SHRI AKSHAYA KUMAR JAIN
A most distinguished journalist and writer Shri Jain has held the highest positions in the journalistic field in the country. He was born at Bijaigarh in Distt. Aligarh (U.P.) on December 30, 1915. His father Diwan Roop Kishore Jain was a creative writer.
He passed B.A. from Holkar College, Indore in 1938 and LL.B. from Aligarh University in 1940. He was imprisoned in 1942 for participating in Quit India Movement. He started journalistic career from daily ‘Sainik’ in 1939, was Editor of ‘Sudershan’ weekly in 1940 published from Etah and worked in several magazines and edited ‘Vir’ during 1940-46.
He is associated with the most popular Hindi daily ‘Navbharat Times’ since 1946 and is its Editor since 1955. Twice President of All India Newspapers Editors Conference during 1964-67, Shri Jain is member of Press Council of India since 1967 and on Board of Directors of Samachar Bharati and Hindustan Samachar – the multilingual news agencies.
He has been a member of International Press Institute and President of Hindi Patrakar Sangh. He has visited U S.A., Russia and Europeon countries on government invitations. He was a member of the delegation which took the bust of late Prime Minister Shri Lai Bahadur Shastri to Tashkent (Russia) in 1968.
He was invested with the title of Padma Bhushan in 1968 but as a keen lover of the mother tongue Hindi he surrendered it the same year expressing resentment over anti- Hindi policy of the Central Government. He has been honoured with the title of ‘Sahitya Ratna’ in November, 1970. Shri Jain has a highly respectable place in social, religious and civic circles and is widely well-known in the country.
He was President of All India Digamber Jain Parishad during 1967-68. He holds a key position in the programmes connected with Nirwan Celebrations of Bhagwan Mahavir as General Secretary of the Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirwan Mahotsava Maha Samiti. He is President of Prachya Sanskriti Parishad and is connected with many other organisations.
Literary Works : Parityakta, Yug Purush Ram (prized by Central and U.P. Govts.), Sahsi Sansar, Iran Ki Kahaniyan, Doosri Dunya, Britain Me Char Saptah, Amit Rekhayen, Kuru Pradesh Ki Kahaniyan, Varad Putra, Sansar Ke Mahapurush (prized by U.P. Govt), Essays, Meri Roos Yatra, Braj Bhasha Ki Kahaniyan (Folk Stories 2 Vol.) Yudh Diary (Pakistan- Indo War of 1971), Yad Rahin Mulakaten (Reminiscences of interviews with senior most leaders of India and Heads of States of U.S.A., U.S.S.R, U.K. and Pakistan) and Yad Rahin Baten.
He has edited several books and translated a Russian book into ‘Peeda Rahit Prasava’ which is a text book in M.B.B.S. course. Residence : C—47, Gulmohar Park, New Delhi—49 Phone 626952 Off. Ph. 270161
