The Hindu Business Line : Ramaiya is a sweet sixteen

NAGPUR would immediately remind you of oranges. But that's also part of the name of Wadhwa, the law publishers of repute. Many remember how, decades ago, as students, they bought Wadhwa's nominally-priced company law book that had packed in its small size good quality.

It was K. K. Wadhwa who was on the phone, last week, and he was telling me, "Tonight, I'm taking the train to Madurai." Perhaps, a pilgrimage, I thought. But this was a different type of yatra: He was going to Meenakshi temple to release the latest edition of Ramaiya's Guide to Companies Act. When I met him after his return to the city, he had a whole box of books to show. And he was carrying almost half a century's legacy. "Why Madurai?" I asked him. "Because Ramaiya gave us the book in the temple," replies Wadhwa, who is one of the four brothers running the company, now in New Delhi. "We want to continue the tradition, and this is the sixteenth edition, after three years."

Many changes have happened to corporate law; two amending Acts came in 2003; there are new accounting standards; plus SEBI guidelines and so on. The current edition is more than 12,000 pages, presented in two boxes. A new idea that the firm has adopted to reach the books safety to the readers.

Who doesn't know Ramaiya in the field of accounting and company law? For any doubt in the Act, practitioners refer to the tome to get answers. The flagship product for the publisher is also used by the judicial system. With more than 16,000 cases, Wadhwa is confident that his book would provide the right arsenal for somebody who wants to fight a case. Decisions from the British, Australian and other foreign courts are also exhaustively included, and so Wadhwa affirms that this book would contain more of such cases than their local books would have.

A project of this size would not be possible without a big team. Ramaiya boasts of a score editors. Without their inputs, it would not have been possible to provide the expert opinions, clarifying the law when it is doubtful. The law presented in the current edition is as of March 15, 2004. Statutory changes to sections are given along with the dates when they became effective. And extracts of reports from various relevant committees are carried in the book — "not because they are a binding force" but because they are useful for understanding the circumstances and knowing the rationale. Appendices number, hold your breath, 326 and one wonders if the book may stand a chance for entry into the Guinness Book of Records. Wadhwa publications are designed aesthetically, as would be visible from their covers, and between the wrappers, their eye on quality is perceptible in the good choice of paper, fonts and such mechanical details. Most important, the language employed in the volumes, for commentary or case reporting, is simple and not unduly long.

Wadhwa's catalogue of books covers a wide range — from cyber laws to the Constitution, from Penal Code to law lexicons. During the chat, he tells me about forthcoming volumes, the interest for Indian law books in Pakistan, and I nudge him that he has enough matter in his hands to run a periodical on law, and even think of publishing laws of other countries.

He is not shouting from rooftops but shows `Wadhwa is Wadhwa' message on the box, and his leaflet on the new edition says `Ramaiya is Ramaiya'. What I am worried is if you were to get the book, you cannot keep it unattended on your table, for the sheer fear of losing it when you are away.

BooksOfAccount@thehindu.co.in

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