The National Awards for Excellence in Printing, held in Chennai on 28th April 2026,
witnessed a moment of special significance as the Fourth Viren Chhabra Print Leadership
Award (VCPLA) was conferred upon Shri Anand Limaye of Mumbai, a veteran whose
decades of service to India’s printing fraternity have left an indelible mark on the industry.
The Award was announced by Veerendra Malik, Convenor of the VCPLA Forum, who began
the proceedings with a moving tribute to the person in whose memory the award was
instituted, the late Shri Viren Chhabra, lovingly called by all as Viren. Describing him as “a
pioneer who helped shape the very fabric of modern printing in India,” Malik recalled Viren’s
towering contributions, as Founder-Editor of Printing Times, as the force behind the Fifth
World Print Congress held in India in 1993, as the architect of the First South Asia Print
Congress at Delhi, and as a Fellow of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), USA.
Known as Bhishm Pitama of the Indian print industry, he was the ambassador of Indian
printing to the world. During his tenure with The Statesman, Viren had played a pivotal role
in modernising newspaper production, and as President of the All India Federation of Master
Printers (AIFMP), he had unified printers across the nation and championed India’s standing
on the global print map.
The Viren Chhabra Print Leadership Forum and AIFMP had instituted the VCPLA in 2017 to
honour individuals widely recognised for making a major impact on the printing industry, who
have been active across many facets of the graphic arts world, and who have achieved
something exceptional during the course of their work. This year’s jury, comprising
Rajendrakumar Anayat, Vice Chancellor; Narendra Paruchuri of Pragati Press, Hyderabad;
Mrs. Chhabra and Ravinder Reddy, President AIFMP, unanimously chose Anand Limaye as
a worthy torchbearer of this legacy.
Accepting the award, Limaye struck a note that was at once humble and urgent. Framing the
honour not as a personal milestone but as “a reminder that there is still much more to be
done,” he reflected on a lifetime shaped by the belief that “if the industry grows, we all grow.”
The head of India Printing Works (IPW), a Mumbai institution founded by his father in 1932,
he attributed his career’s milestones, including the revival of Pamex and key policy victories
with the government, to teamwork and collective intent.
His acceptance speech, however, was no passive reflection. Limaye used the platform to
issue a candid assessment of the headwinds facing Indian print today. He identified five
systemic challenges: volatility in raw material prices squeezing smaller printers into
unsustainable margins; the shift in consumption patterns driven by digital media, forcing print
to “constantly prove its value”; the compliance burdens on MSMEs; a widening skill gap
between industry needs and available talent; and the fragmented nature of the Indian
printing sector that weakens its collective bargaining power.
Yet Limaye remained firmly optimistic, anchoring his faith in print’s enduring strengths, “trust,
tangibility, and permanence.” His roadmap for the sector was clear and actionable: embrace
technology rather than resist it; collaborate more and compete less within the fraternity;
invest proactively in education and upskilling; bring the next generation into the industry with
pride; and engage more meaningfully with government and policymakers to address
regulatory challenges.
A deeply experienced industry voice, Limaye has played a formative role in shaping print
policy, education and institutional development through his engagement with bodies at city,
state and national levels, including notable contributions to the Institute of Printing
Technology and Research.
The evening served as a fitting reminder that the Viren Chhabra Print Leadership Award is
not merely a recognition of past achievements, it is a call to lead. In Anand Limaye, the
VCPLA Forum has found a recipient who embodies both the legacy it celebrates and the
future it aspires to build.
BACK TO NEWS |
