From Bookstall to Bombay Stock Exchange: How Dachepalli Publishers is Scaling Nationally
A key element of their strategy is going beyond single-title orders. By offering schools a complete ecosystem—textbooks, complimentary digital resources, and teacher training programmes—the company has been able to secure full-school adoptions.
- Sep 24, 2025,
- Updated Sep 24, 2025 8:02 PM IST
What began over a century ago as a modest bookstall at Secunderabad railway station has, in the hands of the younger generation, evolved into a modern publishing house preparing for the public markets.
Today, Harish and Abhinav Dachepalli, great-grandsons of founder Dachepalli Kistaiah, are leading the company’s transition from a traditional publishing business into a national player with digital capabilities and an eye on global aspirations.
Under the larger leadership of the family group—Mr. Vinod Kumar Dachepalli, Mr. Rushikesh Dachepalli, and their sons Harish and Abhinav—the firm has embraced a nationwide expansion strategy. Over the past decade, the brothers have overseen the transformation of what was once a local publishing enterprise into a structured organisation with teams, offices, and distribution networks across multiple Indian states.
A key element of their strategy is going beyond single-title orders. By offering schools a complete ecosystem—textbooks, complimentary digital resources, and teacher training programmes—the company has been able to secure full-school adoptions. “When schools buy our books, they also get access to digital content and teacher workshops without additional cost. This gives us long-term partnerships instead of transactional relationships,” one of the directors explained.
Despite the rapid rise of edtech and the dominance of multinational publishers, the family remains unfazed by competition. “We are not afraid of anyone. Whether it is global players or tech-based challengers, we believe schools value reliability, service, and curriculum-aligned content. That’s what we deliver,” the leadership emphasized.
The company recently received in-principle approval from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for its upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO), which it aims to launch around Dussehra–Diwali this year. For Harish and Abhinav, the listing marks both a symbolic and strategic milestone: taking their grandfather’s bookstore to the stock market in just a decade of hands-on leadership.
The IPO proceeds, according to management, will primarily be used for working capital, team-building across states, setting up offices, and expanding market share in both existing and new geographies. The company is also clear about its priorities—no plans to diversify outside education for now. “India’s school education market is so vast that even today, our market share is below 5%. The opportunity ahead is huge, and our focus is entirely on increasing penetration,” the leadership said.
This clarity of purpose has guided their state-by-state expansion model. By building local teams in every state, they aim to strengthen engagement with schools, improve adoption rates, and expand their footprint from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Employment generation is also a by-product of this approach, as each new office adds jobs for academic consultants, field staff, and curriculum advisors. The message from the leadership is loud and clear: Dachepalli Publishers is confident about competing in a crowded education market. With legacy, modernisation, and an IPO-fuelled growth plan, the company is preparing to scale in a way that remains rooted in its core business—publishing and supporting schools—while steadily transforming into a pan-India education partner.
What began over a century ago as a modest bookstall at Secunderabad railway station has, in the hands of the younger generation, evolved into a modern publishing house preparing for the public markets.
Today, Harish and Abhinav Dachepalli, great-grandsons of founder Dachepalli Kistaiah, are leading the company’s transition from a traditional publishing business into a national player with digital capabilities and an eye on global aspirations.
Under the larger leadership of the family group—Mr. Vinod Kumar Dachepalli, Mr. Rushikesh Dachepalli, and their sons Harish and Abhinav—the firm has embraced a nationwide expansion strategy. Over the past decade, the brothers have overseen the transformation of what was once a local publishing enterprise into a structured organisation with teams, offices, and distribution networks across multiple Indian states.
A key element of their strategy is going beyond single-title orders. By offering schools a complete ecosystem—textbooks, complimentary digital resources, and teacher training programmes—the company has been able to secure full-school adoptions. “When schools buy our books, they also get access to digital content and teacher workshops without additional cost. This gives us long-term partnerships instead of transactional relationships,” one of the directors explained.
Despite the rapid rise of edtech and the dominance of multinational publishers, the family remains unfazed by competition. “We are not afraid of anyone. Whether it is global players or tech-based challengers, we believe schools value reliability, service, and curriculum-aligned content. That’s what we deliver,” the leadership emphasized.
The company recently received in-principle approval from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for its upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO), which it aims to launch around Dussehra–Diwali this year. For Harish and Abhinav, the listing marks both a symbolic and strategic milestone: taking their grandfather’s bookstore to the stock market in just a decade of hands-on leadership.
The IPO proceeds, according to management, will primarily be used for working capital, team-building across states, setting up offices, and expanding market share in both existing and new geographies. The company is also clear about its priorities—no plans to diversify outside education for now. “India’s school education market is so vast that even today, our market share is below 5%. The opportunity ahead is huge, and our focus is entirely on increasing penetration,” the leadership said.
This clarity of purpose has guided their state-by-state expansion model. By building local teams in every state, they aim to strengthen engagement with schools, improve adoption rates, and expand their footprint from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Employment generation is also a by-product of this approach, as each new office adds jobs for academic consultants, field staff, and curriculum advisors. The message from the leadership is loud and clear: Dachepalli Publishers is confident about competing in a crowded education market. With legacy, modernisation, and an IPO-fuelled growth plan, the company is preparing to scale in a way that remains rooted in its core business—publishing and supporting schools—while steadily transforming into a pan-India education partner.