Aspect of Jainology Part 1 Lala Harjas Rai

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Shodhpith Varanasi

Page 30

HARJAS RAI JAIN, A MAN OF CLEANER PUBLIC LIFE G. R. Sethi, Amritsar
It is a matter of great pleasure for me to know that P. V. Research Institute, Varanasi, in bringing out an Abhinandan Granth for my dear friend, Shri Harjas Rai Jain.
now.
If I remember aright, I have known him for more than 60 years In fact, my contacts with a number of leading Jaina families of Amritsar date back to my school and college days in view of my close ties with the late Professor Mast Ram Jain, who was a classfellow from first primary in the PBN High School, Amritsar, till our graduation from Khalsa College, Amritsar. Both of us were frequent visitors to each other's house. Through his medium, I came to know some prominent Jain businessmen of Amritsar.
When I completed my education, I entered the profession of journalism towards the end of December, 1920. In about a year's time, I had established good contacts with upper strata of local socialites and some prominent businessmen. Lala Rattan Chand Jain, an elder brother of Shri Harjas Rai Jain, had likewise come into my contact.
It was around 1923, that I heard of Master Sunder Singh ji, a khadi clad teacher, having emerged on the scene who had established a school with about half a dozen children of some prominent businessmen, taking up full responsibility for looking after them, their education, their meals, rest and play etc. from morning till evening, collecting these children from their houses and finally returning them to their parents. This was a novel experiment in Amritsar. I was told that the teacher was being financed by members of Shri Harjas Rai Jain's family and one of their neighbours in Guru Bazar, the late Lala Dwarka Das Gotewala. Lala Dwarka Das was known to me very well, because he was a close friend of my father, who used to purchase valuable articles like gold embroidered garments, silk textiles, gold and silver jewellery etc. through Lala Dwarka Das.