Primarily the function of Baptist Mission Press is production of Christian literature by the letterpress process of printing. But as all Christian literature is subsidized, it is necessary to do commercial printing, too, and commercial firms and scientific organizations in many different parts of India are not slow to recognize the value of a Press where there is such a variety of languages: 40 of the main languages of the country and 225, at least, of the associated languages. For example, Hindi script is used for the Nepali language; the Assamese language consists mainly of the Bengali script.
There are few aspects of Christian literature production which are not covered at Baptist Mission Press, even to the extent of writing and printing our own tracts, which continue to be in demand. One tract, based on a sermon preached some years ago by a member of staff of the Press, has sold in 10s of 1000s. Others have sold by the thousand in less than a month.
Tract writing is not easy. It must be in simple plain English which can be translated without undue difficulty, and at the same time appeal to the educated Hindu, Muslim, the literate and even the semi-literate, alike. it must contain vital Christian truth in 4 pages, in type that can be read by the light of an oil lamp, if necessary, in a village; and it must have a cover design that is effective and well drawn.
At Baptist Mission Press there is a a bookroom where Christian literature is sold, chiefly in Bengali. There is not only variety in the titles but there is variety on one subject. For example, on the subject of Stewardship there are seven different books on sale. There is also a reading room, where literature, mainly Christian literature from all over the world is put at the disposal of visitors, some of whom have been attending every day for years. Here you may read the Baptist Times, Missionary Herald, Quest, Vision (Australian BMS), New Zealand Baptist, British Weekly, American Baptist publications, Epiphany (put out by the Oxford Mission), and parish magazines from UK and from Calcutta, in addition to the best secular reading that comes to hand.
In the bookroom and reading room we also have an evangelist, who is equipped by training to deal with enquirers. Many attend for instruction and then fade away. In a city with as fluctuating population as Calcutta has, it is impossible to keep track of everyone. One year a local doctor picked up a portion of a publication put out by the Scripture Gift Ministry in India and simply by reading the word of God, was brought to conversion and baptism. A Muslim was baptised, after receiving instruction.
Some time ago an Indian steward on a ship, who belonged to one of the poorest castes, called in with a Bengali New Testament. It had been lent to him by a retired New Zealand BMS lady doctor when he was in a New Zealand hospital, awaiting an operation. Since his discharge from that New Zealand hospital he had travelled halfway round the world and as soon as his ship docked in Calcutta he found Baptist Mission Press and returned the New Testament. He then received instruction and went away happily with free Christian literature. Perhaps he will come back another day.
The National Christian Council of India provides scholarships for training in printing which is given at Baptist Mission Press and at one other Mission Press in Madras (1). The young men pass through every department of the Press and receive instruction which fits them for better service in their own denomination and in their denominational press. In this way it may be that one day other Mission Presses will be staffed by men who have a thorough understanding of their work. One Christian literature worker stated: 'The day is past when an ordained worker whose only qualifications are theological can be asked to take charge of a printing press or act as editor for a magazine or manage a Christian bookshop in his spare time.'
It was estimated a few years ago that 35 per cent of India's Christians are literate. Most poor families are content with a Bible, a hymn book and a prayer book, and the Bible Society has a special drive in India to ensure that every Christian home has a Bible. (After the Bible probably the most popular book among Christians is Pilgrim's Progress.)
Over the past few years a vast printing programme has been undertaken by Baptist Mission Press. Here are a few items out of many different orders received from the Bible Society in India, who are probably one of the biggest print buyers in India.
Hindi Bible. Print-run 15,000; 1,343 pages.
Hindi New Testament. Print-run 5,000; 382 pages.
Using 25 tons of Dutch Bible paper, sent up from Madras in relays... 1,500 miles each journey. Proofs were sent from Calcutta to Ootacamund (Tamil Nadu) for final reading... a distance there and back of 3,200 miles (as far as London to Lisbon and back).
Gurmukhi Bible. Print-run 2,375.
Gurmukhi New Testament. Print-run 5,000; 364 pages.
Gurmukhi Old Testament. 1,192 pages.
During proof-reading a Sikh young man read the Word of God for the first time in his own language and was converted.
Oriya St. Luke. Print-run 5,000.
Lushai Old Testament. Print-run 5,000; 620 pages.
Lotha Naga Psalms. Print-run 5,000.
Tibetan St. John. Print-run 5,000.
Tibetan Sermon on the Mount. Print-run 5,000.
Riang St. Mark and St. John. Print-run 1,500.
Santali St. Mark (illustrated). Print-run 10,000.
Gujrati St. Mark (illustrated). Print-run 10,000.
Oriya New Testament. Reprint 1,000.
Oriya St. John. Print-run 15,000.
Tibetan St. John. Print-run 500.
Nepali New Testament. Print-run 5,000.
Oriya St. Mark (illustrated). Print-run 6,000.Followed by St. Mark (illustrated) in Gurmukhi, Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali.
No other Press throughout the Far East could undertake such a programme.
We have just completed the Bengali Revised New Testament which took seven years to revise, and a year to set in type and print. When the chief translator was in Shillong, Assam, proofs took longer to reach him, and vice versa, than when he was in the UK where proofs could be sent to him by air mail.
Now we are printing the Sora New Testament and in early March the total number of pages ready for printing was 175... almost half the New Testament. The language of the Soras, a tribal people in Orissa, where the Canadian BMS is at work, is expressed in International Phonetic script because they have not yet a [written] language of their own. Several matrices from which special type had to be cast were made specially in the UK and were flown out to India to save time. There are one and a quarter million Soras in their own country. These proofs of the Sora New Testament go backwards and forwards from India to Canada by air mail for reading by a former Canadian BMS missionary now at Canadian BMS headquarters.
For the Tibetan New Testament, the proofs are forwarded to Switzerland for final reading. When this work is completed the proofs will have gone backwards and forwards for literally 1,000s upon 1,000s of miles. They will also have been read, printed and composed by Christians, Hindus and Muslims, too, for Hindus are mainly administrative staff and compositors, while Muslims are machinemen, binders and compositors. Christians are engaged in every department of the Press.
It is worth bearing in mind that the population of India: 354 millions (2), plus 4 millions in Indian territories such as the Andaman Islands, Laccadive Islands, Tripura State, Manipur State etc. The average Indian family is so preoccupied with the struggle for the bare necessities of life that the purchase of books is a luxury. Even in big cities such as Calcutta the amount of serious reading is limited.
The story of the Baptist contribution to Christian literature goes back to the days of William Carey, who set up his own Press (3) at Serampore, 15 miles up the River Hooghly from Calcutta. Carey found that the cost of printing was too high for his financial resources. To have produced the Bengali New Testament in his day would have cost 43,000 rupees for 10,000 copies. He bought a wooden printing press for £40, and the Bengali New Testament translation was printed at Serampore in 1801 (4).
The work of translation and revision has gone on ever since.
The Serampore Press was enlarged and expanded as the range of languages increased, and a type foundry, where printers' type was made, was an innovation. the most skilled punch-cutter of the type was a Bengali who also produced what Indians themselves describe as 'various beautiful ranges of type for printing, in Bengali, Nagri, Persian, Arabic and other characters.'
Between 1801 and 1832 more than 212,000 volumes were produced in 40 different languages. All these publications were not merely translations of the Bible but a large number were original works. The Central Government of India pays this tribute: 'The Serampore Press first began and standardized printing in many of the modern languages, such as Marathi and Assamese which owed their first printed books to this Press.'
When the Bible Society celebrated its 150th anniversary of the New Testament in Oriya, a few years ago, it was pointed out that there was no other prose literature in Orissa, in the Oriya language, of any kind. The Oriya New Testament was the first book to be printed in that language, and it was taken there by an Armenian evangelist who was sent to Orissa by the Serampore missionaries.
The idea of printing books in Marathi came also from European missionaries. From 1808 to 1834 William Carey (5) printed and published Marathi books at Serampore. The Bible in Marathi was printed in 1807 and the Marathi/English dictionary in 1810. These are still described by the Government of India as notable publications.
In 1955 the Librarian of the National Library of India, Calcutta, organized an Exhibition of Early Printing and Fine Printing. Thousands of people attended in Calcutta. It was so popular that the dates were extended. The organizers gave it the title, 'The Carey Exhibition'.
1. The Diocesan Press in Madras, originally known as the Vepery Mission Press was founded by Johann Philipp Fabricius in 1761. See Digital Library, Service Forum, Article 2.
2. These notes were written in the 1960s.
3. Bernard is not too familiar with Ward's role at Serampore. The Serampore Trio set up the Serampore Printing Office.
4. Composed and printed by William Ward.
5. William Carey published, translated and proof-read but he was not a printer.
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