Tirupati’s Kathaaprapancham Books: From a closed chapter to a thriving venture

Tirupati-based Kathaa Prapancham Publications shares a tale of passion and hope in Telugu literature industry. The publication house' s founder and editor Tirupati Kiran and Usha Prathyusha MB have helped in this turnaround story.

Tirupati-based Kathaaprapancham Books, a Telugu publishing house, tells an inspiring tale of passion and hope. Behind its rise are the efforts of its founder Tirupati Kiran and editor Usha Prathyusha MB (co-publisher). Their love for books played a key role in navigating the publishing industry and making print publishing thrive in a digital age. Hailing from Tirupati, the book lovers became business partners to revive a dying publishing house.

Kiran says that he shares his birthday and year of birth (May 19, 1985) with his favourite writers Ruskin Bond and Gudipati Venkata Chalam. “Manamu antha sahityam srushtinchaka poyina, kaneesam pustakaalu chadavaali. Publishing cheyyali ani oka korika undi (We may not be able to create great literature, but we should read books. I wish to publish books,” he says over the phone from Tirupati.

Kiran’s love for books began in his childhood when he relished books in Telugu and English. While his grandmother’s bedtime stories impacted him, reading the Young World supplement of The Hindu opened up a new world. “Now, books are like my breath,” says Kiran, who reads around 150 pages daily before going to bed.

Kiran came to Hyderabad to pursue a career as a writer, worked as assistant and associate director for Eenadu Television, and, later, a script and ghostwriter for movies. “Books take the credit for my different stints; without all my reading, no one would have given me these opportunities.”

Kiran would regularly attend literary and film festivals across the country to meet authors, engage in discussions and celebrate literature with other bibliophiles. One memorable meeting involves waiting at the Cambridge Book Depot to meet Ruskin Bond and take his autograph.

Inspired by his literary encounters, he first opened a Facebook page Kathaaprapancham in 2013, where he wrote about Telugu stories and literature. He followed it up with a blog and a website. Although he took up a media job in Hyderabad, he was dissatisfied. Later, his return to Tirupati due to personal reasons allowed him to fulfill his dream of opening a Kathaaprapancham book store and a publishing house, in 2018. “I worked alone and did everything,” he recalls.

From publishing books in Telugu to taking copyrights from writers of other languages to publish translations of their books and participating in almost 15 book fairs, he did everything to make his publishing house a success. Kathaaprapamcham took steps to stabilise; its weak financial situation deteriorated further due to COVID-19. ”I was about to shut down the publishing house and kill my dream, when Usha revived it,” says Kiran.