B. KAMTA PRASAD JAIN

B. KAMTA PRASAD JAIN
(3-5-1901—17-5-1964)

Jain literature was the subject, Jain history the way of thinking and world wide propagation of Jain religion was the mission of life of genius B. Kamta Prasad Jain. Towards achievement of his mission he established World Jain Mission at Aliganj, Distt. Etah (U.P.) and set up its branches in India as well as foreign countries. The two monthly'magazines ‘Ahlmsa Vani in Hindi and 'The Voice of Ahimsa' in English started and edited by him had a wide popularity and were effective medium of Jain publicity in the country and abroad. He also edited Jain Sudershan, Adarsh Jain, Sidhanta Bhaskar and Utkarsh. He was the first editor of 'Vir' started by A.I. Digamber Jain Parishad in November 1923, edited it for 30 years and brought out its important special issues Jain Virank and Jain Puratatwank.

His ancestors who belonged to village Koti in district Aligarh had settled at Aliganj. His father Sh. Prag Das did banking business and in connection with supplies to the Indian military he had to stay in various provinces. B. Kamta Prasad was born at Campbelpore in North Western Frontier Province (now in Pakistan) and received his early eduction in Naval Rai Hiranand Academy at Hyderabad (Sind). Influenced by the religious life of his mother since his childhood, he used to recite Jain Stotras and Samayik Path in that Gurmukhi predominant school.

He had thoroughly studied Jain religion, philosophy and history. He wrote a large number of articles on various subjects and received gold and silver medals. The Jain Academy established by Barrister Champat Rai had honoured him with the honorary degree of Doctor of Law and the Ecumenical Church Society of Canada had conferred upon him the honorary degree of Ph. D. in recognition of his comparative study of different religions. He was Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of London. The Keiserling Society of Germany and Latin America's International Religions Association had also honoured him. He was President of the Jain Religion and Prakrit Branch of the Oriental Conference held at Ahmedabad in 1955.

He was Hon. Magistrate at Aliganj from 1931 to 1949 and also served as Assistant Collector from 1943 to 1948. He championed the work of liquor prohibition and settlement of displaced persons and gave his active support to various welfare activities of Aliganj Tehsil. He added his own mite to works of charity and inspired others for philanthrophy. More than 100 of the tracts and books written by him also covered Jain art and architecture and history of Jain literature in which he had special interest.