PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE INDIA LAUNCHES NEW IMPRINT, PENGUIN VEER, TO PUBLISH STORIES FROM THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, Ebury Publishing and Vintage, a division of Penguin Random House India, is proud to launch a new imprint, Penguin Veer, which will be dedicated to centering stories from India’s long-established armed forces legacy. Under the direction of industry veterans Milee Ashwarya, Publisher of Ebury Publishing and Vintage, and Gurveen Chadha, Senior Commissioning Editor & Foreign Rights Lead, Penguin Veer will begin by publishing close to three new titles annually and debut its first list of books in 2021.

Commenting on the launch of the imprint, Ashwarya said, “Penguin Random House India has been home to the best writers and experts in the genre of war, defence and military stories, and we felt it was the right time to launch Penguin Veer, to bring greater focus and ambition to the esteemed list. Over the next few years, we hope to expand the list, and publish newer voices, while working closely with our existing brand authors. With the wide and growing readership that this genre enjoys, Penguin Veer will offer depth, diversity, and quality to its readers. I am proud to add this new imprint to our division, and look forward to the support of our authors and readers in making it a success.”

Penguin Random House India has published many bestselling and eminent titles about Indian Armed Forces, including The Brave: Param Vir Chakra Stories, 1965: Stories from the Indo-Pak War and Kargil by Rachna Bisht Rawat; and Vijyant at Kargil: The Biography of a War Hero by Col. VN Thapar and Neha Dwivedi. The titles in this genre, along with new forthcoming publications, including Major General Ian Cardozo’s 1971; Major General Rajpal Punia and Damini Punia’s Operation Khukri; Kulpreet Yadav’s The Battle of Rezang-La; and many more, will be brought under the new imprint.

“The Indian Armed Forces are the epitome of valour and selflessness, and we are so proud to announce Penguin Veer, an imprint dedicated to writings on our illustrious military history. From retired military officers to the best defence writers and war journalists in the country, our list of celebrated authors will bring readers stories of unsung heroes and icons, of lesser-known battles and military operations, capturing the courage and fearlessness displayed by our soldiers in the line of duty. These are stories that will fill hearts with pride,” said Chadha.

Gaurav Shrinagesh, CEO of Penguin Random House India and SEA, said of the new imprint, "Penguin Random House India aims to nurture our relationship with our readers, and having witnessed the popularity and demand our books on the Indian Armed Forces receive, we hope to bring more drive and diversity to this genre with our new Penguin Veer imprint. We add this imprint with great confidence to enrich our readers’ reading experiences, and build an inspiring catalogue that will be a testament to our country’s armed services.”  

Ebury Publishing and Vintage is a publishing division of Penguin Random House India. Ebury Publishing is home to the most successful and celebrated list of popular fiction, non-fiction and business books in the Indian subcontinent, while Vintage hosts a select and specially curated list of literary fiction and literary non-fiction books. There are over half-dozen imprints under this division with the addition of Penguin Veer, each offering unique reading experiences. This new imprint will be the first of its kind to be dedicated to telling stories of and from India’s defence forces landscape.

SOHA ALI KHAN AND KUNAL KEMMU PEN THEIR FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK SERIES TOGETHER

New Delhi, 26 August 2021; Penguin Random House India announces the acquisition of a series of picture books from actor duo, partners and parents Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu. Tentatively titled Inni and Bobo, the series will consist of three picture books. These picture books will be published under the Puffin imprint and the first book will release in 2022. Soha debuted as an author in 2017 with The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, a best-selling memoir published as a collection of essays by Penguin. This is the first time she is writing for young readers. This book also marks Kunal’s debut as an author.

The three picture books will take readers through the adventures of a little girl called Inni who loves all animals, but especially cute little puppies. One day this little girl visits an animal adoption center and wants to take all the puppies home – after all, they’re so cute and adorable! But then she chances upon the scruffy-looking, floppy-eared Bobo. And her heart is set. She has found her new best friend! Told with a lot of heart, The Inni and Bobo Series is not only about a little child finding friendship and the beauty of adopting dogs, but also about empathy and imperative life lessons, and most importantly about opening one’s heart and homes – which is what life is all about.

Talking about the inspiration behind the book, writers Soha and Kunal recount, ‘One of Inaaya’s favourite things to do is story time - either she’ll bring a book to one of us and ask us to read it to her whilst she looks at the pictures, or then as she says ‘from your mouth’ where she chooses the characters and the setting and we make up the story for her. Often the story is about her and an animal because she loves animals - all animals without discrimination, but perhaps being partial to dogs because of Masti. So, we started telling her stories about a little girl called Inni and her dog. She loved the stories and then asked to see the pictures and that’s when we came up with the idea of writing a series of books about Inni - based on Inaaya - and Bobo.’

Arpita Nath, associate commissioning editor, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘I am absolutely thrilled that Soha and Kunal’s beautiful picture books have found a home at Puffin. They have penned a truly endearing story that will touch the hearts of all—kids, their guardians, and animal lovers. I hope these gorgeously illustrated picture books find a special place on every young reader’s bookshelf. And we are also so very excited to welcome Kunal to the Penguin Random House family as a new author!’

Sohini Mitra, publisher, children’s division, Penguin Random House India, adds in saying, ‘Picture books are such a wonderful medium to introduce young readers to the world of stories and storytelling. Kids instantly take to strong characters and great visuals. The Adventures of Bobo and Inni promises to bring all of these together and will particularly resonate with kids who love animal stories or have pets at home. We are delighted that Soha and Kunal chose to publish their maiden children’s book series with us.