Jain Journal 1976 01

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

Page 16

104
JAIN JOURNAL
son, Prithwi Singh, was from his student days, an associate of Rabindra Nath and belonged to Sabuj Patra group of Bengali writers. He is a poet and now a senior inmate of Sri Aurobindo's Ashram. He has translated and written a number books on Sri Aurobindo's philosophy. His third son Bijoy Singh took to politics from a pretty early age, suffered imprisonment as a freedom fighter and was a minister in the Government of West Bengal for a number of years. He is a sportsman and like his late father, is fond of collection of paintings and coins. His fourth son, Bikram Singh, was a student of technology. Puran Chand kept his daughter's sons and even others at his own place for their proper education. Among them are Indra Chand Suchanti, Advocate, Bihar Sharif, Justice Randhir Singh Bachhawat of Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court, Dr. Bimal Kumar Bachhawat, the renowned bio-chemist and winner of Nehru Award and Bhatnagar Award. Not only did he impart education to the members of his own family and community, he also patronised education among others. Sharifuddin Ahmed, Hony. Magistrate of Dinajpur, Ajit Mukherjee of Arts & Crafts and many others were educated under his guidance at his own residence. It is heartening that Sri Nahar's second wife is still alive at a very advanced age and lives like the back-bone of the family.
Puran Chand Nahar could claim among his friends such illustrious names as Rabindra Nath Tagore, R. G. Bhandarkar, Gaganendra Nath Tagore, Rakhal Das Banerjee, Percy Brown, Vasudev Saran Agarwal, Ashutosh Mukherjee, Rama Prasad Mukherjee, Ramananda Chatterjee, Ishwari Prasad, Pandit Sukhlalji, Muni Jinavijayji, Prag Dayal, Stella Kramrisch, Ashit Halder, N. C. Mehta, Harinath De, Mahamahopadhyaya Satish Chandra Vidyabhusan, Acarya Vijayendra Suri, A. F. M. Abdul Ali and many others. Among those who were in constant touch with him, and consulted him at one time or another and made use of his library, worthy of mention are A. N. Upadhye, B. C. Law, R. D. Banerjee, Muni Jinavijayji, Pandit Hargovinddas Seth, and others.
In concluding this account we must bring two other names, who were not only contemporaries and intimate friends, but also colleagues in the same cause. They were Bahadur Singh Singhi and Puran Chand Samsukha. Bahadur Singh commanded money but not the pen and became illustrious through the Singhi Series, well edited and nicely printed, and published first from Santiniketan and later from Bharaitya Vidya Bhavan. The series has presented to the nation more than four dozen very authentic books on Jainology. Puran Chand Samsukha commanded the pen but not money. Apart from innumerable articles in Hindi and Bengali, and small books on Jainism and Mahavira in