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ABOUT LIFCO
Started as a proprietor business in 1929 by Sri V. Krishnaswamy Sarma, today The LIFCO
Publishers Pvt. Ltd. has grown into a leading publishing firm in South India. It is famous for
Dictionaries and its wide range of religious books.
HISTORY
Late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century South India produced several leaders with vision,
dynamism and ambition in Industry, Trade and allied fields. Starting in a small way, these
leaders built great-dedicated institutions just by their hard work, dynamism and perseverance.
TVS started by Sundaram Iyengar, Hindu by Kasturi Srinivasa Iyengar, Simpson Group by
Anantharamakrishnan are leading examples of such institutions. These institutions have
become household names. LIFCO, entering its 75th year in 2003, is another such institution
built and nurtured by a great visionary, Late Sri VARADACHARY KRISHNASWAMY SARMA.
THE CHANGING THRUST OF PUBLICATIONS
In the 1940s and 1950s the thrust of Lifco's books were guidebooks for higher secondary and

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college students (colloquially referred to as 'Notes'), books on English Grammar and

Composition, and low-priced handy books. In the next decades the focus shifted from Guide
Books to Books on Religion and Dictionaries. The shift to Religious Books came at the behest of
His Holiness Kanchi Sankaracharya ( HH Chandrasekhara Swamigal).

First in or about 1949 when Sri Sarma had the honour of taking the blessings of HH at
Venkatadri Agaram, a village near Villupuram, HH advised Sri Sarma to publish a translation of
Sri Kalidasa's RAGHUVAMSA.

Accordingly Sri Sarma launched on the publication of a translation of Raghuvamsa by the great
Samskrit Scholar, Sahitheevallabha Sri V.S. Venkataraghavachariar. The book was released in
a public function by Shri C.P.Ramasamy Iyer in 1952 and was well received by scholars. Then,
a further thrust came in 1958 when HH visited the firm in person and reiterated his advice to
focus on religious books.

The first to follow this was a prestigious Publication (in 1958) titled "SRI MAHABHAKTA
VIJAYAM", a book depicting the History of our Ancient Saints like Sri Purandhara Dasa, Sri
Jayadeva, Sri Tulasi Dasa etc., This title has now reached its ninth Edition.

Then came the release of a Tamil translation of the great "VALMIKI RAMAYANA" by the late
Keerthanacharaya Sri C.R. SRINIVASA AYYANGAR. The first edition brought out in 1964 was
a monumental effort with the book running to several volumes; there were quite a few frills like a
carved wooden box to preserve the sacred books, Chikku Palagai, (a small traditional foldable
Book-Holder) for reading and a beautiful photo of Sri Rama printed on an Aluminium Plate by
Metal Box, a leader in Metal Printing. The English Translation followed in 1991. (Due to
changing customer preferences and costs of production, the English and Tamil translations are
presented in just two volumes now, preserving the contents in full, but avoiding all the frills.)

This was followed by a series of well-received books such as a collection of the sacred hymns
of the twelve Tamil Azhwaars, the NALAAYIRA DIVYAPRABANDAM, 108 SRIVAISHNAVA
DIVYADESA VAIBHAVAM (a popular guide for pilgrims), and books covering daily prayers and
rituals (Nithyanusandhanam and Nithyanushtanam, various Sahasranamam titles, etc.).

Among Dictionaries, LIFCO'S Dictionaries are as popular as Oxford, Chambers, etc in South

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India. LIFCO'S first English--English-- Tamil dictionary (with Meanings both in English and Tamil
to Words in English) was published in 1950. Priced at just two rupees, this became an instant
hit. After 50 years and improvements from time to time, the same title now costs Rs.80! Slowly
the range of these Dictionaries now consists of four sizes to suit different levels of students. The
Mega Dictionary brought out in 2001 at the top of this series has already gone into two Reprints
and has been very well received here and in Sri Lanka & elsewhere. English-English-Telugu
and Tamil-Tamil English Dictionaries were also added to the series.
THE NAME, LITTLE FLOWER.
Sri Sarma, while a student of the St. Joseph's High School at Cuddalore, came under the
influence of his Principal, the Rev. Fr. Verdure. Attracted by his nobility and serenity, Sri Sarma
cultivated an abiding reverence for his Principal during his school days and looked upon him
more as a benevolent Aachaarya, rather than just a Principal. Later, in 1929, when Sri Sarma
wanted to start his publishing business, he approached Fr. Verdure for his blessings and also
sought from him an appropriate name for the venture. The learned Principal, in a moment of
inspiration gave the name "LITTLE FLOWER" perhaps after the great Christian Saint of France.

Sri Sarma was attracted by the name, which he thought was both a blessing and a benediction.
He had a very great devotion to Nammazhvaar, the Doyen among the 12 Vaishnavite Saints
(known as AZHVAARS.) This Saint had many names but there is a special fragrance to the
name "Vakulaabaranar", the "Wearer of the Vakula flowers ("Magizhampoo" in Tamil, meaning
a flower small in size of much fragrance).

Tradition has it that the Lord, pleased with His devotee, presented him with His own Vakula
garland. Sarma believed, with the name Little Flower, he had the blessings of both
Nammazhwaar, the wearer of Little Flower and the Christian Saint Little Flower. While blessing
him, Fr. Verdure took a pledge from Sarma that in his publications and in his dealings with his
customers, apart from profit objectives, there should be an equal emphasis on community
service also. This clearly reflected in the approach Sri Sarma adopted towards the selection of
subjects/topics for his publications and the prices he Charged for them.

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