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Asoke K Ghosh

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• Born: Oct 31, 1942 in Kolkata, India
• Died: Feb 1, 2024 in New Delhi, India
• Occupation: Publisher
• Founded: PHI Learning Private Limited
• Spouse: Sagarika Ghosh in March 1972
• Children: 2
• Website: PHI Learning

Asoke K. Ghosh, the founder of PHI Learning, dedicated his career to enhancing educational access in India and beyond. His vision was centred on providing affordable and high-quality educational resources to students and aims to internationalise higher education publications and support academic growth globally. Through PHI Learning, he pioneered the publication of affordable editions of foreign books under the Eastern Economy Editions (EEE) imprint, making university-level textbooks more accessible.

Personal Life

Early Life

Born and brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal, Asoke K. Ghosh graduated from University of Calcutta and holds a degree in Printing Technology and Graphic Arts from Jadavpur University. He obtained his Management degree from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi.

Asoke K. Ghosh began his career at a very young age in a printing press. From here, he worked his way up to newspaper publishing and, finally, book publishing.

By friends and family members, he was often described as a highly intellectual person with an all-encompassing acumen on most topics. He was always known by his friends as an all-rounder.

Personal Life

Ghosh was described as a man driven by a passion for enhancing education quality in India and globally. He was known to be a good orator and has been a speaker at many events within the academic publishing community. On countless instances, he ahs voiced his belief in bringing high-quality education within the reach of all Indian students.

While dedicated to uplifting Indian students, he also strongly believes in educating girls to provide them with a better future in a country where the education of girls was not always prioritized.

Ghosh was deeply involved in philanthropy through the Rimjhim Ghosh Foundation, established in memory of his daughter, focusing on providing education, healthcare, and relief to underprivileged children. He was also an active Rotarian for nearly five decades, having served as District Governor and earning numerous awards for his humanitarian efforts, including recognition from Rotary International for his contributions to literacy and scholarship programs.

His wife, Sagarika Ghosh, his daughter, Pushpita Ghosh, and his two granddaughters Pallavi and Aditi Ghosh, are actively involved in PHI Learning and Rotary activities, continuing his legacy of charitable work and community service.

Philanthropic Efforts

Service in Rotary

As a Rotarian since 1973, Ghosh served as Rotary District Governor in 2000-2001 and has worked on projects for polio eradication, literacy drives, and scholarships. Rotary has honored him with several awards, including the “Citation for Meritorious Service,” “Service Above Self Award,” and “Distinguished Service Award.” His work towards the eradication of polio was notable due to his donation of USD 185,000 towards the cause on behalf of the Rotary.

Ghosh has served as Membership Zone Coordinator, RI Zone Challenge Coordinator, and Rotary Foundation Programs Advisor. He has represented Rotary International Presidents at various district conferences and served as District Trainer and Chair of District Trainers' Training Seminar at Rotary Zone Institutes. He has also been involved in the Polio Summit, Rotary South Asia Literacy Summit, and the RI Asia Regional Conference.

Asoke K. Ghosh served as the District Governor of the Rotary Club of India in 2000-2001.

PolioPlus

Ghosh has been actively involved in Rotary International's efforts to eradicate polio through organizing and participating in vaccination campaigns and advocating for global eradication efforts. He has contributed a whopping USD 185,000 towards the polio eradication efforts by the Rotary.

He was a Rotary Foundation Major Donor Level IV, a Benefactor of the Permanent Fund, and a Paul Harris Fellow. Additionally, he established an Endowment Fund in his and his wife Sagarika’s name.

Rimjhim Ghosh Foundation

Established in memory of his daughter, Ipshita Ghosh, the Rimjhim Ghosh Foundation focuses on providing free education and healthcare services to underprivileged girl children. Beyond publishing, Asoke K. Ghosh’s Rimjhim Ghosh Foundation supports education and healthcare for underprivileged girls, reflecting his commitment to humanitarian causes. Ghosh has also promoted literacy and girl child education as a trustee of several charitable organizations.

Contributions to Academic Publishing

Contributions to Indian Academia through PHI Learning

Asoke K. Ghosh, Chairman and Managing Director of PHI Learning Private Limited, significantly impacted Indian academia by founding PHI Learning in the early 1960s. He played a pivotal role in internationalizing higher education publications and pioneering affordable, high-quality textbooks for university students in India and other developing countries. Under his leadership, PHI Learning published over 5000 titles under the Eastern Economy Editions imprint and established international publishing partnerships. He was instrumental in introducing the first computer science book in India, "Principles of Computer Programming," by Prof. V. Rajaraman, and facilitated the publication of affordable editions of expensive foreign books, making them accessible to Indian academia.

Contributions to the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP)

As a founder-member of the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP), Asoke K. Ghosh now serves as its President Emeritus. He edited the commemorative volume "75 Years of Book Publishing in India (1947-2022)" and was integral in organizing and promoting the FIP's activities. His efforts significantly enhanced the recognition of Indian publishing on a global scale, contributing to Delhi being declared the World Book Capital for 2003 by UNESCO. He received several awards from the FIP, including the Most Distinguished Publisher Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Saraswati Samman for his services to Indian and international book publishing.

International Reach

Asoke K. Ghosh has held significant positions in international publishing organizations, including being the first Indian and the sole Asian to serve as Vice-President of the International Publishers Association (IPA). He has been actively involved in organizing and chairing various IPA Congresses worldwide. His leadership and advocacy for Indian publishing have earned him numerous national and international accolades, making substantial contributions to the global recognition of Indian books and authors.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

Mr. Ghosh has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards of national and international repute for his splendid contribution to publishing industry. Some of the prominent awards conferred on him include:

1. First IPA Champion Award —the first of this highest honour in IPA’s 125 years
2. history. The award was presented by Mr. Hugo Setzer, Past IPA President during the
3. 33 rd IPA Congress held in Jakarta, Indonesia in November 2022.
4. His company, PHI Learning, under his leadership, has been conferred with the
5. “Leaders in the Education Sector” Award organized by Indo-American Chamber of
6. Commerce at the 6th Entrepreneur Leadership Awards 2022.
7. The Simon Master Chairman’s Award — the most prestigious award in global
8. publishing — conferred by The London Book Fair in partnership with The Publishers Association (2018).
9. Life Time Achievement Award by S. Chand & Company (2014).
10. Life Time Achievement Award by FIP (2012).
11. The first Deo Dayal Mehra Memorial Award by Rupa & Company (2012).
12. The Most Distinguished Publisher Award by FIP (1996).
13. The Most Prestigious Decoration of the IPA, Geneva presented for “Outstanding
14. leadership and commitment to the protection of creativity and freedom to
15. publish” (1991).
16. Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Indian Publishing from Delhi State
17. Publishers and Booksellers Association — for the first time ever in the history of the
18. Association (1991).
19. Srish Kumar Kunda Award for outstanding contribution to publishing (1990)
20. Saraswati Samman
21. Kuldeep Anand Award, and The Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Indian Publishing by Delhi State Bookseller and Publishers Association (DSBPA).

ROTARY AWARDS

Rotary awarded him with numerous prestigious honours and awards for his self-

less, dedicated services to the society. The most prominent awards received by him are:

1. Distinguished Service Award (2009)- the highest award of the Rotary International
2. Service Above Self Award (2007) by the Rotary International
3. The Citation for Meritorious Service Award by the Rotary International.

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Received special honour at the International Publishers Association Congress at
2. New Delhi (1992)
3. Led a number of delegations of Indian publishers to USA, Russia, Germany, France,
4. UK, Spain, Mexico, Singapore, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand
5. Served as a Member in the delegations of Indian Publishers to Pakistan, China,
6. Canada, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Norway and Sweden
7. Chaired sessions of the International Publishers Association Congress held in London
8. (1988), in New Delhi (1992) and in Barcelona (1996), Buenos Aires Congress (2000),
9. served as speaker in IPA Symposia on Copyright held in Heidelberg (1986), Paris
10. (1990), and Accra (2002).
11. Served as Co-Chairman of a session of the International Publishers Association
12. Congress held in Mexico (1984)
13. Addressed International Symposia on Copyright held in Heidelberg (1986),
14. in Paris (1990), and two International Symposia on Multimedia Technology and
15. Copyright held in Barcelona (1996)
16. Presented a paper at a seminar organized by the Singapore Trade Development
17. Board, on an invitation from the Govt. of Singapore
18. Appointed by the President of India for two consecutive years, on the panel of judges
19. for the National Award for Excellence in Printing
20. Visiting Faculty to Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, and Indian
21. Institute of Book Publishing
22. Examiner for MBA students at the University of Delhi

See Also

• https://www.phindia.com/
• https://www.buchmesse.de/en
• https://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/
• https://www.newdelhiworldbookfair.gov.in/

References

• https://www.internationalpublishers.org/copyright-news-blog/1289-asoke-ghosh-receives-inaugural-ipa-champion-award
• http://www.allaboutbookpublishing.com/2599/doyen-of-publishing-industry-asoke-ghosh-wins-simon-master-chairmans-award-2018
• http://www.allaboutbookpublishing.com/9960/ipa-champion-award-2022-awarded-to-asoke-ghosh/#:~:text=Chairman%20and%20Managing%20Director%2C%20Asoke,International%20Publishers%20Association%20(IPA)
• https://ifrro.org/page/article-detail/shri-asoke-k-ghosh-receives-ipa-champion-award/?k=e202212011123584605
• https://www.internationalpublishers.org/copyright-news-blog/715-simon-master-chairman-s-award-for-asoke-gosh
• https://rotarynewsonline.org/simon-master-chairmans-award-for-pdg-asoke-ghosh/
• https://rotarydistrict3011.org/cog/pdg-asoke-k-ghosh/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIV-93PRwXo
• https://www.facebook.com/FrontlistIN/videos/mr-asoke-k-ghosh-president-emeritus-of-fip-is-sharing-his-kind-words-in-his-welc/522393439460355/
• https://www.facebook.com/FrontlistIN/videos/mr-asoke-k-ghosh-president-emeritus-of-fip-is-sharing-his-kind-words-in-his-welc/522393439460355/
• https://www.baltictimes.com/he_london_book_fair_international_excellence_awards_2018_-_winner_announced/
• https://www.fiponline.org/office-bearers/
• https://www.fiponline.org/75-years-of-book-publishing-in-india/
• https://news.kiit.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/KIIT-Review-March-2022.pdf
• https://ifrro.org/page/article-detail/shri-asoke-k-ghosh-receives-ipa-champion-award/?k=e202212011123584605
• https://www.amazon.in/75-Years-Book-Publishing-India/dp/8195575013
• https://www.internationalpublishers.org/copyright-news-blog/1289-asoke-ghosh-receives-inaugural-ipa-champion-award
• https://www.baltictimes.com/he_london_book_fair_international_excellence_awards_2018_-_winner_announced/
• https://www.fiponline.org/75-years-of-book-publishing-in-india/
• https://ifrro.org/page/article-detail/shri-asoke-k-ghosh-receives-ipa-champion-award/?k=e202212011123584605