about niyogi books and marg publications

Niyogi Books has in a short span of time established itself as a publisher of fine illustrated books.
Started in 2004 it has about 200 books on its active list and is recognized for its high-quality illustrated books on a range of subjects from art and photography to heritage, culture and history of South Asia. These books have won several awards and prizes including those from the Federation of Indian Publishers.

Niyogi Books has, over the years, developed a prestigious author base that spans various fields and professions and includes award-winning photographers and journalists, eminent art historians and curators, artists, scholars, travel writers and translators from all over the world. B.N. Goswamy, Geeta Chandran, Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, Mushirul Hasan, Jaya Jaitly, Nasreen Munni Kabir, Raghu Rai, and Suneet Varma are just some of the names on the list. A range of biographies and memoirs of personalities from all walks of life ranging from Bismillah Khan to Lata Mangeshkar, Nirad C Chaudhuri to M.F. Hussain, and Padampat Singhania to Sourav Ganguly add to this firmament of eminent authors.

Niyogi Books is committed to providing high-quality books at affordable prices reaching out to a wide and varied readership. In keeping with this philosophy we have in recent years moved into new areas including award-winning translations, historical fiction, food writings and self-help books. Some of our books have been short-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Vodafone-Crossword Book Award. One recently won the Gourmand World Cookbooks Award for the ‘Best Children and Family Cookbook’, from India.

Our quarterly newsletter ‘Reading Corner’ introduces current and forthcoming books, our authors, book launches and events and is circulated widely among book lovers.

Marg is a Mumbai-based not-for-profit publisher whose mission is to engage and augment interest in Indian art and culture. It strives to light up “many dark corners” in India’s cultural landscape and to spark debate on all aspects of art and culture among academics, critics, cultural connoisseurs and readers.

Since its inception in 1946, Marg, A Magazine of the Arts, with its focus on grids of art and cultural traditions, reflects new trends, new research, and new scholarship, with both upcoming and established art historians and scholars. The magazine is aimed at a wide audience.

Marg’s quarterly books, initially published simultaneously with the magazine, have since diverged into independent publications. These books are available on subscription at special rates.

Marg’s special publications represent the diverse avenues Marg pursues in documenting Indian art and culture. These are published in a variety of formats with informative writing and are lavishly illustrated.

Marg produces films on India’s art and architectural heritage, combining evocative visuals with the latest information on sites from Art Historians and Archaeologists at the forefront of the site’s research.

Marg began life with Mulk Raj Anand at the helm in 1946. With “seven ads and two rooms” provided by the visionary industrialist J.R.D. Tata, it took up the massive task of identifying, cataloguing, and publicizing the nation’s heritage in the built, visual, and performing arts.

From 1951 to 1986 Marg functioned as a division of Tata Sons Limited. In 1986 it became a division of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (a Public Charitable Trust). In 2009 an independent Public Charitable Trust, The Marg Foundation was founded and it took over the activities of Marg in 2010.

The periods immediately before and after independence were path-breaking for Indian art, with the Progressive Artists’ Group challenging the character of Indian art as defined by the Bengal School. Marg, which means pathway, sought to provide a new direction to Indian art and worked towards publishing the ideals of this movement. Nowhere was this association stronger than when Marg provided vocal support to Akbar Padamsee during a court case which accused him of obscenity in his paintings.

Architecture and planning was another realm in which the desires of both the nation and Marg came together. Regular issues of Marg were dedicated to defining the architecture of the time. Marg became an urban catalyst with the magazine issue “Bombay: Planning and Dreaming” (Volume 18 Number 3) in 1965.

While taking part in the debates surrounding contemporary art, architecture and culture, Marg also looked to provide a unique and thought provoking documentation of the past.

Walter M. Spink’s “Ajanta to Ellora” (Volume 20 Number 2), 1967, is one of the earliest publications of his controversial theory about the chronology of the second period of construction of the Viharas and Chaityas at Ajanta.
The earliest excavations and studies at Hampi were documented in Splendours of the Vijayanagara Empire: Hampi (Volume 33 Number 4) in 1981.

While scholarship has always been important to Marg, the guiding force has been an appreciation of Indian art and culture among the general public, with an emphasis on increasing contact between them and the art work. In 1993 Marg created a niche for guidebooks for the serious traveller with the publication of In and Around Ajanta and Ellora for MTDC.

With the production of films, Marg ventured beyond printed media. Purva Uttara, a series of eight mini-documentaries on important heritage sites in Indian art and architecture was produced with an informative narration from art historians involved in research and excavation at the sites covered. Our documentary Bombay, One City, Two Worlds (2002) suggested a re-visioning of the city’s future planning, thus rendering in film one of Marg’s most serious concerns – the future of Indian cities.

& spenta multimedia pvt. ltd. #

Spenta, in the ancient Avestan language, means beneficent since it embodies the benevolent principle latent in all good creations. Spenta Multimedia is a leading media house in India with a fully integrated infrastructure, including a state-of-the-art printing press. Spenta’s business lines include:

Publishing #

Custom Publishing: Spenta is India’s largest custom publisher with a portfolio of 35 custom magazines, which it publishes on behalf of some of India’s leading corporates and institutions such as Jet Airways, HDFC Bank, Tata Consultancy Services and Shoppers Stop.

Consumer Publishing: Spenta expanded into the arena of consumer publishing in India in 2007 when it licensed HAIR from Vitality Publishing, UK. Today, Spenta publishes 7 consumer titles that fulfill the special interest information and infotainment needs of highly select target groups – HAIR, Marwar, Liquid, The Smart Manager, Adorn and Domus. Spenta also plans to introduce another international title, under license from the publisher.

Book Publishing: Spenta works with eminent personalities and business houses to publish coffee-table books, limited edition books, catalogues and brochures. Spenta published books include Rani Bagh, commemorating 150 Years of one of the oldest heritage sites of Mumbai; Maharashtra, on behalf of the State Government of Maharashtra; a 600-page volume on Hafeez Contractor; Cocktails - From the Bars of the Leading Hotels of the World; Wari and Dancing Maidens by Shirish Shete; The Making of Samovar; Kama Sutra and Paramparik Karigar among others.

Content Generation & Design #

Spenta offers content generation and design services to corporate and publishing houses globally. Spenta’s clients include Focus International in Dubai, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, Ogilvy (for Unilever Hair Care), Bay Capital, Navneet, and Ffi International. Spenta has worked with these and other clients in developing their Web content, brand identities, product literature, brochures and other marketing/corporate collateral.

Web Design #

Spenta Digital is a full fledged digital agency which effectively explores the digital medium for a diversified range of clientele. The web medium offers accurate targeting, is ROI driven and measurable. With a billion users on the web today the web is one medium where brands can engage and interact with clients. Spenta Digital service offerings spread across the digital spectrum right from strategic planning, experience design, web development, search engine optimisation, digital media planning and buying and reporting.

Event Management #

Spenta entered the Event Management and Marketing business in 2008 when it acquired the Marwar magazine and related event properties from Arpan Publishing. Since then, Spenta owns and manages several event properties such as the Marwar Mega Wedding Show and the Marwar Celebrations Show. The successful management of the Marwar shows was followed by Spenta’s 100% acquisition of the Mumbai International Boat Show (MIBS) in 2009. In its fourth edition, the MIBS is one of a handful of official events, attracting large crowds, in Mumbai, India’s commercial capital.

Commercial Printing #

Spenta Multimedia’s fully integrated infrastructure includes a state-of-the-art printing press in Mumbai. Spenta’s press equipment includes a Heidelberg SM-102 8-colour, SM -102 4-colour, SM-102 2-colour, SM-74 4-colour. Muller Martini Acoro A 5 automated bindery, Stahl folding machine and Screen computer-to-plate technology. The Spenta press handles all Spenta printing as well as commercial printing requirements of leading corporates in India.

Digital Publishing #

The Indian publishing BPO industry is expected to grow rapidly, given the rise in the number of international publishing companies that outsource - which include traditional segments such as STM/Academic, Educational & Legal Publishing, as well as new segments such as magazines, corporate and B2B publishing. Publishing outsourcing includes a wide range of services, and the four broad heads that Spenta aims to focus on are content, design, digital conversion and fulfilment/distribution.