Ananda Publishers on Friday announced the launch of a range of eBooks for its most popular titles through its e-commerce site www.anandapub.in and apps on the Chrome platform for the desktop and the Android platform for mobile devices.

At a time the pandemic has made people wary of travelling for essentials, and the procurement of books has become difficult, Ananda Publishers, the leading Bengali language publisher, aims to take books to their readers.

Readers can buy their favourite titles online and have them delivered either online as downloadable eBooks or receive physical copies at their doorstep.

Subroto Mozumdar, Group CEO, Ananda Publishers, said: “The Bengali eBook market is still nascent and Ananda Publishers is the first publisher to create its own eBook reader app. Readers will now have the opportunity to buy e-books on the website and app (available as a Chrome app for desktops and mobile apps for the Android platform) and read on the go.

“We believe this will add immense value to the reader experience, giving readers the choice to buy and read in a format they desire.”

The iOS version of the app will be available soon, Mozumdar said.

The pandemic-induced health concerns have come in the way of readers paying a visit to bookstores. The situation is such that a publishing house has decided to engage cyclists – cycle is considered as the safe mode of transport – to have books delivered at the doorstep of readers.

The bookstores in malls are also not attracting the usual crowd. In such a situation, making the books available on the digital platforms to the readers is the best solution. The development of the e-commerce website is a significant step towards reaching out to as many readers as possible.

Ananda Publishers, established in August 1957, is the leading publisher of Bengali literary, trade and academic works for over six decades.

With many years of experience, research-oriented publishing objectives and adherence to the highest production values, Ananda Publishers enjoys the admiration of their readers.

A number of illustrious authors and poets — including Sukumar Ray, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Satyajit Ray, Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Premendra Mitra and Buddhadeb Guha — have graced the pages of Ananda Publishers’ publications over the years.

Many foreign literary masterpieces, too, have made their way into the Bengali language market through Ananda Publishers.