Prof. Dr. Nagarajaiah Hampana
Professor Dr. Rājarām Jain, born in 1929, at Malthone (Bundelkhaṇḍ) in Madhya Pradesh, obtained Triple Masters Degree in Hindi, Prakrit and Pali, respectively, in addition to the distinction of Shāstrāchārya upādhi from Banaras Hindu University in 1954. Rājarāmji devoted his time to the life and works of Raidhu, an important Apabhramsh poet, and was befittingly awarded PhD from Bihar University. After becoming a lecturer in Prakrit in the Magadh University, he developed the scope of the Prakrit Department. With his mastery over Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit, obviously he chaired the Department as Professor of Prakrit and Sanskrit. Interestingly, he also served as an Honorary Director of Kundkund Bharati Jain Research Institute, Delhi.
Apart from his affiliation to the teaching work, he extended his horizon of academic field by sheer dint of hard labour and dedication to research. Dr. Rājarāmji was fascinated by the depth and dimension of Prakrit World. He started to explore rare Manuscripts of the unpublished works. He searched the Grantha-Bhandaras and discovered many rare and invaluable Manuscripts written in pāṇḍulipi. He edited and published a series of Apabhramsh and Shauraseni Prakrit works. His work was recognised and the Lai Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapith, New Delhi, conferred the D.Litt. on him in 2006. Prof. Rajaramji has been profusely honoured. His long list of awards include the Certificate of Merit in Pali and Prakrit by President of India (2000), and Acharya Kundkund Memorial Award.
The Bahubali Prakrit Vidyapeeth and the National Institute of Prakrit Studies, Shravanabelagola take pleasure and pride to award its prestigious Prakrit Jnanabharati International Award of the Year 2007 to Professor Rajaram Jain, in the Holy presence of His Holiness Jagadguru Karmayogi Swastishri Charukeerthy Bhattaraka Pattacharya Mahaswamiji. This is in recognition of his matchless service and contribution to the promotion of Prakrit language and literature.
We wish Professor Rajaram Jain good health and happiness to serve the Prakrit literature for many more years. Svasti.
ŚravaNabeLagoLa
14 October 2010
Karnataka, India
