Dr. Narendra P. Jain was born on 21st December 1930, and passed away on November 23, 2015 in Indore, India. He was educated at the University of Bombay, India and University of Cambridge, U.K. Dr. N.P. Jain was a distinguished Indian Diplomat for thirty six years vintage who had been India’s Ambassador to Nepal, European Union, U.N., Belgium, and Mexico apart from Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. In 1967, he joined the Ministry of Commerce as Director, overseeing trade and economic relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. During 1974 to 1979, he was the Joint Secretary and later Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. In 1985, the Mexican Academy of International Law and Diplomacy honored him with a doctorate in International Relations.
In his post-retirement years spent in Indore, Dr. Jain advised leading Indian corporations in steel, hydroelectric power, banking and agriculture economy sectors besides being a member of the 60-person Think Tank at the UN Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. He was a globally oriented economist and environmentalist who made recommendations on integrating environmental factors to sustainably develop the world economy. He was a scholar, poet, and a published author who wrote several books including his autobiography in Hindi, ‘’Jeena Isi Kaa Naam Hai’’ in 2015. He used his knowledge and skill sets for promoting higher education in India and abroad, including International School for Jain Studies. In June 2015, he lectured at the University of California, Riverside on ‘’Emerging Dimensions of Human Resource Management.”
From childhood, he was engrossed in learning about Jainism, and lived its core principles such as communicating the truth, adhering to non-violence, promoting peace, and practicing forgiveness. He was an articulate orator on Jain religion and philosophy. He was the chief guest at the World Jain Congress held at Leicester in U.K. in June 1988. Dr. Jain was on the steering committee of the World Forum of Jains, a key note speaker at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1993, and an active participant in the UN Millennium Summit of Spiritual Leaders in New York in 2000. Dr. Jain along with Late Dr. L.M. Singhvi attended the 2007 JAINA Convention in Edison, NJ, and inspired JAINA to take the lead in convening Jain Diaspora Conferences at each future JAINA Convention by inviting leaders of Jain communities in over 35 countries to share common concerns. His urging helped nurture the concept of the Global Jain/world citizen who exemplifies the Jain Way of Life through engagement in international humanitarian service.