By Maung Hlaing
(CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY)
The Art Department
The Art Department was responsible for designing and illustrating Sarpay Beikman publications in consultation with the editorial department. A Pictorial Reference File or picture, and a trained photographer and Institute Photo Laboratory, completed the services of the Art Department to the Institute.
The Marketing Division
The Marketing Division was responsible for the sale and distribution of the books and magazines its printing presses turned out. When the Institute was first founded in 1947, there was no Marketing Division, which was a major department in any publishing house. After the Institute’s reorganization in May 1957, it was determined that to be able to stand on its own legs firmly, the Institute must concentrate on sales as its main source of income. Thus, the Sales Department came into existence as a separate entity. A Sales Manager was appointed, with direct responsibility to the Director.
The General Administration
The Director, with his assistants, directed and coordinated the programme of the Institute without the policy laid down by the Council. In addition, the various administrative divisions provided the services necessary to the management of the organization of (over 450) employees.
The Accounts Division
The Accounts Division scrutinized and recorded all financial transactions. The accounting procedures of the Institute were based on commercial practices. In addition, some government accounting rules and regulations (e.g. Fundamental Rules) were observed. Annual consolidated income and expenditure accounts and balance sheets were audited by a certified external auditor.
The Motor Transport Section
As transportation was a major undertaking at the Institute, no less than 25 vehicles of all types then were in daily use. An officer was in charge of the Motor Transport Section which had to handle an increasing volume of work.
The Public Relations Division
When this division was first formed in 1955, it was called the Publicity and Distribution Department. However, by 1957, it was determined that both public relations and distribution were major areas in themselves. Therefore, with the creation of a Marketing Division, this division was given responsibility for handling the Institute’s public relations. The division aims to promote good public relations between the Sarpay Beikman and the public.
Another function of this division was to see that visitors were cordially received. One other important function of the Public Relations Division was working with the membership of the Institute itself.
The Sarpay Beikman Public Library
In March 1956, the Managing Council of the Institute established the Sarpay Beikman Public Library, one of the few free public libraries in Myanmar. The primary purpose of this library was to make books published by the Institute, as well as other educational Myanmar and English books freely available to the public with a view to promoting mass education. The Librarian, who acted as Secretary to the Library Advisory Committee, was in charge of Library Administration under the direction and review of the Director and Chief Executive Manager.
An integral part of the Library was a Children’s Branch, situated on the ground floor of the Institute building at Merchant Street. Children’s Library programmes were presented every Saturday and included film shows, easy competitions, debates, magic painting competitions, indoor games, story-telling and other activities that many children came to enjoy. (At that time) There were 3,000 volumes of children’s books, story books and comics.
The Extra-Mural Activities Division
This Division was founded in March 1954, originally with a view to releasing some of the extra duties of the Administration Department. The main functions of the division were (i) to give yearly literary awards; (ii) to hold cultural talks and to exhibit cultural shows regularly during the non-raining period of the year; (iii) to hold public classes on different subjects not usually taught in ordinary schools.
There were BTS Evening Classes providing public lectures on such useful subjects as Public Speaking, Fundamentals of Myanmar Prose Writing, Principles of Economics, Domestic Science, World Affairs, World History, and the World We Live In, and Printing Classes were held on composing, machine minding, bookbinding, and photo-engraving. They were aimed at improving the knowledge of printing for both Institute staff and outsiders. It was noteworthy that a yearly Journalism School, administered jointly with the Burma Journalists Association, helped to improve journalistic writing.
Honestly, I got these facts and figures from the booklet ‘SARPAY BEIKMAN’ (Palace of Literature), September 1958. These excerpts will reveal the Gloden Age of Sarpay Beikman in the past. I am not dwelling too much upon the past of the institute. I am not making up but it is a true story.
Sarpay Beikman … Today
As Sarpay Beikman is under the management of the Printing and Publishing Department (PPD), we should have known the brief history of the latter.
The Printing and Publishing Department stemmed from the central Press which carried out the printing jobs for the secretariat of the Government of Myanmar in 1880 and it was administered by the Superintendent of Printing. It existed as Printing and Stationery Department in 1928.
After the advent of the Revolutionary Council Government, it was transformed into Central Press.
In 1963, the Burma Translation Society (BTS) was abolished and the Governing Body of Sarpay Beikman was formed in accordance with the law promulgated. Soon after the private-owned printing presses had been nationalized in order to establish the socialist economy, the Supervisory Board for Nationalized Printing Presses and Their printing Jobs was formed.
In 1971, the Central Press, the Sarpay Beikmna and the nationalized private-owned presses were reorganized as ‘Printing and Publishing Corporation’ which was placed under the control of the Ministry of Information (MOI). Then again after the Tatmadaw Government took the responsibilities of the State in 1988, ‘The Printing and Publishing Corporation’ was renamed ‘Printing and Publishing Enterprise’ (PPE) and the Managing Director took the charge as the departmental head.
From 1 April 2016 onwards, the ‘Printing and Publishing Enterprise’ was reorganized, as the ‘Printing and Publishing Department’ (PPD) and the Director-General took the charge of the Department. The PPD was made up of five divisions – Administration, Printing, Production, Accounts, and Sarpay Beikman.
In this way, Sarpay Beikman which is now made up of seven sections is now placed under the management of the PPD. According to the new constitution, the editorial programme is under the direction of a Chief Editor and a Deputy Chief Editor under them are Executive Editors and Editors and the staff are performing the tasks of rendering services for the development of Myanmar literature and enhancement of knowledge for the reading public.
The literary activities that the Sarpay Beikman has to implement are: -
Selecting and presenting the ‘National Literary Awards’ for 18 genres of the books published in a calendar year;
Selecting and Presenting the ‘Sarpay Beikman Manuscript Awards’ for 13 genres, inviting the manuscripts once a year;
Presenting the Pakpkku Literary Awards Founded by Pakokku U Ohn Pe;
Holding occasional paper reading sessions, books fairs, Literary talks, literary exhibitions, etc.
The routine literary works are being carried out by seven Sections – Myanmar Encyclopaedia Year Book, People’s Handbook Series, Thuta Padetha or Magazine of General Knowledge, Shwe Thway or Children Journal, Translation Section, Sarpay Beikman Public Library and Sales Branch.
Myanmar Encyclopaedia Year Book
This section has been carrying out the annual publication of the Myanmar Encyclopaedia of Year Book since 1978 to supplement the 15 volumes of Myanmar Encyclopaedia.
People’s Handbook Series
This section publishes the manuscripts that win the ‘Sarpay Beikman Manuscript Award’s and the ‘Pakokku Literary, Award Founded by Pakokku U Ohn Pe’ and other reading materials.
Thuta Padetha
This section emerged in 1973 as a quarterly magazine, presenting the translated works. Today, it has become a monthly magazine that carries both translated and original works.
Shwe Thway Journal
This journal is a weekly children’s Journal which came out on 4 January 1969. It became a bilingual (Myanmar and English) Journal in October 1979.
Translation Section
In order to carry out its primary objectives more successfully and to make sure that it performs translation effectively as has been envisaged since it was founded, this section was established in 2013. The section carries out its routine works of translation (from English to Myanmar and from Myanmar to English).
Sarpay Beikman Public Library
The Sarpay Beikman Public Library emerged on 5 March 1956. It became an e-library on 1 October 2001 and the Children’s Library could be opened on the same day. Similarly, another public library was opened in Mandalay on 21 March 2001.
Sales Branch
Although the Sales Branch is one of the sections under the Production Division, it is placed under the management of the Chief Editor. It has opened book shops (book centres) in Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay to sell all kinds of books published by private sectors besides the books published by the PPD.
Sarpay Beikman … Tomorrow
‘Sarpay Beikman’ has been bequeathed to us by our predecessors who paved the way for literary development in Myanmar.
Our predecessors spared no effort to make the Sarpay Beikman stand tall in the literary world of the nation. They gave birth to the motto ‘Light, where darkness was’. In its early days, the Institute became truly a publishing house with an excellent reputation. No one can deny that.
To be able to maintain such a reputation is a gigantic task for the successors of today.
“The goal of our Institute is clear… to produce interesting and enlightening books in Burmese, and to market these books so vigorously that each home in the Union will be, in truth, a small “Palace of Literature”
The literary pioneers said so in the conclusion of the booklet ‘SARPAY BEIKMAN’ (Printed in September 1958).
It is incumbent upon those who are now working together under the roof of the Sarpay Beikman to achieve this goal.
May ‘Sarpay Beikman’ stand tall till doomsday!
Reference – (1) SARPAY BEIKMAN, Palace of Literature, Rangoon, 1958.
(2) Through the Window of Saypay Beikman by Maung Swe Ngae, Naingngant Gon-ye, Yangon, 2021
Note: - The author U Maung Hlaing joined the Sarpay Beikman in 1980 and worked as an Assistant Editor, Editor, Deputy Chief Editor and Editor-in-Chief. After his retirement, he worked as a Technical Consultant and is still working for Sarpay Beikman by participating in literary teams organized by the Ministry of Information.
