Forward Press - August 2011

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Anyone who walks into my office notices two things beside/
behind me: the red Phule pagdi (turban) and a
portrait of a balding William Carey with the caption
“Friend of India, First Indian Periodical – 1818”. It also
has a motto emblazoned on it: “Expect Great Things
From God; Attempt Great Things For God”. Most who
visit me there know of Mahatma Jotirao Phule but few,
if any, including journalists and publishers, have even
heard of William Carey. When I introduce them to
Carey they are usually excited and astounded that they
have never heard of a man who contributed so greatly to the making of modern India.
The very first issue of FORWARDPress featured an introduction to Carey, the first of a
series by Thom Wolf, “You Owe Him but Do You Know Him?” We plan to publish a
collection of this series as separate books in English and in Hindi. But on the occasion of
the 250th birth anniversary of this great man, this “friend of India”, FP is probably one of
the few magazines in the world and possibly the only one in India that is focusing on
William Carey. Our tribute to him includes my Editorial Essay raising the serious
question of who is truly the “father of modern India” and making the case for a rewriting
of the history of modern India.