Jain Journal 1976 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 10

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JAIN JOURNAL
singular honour of having the mint in his own house, Khadag Singh migrated to Bengal and settled in 1823 V. S. (1766 A. D.) at Azimganj. Later, on the advice of Jagat Seth, the family started business at Dinajpur. It must be said to the credit and unique good fortune of this family that wherever it settled, its members soon came to the top in wealth and influence. At Dinajpur, fortune smiled on it, as ever, and the family soon had a branch of its business at Calcutta. The parent trunk of the family, however, dried up by 1907 V. S.
The family rejuvenated its carrier when Sitab Chand (Puran Chand's father) was adopted as son and successor to the Nahar family in V. S. 1907 (1850 A. D.). Sitab Chand was only three years of age at the time of his adoption. He lived to become an important figure not only in the family but also in the entire Jaina Community of Bengal. He was a lover of learning and knew, apart from Bengali and Hindi, two classical languages, viz., Sanskrit and Persian. Besides, he was a lover of music. But excelling all these were his human qualities and he was a great philanthropist. During the famine of 1930-31 V. S. (1873 A. D.) he helped the people to the best of his ability, and in recognition of his magnificent services, the Government made him a Rai Bahadur in 1875. He started a press named Visva-Vinod which published some useful religious books. On the occasion of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria, he started the Bibi Prankumari Jubilee High School in his own town for imparting free education but the venture had to be closed after a few years when the school property was acquired by the Railway. The love of learning at this date was not keen outside the metropolitan areas but this early venture showed the far-sight of the man who was out and out a Victorian in his manner and attitude. He was renowned for many other philanthropic and charitable activities all over the country. To name just a few of them which casually occur to mind, we have a Jaina temple at Azimganj, a Dharamsala at Kasimbazar, another at Pavapuri. Mackenjee Public Hall at Azimganj, Nahar Building at Palitana, Derasar of Sri Adinathji, Kumar Singh Hall at Calcutta and a female ward to the hospital at Dumka. Sitabganj, a town in Dinajpur, was named after him. He was one of the founders of Jaina Charity Fund at Ahmedabad, was an Honorary Magistrate at Lalbagh and a Commissioner of the local municipality for many years.
To such an illustrious parent, the birth of an illustrious son, Puran Chand, was no freak of nature or accident. He was the most mature product of the family line. The date of his birth is the 10th day of the bright half of Vaisakh in 1932 V. S. for which the English equivalent is May 15, 1875. When the father was so great a lover of learning, it was