The Kutchi community hails from the Kutch region of the western Indian state of Gujarat.

The group recently hosted an event in Mumbai’s Matunga Gujarati Club, where the admin of the group, Dinesh Gogri, announced the formation of the association.

“I didn’t realise that a small WhatsApp group will bring us together for this event. There is a regular change in the printing technology and the competition has become a challenge,” Gogri said. 

Of the 85 members, 60 were present at the event.

The association, according to Gogri, will leverage the strong presence of the Kutchi community not only in the field of print, but also in medical, commerce, finance, and legal. “We are confronted with cases of arbitration; there are medical emergencies, manpower requirements, and other such issues that need to be tackled on a day-to-day to basis. Aligning with other Kutchi associations will be mutually beneficial for all,” he added.

The dignitaries at the event were Ashok Desai, ex-principal of Government Institute of Printing Technology; Jayesh Savla, director at Shah Devji Shivji; and Shantilal Furia of Jeevandeep Prakashan.

Desai said, “Printers are the backbone of modern day society and if the printers are removed from our day-to-day life, then it will be difficult, as both print and life span runs parallel"

Desai recounted the early days when a print cost was Rs 140 per copy and compared that to the cost of Rs 80 that prevails today. “Everybody thought there is a lot of money in printing. So, many joined the print bandwagon, including those in the allied fields, like binders. There was a demand for print but when many joining the print business it led to opportunity costs, which is the reason for the unhealthy competition of today,” he said.

Savla of Shah Devji Shivji conceded that paper trading is much more simpler business than running a print operation. But there is competition here too. “We try and beat the competition by providing solutions that others do not offer,” he said.

While there is a threat to the print media from digital, Savla said, some bad publicity, which printers also indulge in should be avoided. “We, as the print community, must convey to the world that print is green, that trees cut for producing paper are from the plantation fields which paper mills own and promote. For every plant cut, four new ones are planted,” he said. “We should change our signatures on every email to one that promotes print and use of paper, as it is a completely renewable resource.”

In Mumbai, there are about 140-150 Kutchi printers, most of them are owners of four-colour presses.