Naveen Kishore is publisher of the Kolkata-based Seagull Books Pvt. Ltd (estb. 1982). Last December (2011), Seagull Books and Seagull Foundation for the Arts (estb.1987) launched the Seagull School of Publishing (SSP), Kolkata. According to Kishore, an English literature graduate of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and promoter-publisher of Seagull Books, the objective is to tutor and mentor aspiring book editors, designers and publishers and prepare them to operate in the newly globalised books industry.
Newspeg. Supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, New Delhi, the courses offered by SSP will commence next month. Initially, the school will offer four-month programmes in editing, design and production. The academy will admit its first batch of 40 students selected through an online test. The tuition fee per subject is Rs.20,000.
Genesis. A gifted theatre lighting designer, photographer and graphic artist, Kishore promoted Seagull Books in 1982 with Samik Bandopadhyay as its founder-editor, with the aim of documenting contemporary Indian arts and media. Since then, Seagull has published over 400 titles including 45 in 2010-11, and has expanded its repertoire to include translations of French, German, Norwegian, Italian and African fiction and non-fiction.
In 1987, Kishore registered the Seagull Foundation for the Arts, a charitable trust dedicated to promoting the performing arts — including parallel cinema and theatre — and traditional and contemporary visual arts. The foundation is currently working with schools countrywide to promote the concept of ‘learning to live with differences’ among young people in a programme called PeaceWorks.
Direct talk. With Seagull Books and the foundation now firmly established, SSP is currently the focus of Kishore’s attention. “The school will produce skilled and competent editors, designers, publishers who will give a big boost to the country’s book publishing industry. To keep our students abreast of latest developments in publishing and communications, we will secure national and international internships for them, as well as fellowships for aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to set up their own publishing ventures. This is the overriding goal of our enterprises,” says Kishore.
Wind beneath your wings!
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)