Books that don’t promise solutions, but do offer hope

A London-based merchant banker-turned-social activist Michael Norton, who is also the founder of the Directory of Social Change, set up Books for Change nearly a decade ago with an intention to disseminate information on a variety of social issues.

While Norton was active in the initial stages, ActionAid, an international NGO, took it forward from there — and today, though still linked to the NGO, the organisation functions independently.

Books for Change is a publishing house within the country’s social sector. With the kind of books it publishes the organisation intends to equip people with information so as to enable ‘informed’ choices.

“Books don’t promise solutions to problems like poverty, marginalisation, inequity and ill-health, but they can share ideas, experiences, information and get stories told,” says Shobha Ramachandran, manager and publisher.

Speaking of the array of topics that their books deal with, Ramachandran says, “Our books cover a wide spectrum of issues confronting modern society.” Issues of poverty and displacement; of caste, gender and oppression of minority rights; of the ravages wrought by development on the environment; of disasters caused by man and nature, and facing up to them. Their books also write about hope in the midst of struggles.

“Our books,” says Ramachandran, “will allow one to analyse the conflict in the neighbourhood or even the global arms race and how these could affect the price of tea and coffee, let’s say in their favourite hangout”. 

Started and based out of Bangalore, their books on socially relevant issues have a market the world over. Nevertheless, being in the alternative publishing line (which includes books in the genre of social issues and sometimes art and history), the publishing house faces tremendous challenge in the current profit-driven market. Ramachandran says, “Gaining access to book stores in the city has been a challenge.” Despite that, says Ramachandran their books record good sales.

There is an inherent assumption that books of this nature don’t interest readers, but from her experience Ramachandran has found that to be false.

“Sometime ago, we were invited to organise a book fair at an IT company in the city. We were reluctant to go as we’d assumed that techies wouldn’t be inclined towards such reading,” recounts Ramachandran. That perception changed, when they saw the response their books got at the fair. “We recorded sales of nearly Rs10,000 in one day,” she exclaims.

Books are a powerful tool that acts as a catalyst for change. “Books bring about awareness about a particular topic, they facilitate debate and discussion and that’s how they propel social change.” It is in this capacity that Books for Change proposes to induce a change in society.