Dr. A.N. Upadhye - His Life And Accomplishments: 0.1 Lala Raja Krishen Jain

Lala Raja Krishen Jain

(A brief note on the life and works of Shri Raj Krishen Jain in whose memory the Lecture Series has been instituted in the University of Delhi, Delhi, with the fund endowed by Shri Raj Krishen Jain Charitable Trust, Delhi).

Shri Raj Krishen Jain was born at Ambala Cantt. on 11th October, 1900 (Kartik, Krishna, IV), the day on which the Third Jaina Tirthankara Sambhavanatha attained Kevalajnana and the day on which it is customary on the part of Indian Hindu women to observe fast for the welfare of their husbands. He passed away on the 4th February, 1973 at Delhi. He started his career as a clerk in Post & Telegraph Dept. and rose to the rank of Superintendent, Army Headquarters at Simla. In 1921, he resigned his post at the call of Civil Disobedience Movement given by Mahatma Gandhi. His father Shri Rangi Lai Jain and grand-father Shri Tulsi Ram were Government contractors who migrated from Sonepat, a District Headquarter now in Haryana.

Lalaji was a well-known generous social and religious worker, great visionary, Karma Yogi and a philanthropist too. In 1940, he founded Shri Raj Krishen Jain Charitable Trust under which he constructed the Ahimsa Mandir at 1-Daryaganj, New Delhi which presently houses the Jain Temple, Library for Research Scholars, free Dispensary, Dharmashala (Guest House), Temple, Nursing Home, etc. The said trust grants scholarships to deserving students. In 1947 he donated a sum of Rs.5,000/- to Anjuman Taraqui-e-Urdu for the development of Urdu Language. Another instance of his broad-mindedness lies in the fact that during the days of partition of India when brutal riots broke out, he braved himself in saving the valuable library of Anjuman Taraqui- e-Urdu and the precious lives of many Muslims and Hindus by offering them shelter, food, etc. He was not sectarian in his approach as is illustrated by his help to Bhikkhu Dhammavara of Cambodia when he migrated to Delhi from Pak-occupied Kashmir and established a Buddhist Temple and Ashok Mission Vihar in Mehrauli (near Delhi). In 1952, when Acharya Vinoba Bhave visited Delhi in connection with his Bhoodan Movement, Lalaji donated his entire 150 Bighas of agricultural land in village Arthala near Delhi. He was responsible for the repair of the National Archives of India and the preservation of 1500 years old palm leaf manuscripts of the "Dhavala" and the "Jaya Dhavala" which are enshrined in Moodbidri in South Karnataka. He was instrumental in the publication of many books on social and religious themes. He himself translated into English the Samayasara and the Niyamasara of Acharya Kundakunda and wrote a book in Hindi entitled "Shravan-Belgola Aur Dakshin ke Anya Jaina Tirtha." He helped the Government in recovering as many as 80 heads of antique images broker by the smugglers in 1959 in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which led to their arrest and sentence. He was associated with a number of social and religious institutions, viz. Delhi Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Friends, the All India Digambar Jain Sangha, Vidvat Parishad, the Veer SewaMandir, etc. He was elected unopposed as a Municipal Councillor of Delhi Municipal Committee and as a member of the Committee appointed by the Chief Commissioner, Delhi for acceleration of private buildings. As a colonizer, he developed Daryaganj, Delhi-shahdara, Ghaziabad, Western Extension Area and Ballabhgarh, etc., and was appointed as the first sole selling agent of Delhi Improvement Trust. He constructed many buildings prominent amongst them being the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Hall at Bhopal, the M P. Govt. House at Kautilya Marg, New Delhi and many buildings for M.E. S. at Agra and Delhi Cantt, and also for Northern Railway at Delhi Main and other places.

Smt. Krishna Devi Jain, wife of late Shri Raj Krishen Jain died at the Historic City of Hastinapur on 27th April, 1979 where a Jambu Dveep is being erected. The Trust also got a chaityalaya built in the Sumaru. She was cremated there at that time and it was felt that there was no proper place for cremation. The trustees have got constructed three Pucca Chabutaras for cremation purposes there and have planted some trees and arranged for a hand tubewell. He has also constructed there a building, after the name of his sister Smt. Rajkali Jain. The ground floor portion of this building has been donated to Digambar Jain Mandir, Hastinapur and upper portion for stay of his family members.

Lalaji also constructed a room in Mahavir Jain Bhawan, Mussorie for stay of the general public. He was also responsible for construction of Jain Temple at Modinagar. The land was purchased in his name and that of someone else.

He had one daughter, Smt. Kanta Jain who expired in March 1985. His daughter-in-law, Smt. Padmavati Jain (wife of Shri Prem Chandra Jain) also expired in Sept. 1983. Son Shri Prem Chandra Jain also expired in December 1995.

In order to perpetuate his memory the said Trust donated a sum of Rs.50,000/- and about 150 books on Jaina Studies to the University of Delhi, which on its part instituted Shri Raj Krishen Jain Memorial Lectures on 'Jaina Studies and Allied Topics like Ahimsa, Aparigraha, Anekanta, etc., and Their Relationship to the Challenges of Our Times.' According to the stipulation, a sum of Rs. 5,000/- will be preferred annually to each speaker under this scheme who will deliver at least two lectures.

Some of these lectures have already been published and the rest are under the process of printing..After the death of Shri Prem Chandra Jain, his only son, the Trust is now being managed amongst others by his three grandsons, Shri Bharat Bhushan Jain, Advocate; Dr. DeshBhushan Jain, M.B.B.S., M.S. and ShriDharam Bhushan Jain, Chartered Accountant. The trust is carrying on many social and religious activities like actively participating in (a) the construction of Jambu Dveep at Hastinapur (the only structure in the world which depicts the whole cosmos according to the Jaina texts), (b) Construction of Shrimati Krishnadevi Rajkrishen Jain Dhavala-Uddhar-Griha at Moodbidri in Karnataka to house 1500 years old palm-leaf manuscripts, idols made from emerald etc., (c) Construction of Shrimati Padmavati Premchandra Jain Library at Shravan Belagola where stands 57 ft. high colossal statue of Bhagawan Bahubali, (d) establishment of Shri Raj Krishen Jain Shishya Vritti in the Department of Jainology and Prakrit in Mysore University and donation to Hindi Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Wardha and so on. During the 25th Nirvan Centenary of Bhagwan Mahavira the Trust further donated books on Jaina Studies to all the Universities of India, Vasava Samiti Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, etc., and also constructed for the use of the general public electrically operated automatic cold water pois at Ahimsa Mandir, Daryaganj and Hindi Park, Daryaganj, New Delhi and also donated electrically operated automatic water coolers to Boys School in Kuncha Seth and Girls School in Dharmpura, Delhi. The Trust has also donated a well for the use of Sarakas in village Polma (Bihar). Kothi at 1-Daryaganj, of late Dr. M. A. Ansari where Gandhiji and other National Leaders used to stay and the meetings of the Indian National Congress were held many a times and where Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India, came to sign an agreement with Gandhiji had been donated to the Trust created by Shri Raj Krishen Jain in the name of Smt. Krishna Devi Raj Krishan Jain Smriti Grih. It is on roughly about 2500 sq.yds. of land and is being used for charitable and social functions.

In 1955 Lalaji had been to Badrinath along with late Dr. Hiralal Jain, Shri Yashpal Jain, Shri Vishnu Prabhakar and other eminent persons. At that time he felt the necessity of a Jain Temple and Dharmashala at Haridwar where there was none. The U P. Government granted to the Trust created by Lalaji about 6000 sq.ft. of land where a Library, Dharmashala, Dispensary and Jain Temple have been constructed.

There was no Jain Temple at Kurukshetra, another Indian Historical place where lakhs of people bathe in the holy tank at the time of Surya-Grahana and where supposedly the famous fight took place between Kauravas and Pandavas, Yogiraj Krishna gave his sermons on which the religious book Geeta is based. The Trust has got 3000 s.yds. of land for construction of Jain Temple, Dharmashala, Library and Dispensary from the Kurukshetra Development Board and the construction work is in progress.

In 1959 Lalaji's second grand-daughter, Smt.Vijaya Jain was studying in Birla School at Pilani, a famous Educational Centre in the Country established by Birlas. He had been there and thus felt the necessity of a Dharmashala, a good Library and a Jain Temple there. The trust has been able to get land there and the construction work is complete.

The Trustees have also donated to many individuals and institutions such as Prime Minister's Relief Fund, Bhagavan Mahaveera Vikalang Sahayata Samiti for benevolent causes.