he actively pioneered the printing & publishing works in the year 1922 with the sole purpose of promoting and propagating the essence of the great ‘Bhakti Movement’ and ‘Ek Saran Nam Dharma’ as propounded by the great guru Srimanta Sankar Dev and Madhab Dev.
In view of this, several dozen religious texts and old manuscripts of significance were collected, composed, printed, and published by Tirtha Nath in the name of Dhalar Satra Puthi Bharal as a publishing house formed in the year 1917. The most notable work among them was the release of an interpretative edition of ‘Namghosa’ of Mahapurush Sri. Madhav Dev in simple and easily understandable language named the ‘Ghoshamrit’ published in the year 1924. The book is still available on the bookshelf that has surpassed more than 100 years. In the 1920s, Tirtha Nath travelled to Kolkata several times to get an exposure to printing and buy printing machinery, which were shipped to Nemati Ghat-Jorhat and then transported to Golaghat by bullock carts.
The grand old structure ‘Jadumoni Chapakhana,’ a household name, contributed immensely to the printing & publication of numerous books, posters, invitations & postcards, question papers, pamphlets, etc. Last but not least, JC also made a mark as a renowned stationery centre of the district with different quality items one could put their hand to most confidently as value for money.
Late Purna Chandra Goswami (s/o Tirtha Nath) took the lead with a broad perspective to upgrade the scale of the business of publication. He actively participated in the freedom movement, contributing writings and printing handbills in the JC for wide distribution among the people, which were mostly anti-establishment. This earned him the wrath of the colonial British government.
JC got busy with the publication of different kinds of religious & literary books, school texts, and a variety of government and tea garden printing works. The name and fame of JC attracted the people all around. The business of printing & publication prospered under his stewardship because of the quality of works, honest and sincere dealings, and excellent demeanour of the management and the staff. This tradition was carefully fostered, and one gets the feel of it when one pays a visit to JC even now.
After the demise of Purna Ch. Goswami, his eldest son, Sri. Khirod Kumar Goswami, popularly known as Pakul da, steered the boat proactively and expanded the business with the printing and publication of assorted books, mostly children’s literature, memoirs, books of literature, and many others.
He encouraged the budding writers to write children’s literature and gave a new orientation to the JC and Jyoti Prakashan (the publication division) with his agile, highly motivated, and imaginative mindset. Simultaneously, he was also involved in the printing & reprinting of rare varieties of religious books and manuscripts, which were once in high demand across Assam.
His long association with printing and publication earned him profuse experiences in all manners of printing, right from old-style letterpress and offset up to the present generation of modern printing and publication. He got himself deeply engaged in quality printing and travelled far and wide and regularly attended book fairs in New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, etc., to acquire new skills of publication of books, its marketing, and the art of doing things perfectly in the publication world.
As an antiquarian, he has uniquely preserved different antiques in the most orderly way in JC, including several century-old USA/UK-made printing machineries & their accessories. This speaks volumes about his great sense of purpose. Anyone interested can get a good glimpse of the evolution of printing technology there.
To be honest, the noteworthy feature of JC is the principle of integrity and gracefulness it maintains relentlessly as standard business practice even now.
The Dhalar Satra Press, Jorhat, also an old family-run printing & publication house (of the same family), which once had a very high reputation in Jorhat District, couldn’t have been possible without his contribution and strong familial bonding.
Unfortunately, Pakul da suffered a terrible body blow at the sudden loss of his only son, Tonoy (Parag Pratim), at the young age of 20. This catastrophic incident seriously dented the whole family, but he miraculously maintained his composure and great endurance by the divine grace of God.
In the year 2003, he expanded the dimension of his novel trait by innovatively designing a mobile library named Parag Pratim Granthajatra in order to facilitate the poor & deprived school children living in remote areas, the advantage of reading edifying books at their doorstep. A well-equipped bus decked with a variety of children’s books has been making a detour around the interior areas and has been rendering yeoman’s service continuously for the last twelve years.
This indeed is a highly commendable public service and one of its kind in Assam that very few people, only with the best of their minds, can think of for the greater service of the people at their own expense.
Born in a family of liberal Vaisnavite Satriya culture, he adheres to the basics of Satriya tradition in his home with piety and celebrates all the important Tithis of our gurus/those departed in our Satra Namghar at Chungi-Titabor in the presence of the bhakatas. Despite a hectic day-to-day schedule, he is keeping alive the Satriya rites/heritage by initiating ‘Sarana’ to many uninitiated people of the tea garden community and others who are now practicing asceticism.
On the occasion of his upcoming 75th birth anniversary, we sincerely pray to the Almighty for his blissful days ahead with sound health and more vigour.