Pandit Shri Nathuram Premi

A torch-bearer in Jainism from Madhya Pradesh

This great man, famous as modern torch-bearer in Jainism, was born in 1881 AD at Devri village of Sagar District in Madhya Pradesh. The family was quite ordinary and belonged to Porvad, a merchant class. Nathuramji was put up to a village school for study. He was very clever in study and always-maintained first or second rank in the class. His teachers loved him. He passed the teachers’ training examination very easily and at once got the service of a teacher at Nagpur. He got habituated to live with minimum needs and this habit continued till the end of his life. He could, yet, save something because of his simple living without any avoidable habits and used all his savings for the publication of literary books and service to others. He came in contact with poet Amirali and got interested in writing poems. His poems were printed in periodicals like “Kavya Sudhakar”, “Rasik Mitra” etc. He wrote his poems under the nickname of Premi. His contacts with poets, writers & literary critics increased slowly and he was drawn to expand the scope of his writings. He then came down to Bombay in the year 1901 and joined Bombay Prantik Jain Sabha for its periodical, 'Jain Mitra'. He learnt Sanskrit, Marathi, Gujarati & Bengali in his spare time.

During his stay at Bombay, Pandit Nathuramji came to know Shri Pannalalji Bakliwal, a great lover of literature. Shri Bakliwal had adopted life-long celibacy and had turned to the service of the people. He was known as Guruji, a highly respected man in the local community. He was considered to be the most learned personality among the Jains of those days. Nathuramji was deeply affected by his dedication, unattachment, character & sympathetic nature. Premiji learnt Bengali from him. Pannalalji was also pleased to see the ability and selflessness of young Premiji and slowly entrusted him all the responsibility of the periodicals “Jain Hitaishi”, “Jain Granth Ratnakar”, which reached the stage of one of the most outstanding periodicals of all India level under the editor-ship of Premiji.

Co-operation from Sheth Shri Manikchand, J. P. At this time Premiji came in the acquaintance of Sheth Shri Manikchand. He encouraged and inspired the activities of editing and publishing of several periodicals and books at the hands of Shri Premiji. Sheth ji had the great credit of all-round services for Jain community. He had helped very much for the development of Jain learning, Old scriptures, Jain places of pilgrimage and Jain students. He has produced outstanding students and scholars in Jain community by granting them financial assistance. He was purchasing 300-400 copies of all publications of Premiji at three-forth of the published cost and sending them to Jain temples, Jain institutions, learned persons & students. He had give over almost all his property in charity and therefore Premiji has established Manikchandra Digambar Jain Granthmala after his death. His Granthmala has given many books of authority and high level to the society at a very low cost. This institution has been converted to Gnanpith before some years.

Hindi Granth Ratnakar, Bombay : Shri Nathuramji Premi established this institute on 24 September 1912 at Bombay. He was tired of frequent changes in his service and he wanted to create his own source of income, which may be enough for his livelihood. Alongwith this he desired to expand the Hindi literature. He, therefore, established this institute with clean and holy purposes and he got unexpected success in this venture. He became very famous. We can realize this from his congratulatory book. He had wide experience of editing, research and publication and had handled periodicals like Jain Mitra, Jain Hitaishi and other Jain books of importance. He had very good hold on many languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati & Prakrit. This was the first and only series of Hindi books published in western India and it was intended to provide good books at lowest possible price. Premiji sacrificed all his efforts, earnings and talent for the development of this series of Hindi books. Inspite of the sudden death of his wife and then his only son in 1942, he continued his work with total dedication. This institute has given many books of unusual importance to the society, particularly Jain community. The institute observed the following principles very strictly and this was the main reason behind it popularity all over India:

History of Jain Literature : This is a historical work of Premiji. He has discussed Logic (Nyaya), Scriptures (Darshan), Yoga, Grammar, poetics, figures of speech, Linguistics, Law of Karmas (deeds) and many other subjects in addition to the lives of great Acharyas personalities beginning from second century to thirteenth century. He has written on highly learned personalities, including mendicants, practitioners in religion, poets and literates also of several centuries. This book is of much use to the mendicants, historians and research scholars. He has included different thoughts of different thinkers, his own thinking on key-subjects, information about places of pilgrimage, historical reference to several characters, making of words from old languages, information about several generations, rulers, saints, intellectuals and so on. He did editorial work of Jain Mitra and Jain Hitaishi so well and with so much skill of his learnedness that both these periodicals became much famous for the quality of their subjects.

Shri Premiji had been in deep contacts with Pandit Sukhlalji for more than thirty years. They had intimate relation when Pandit Sukhlalji was in Agra. Shri Premiji came to the residence of Shri JinVijayaji at Poona in 1918, and Pandit Sukhlalji was also seated there. They welcomed Premiji by reciting a stanza of his prayer. Thus, inherent love came out in words Sukhlalji was deeply appreciative of Premiji’s works and they were bound by hearty attachment for life. Whenever Pandit Sukhlalji came to Bombay, he would not miss to see Premiji and also stay with him. Pandit Sukhlalji had cultivated family-like relations with Smt. Ramaben, wife of Premiji, Hemchandra-his son and Smt. Champa, wife of Hemchandra. They used to go for a walk for hours together in the hilly areas of Ghatkopar & Mulund. Pandit Sukhlalji was deeply influenced by the simplicity, fearlessness and secular nature of Premiji. Premiji had liberal & unprejudiced views on all subjects, his personal life was simple & truthful, he was always dedicated to his work, and he was always sympathetic to others.

Premiji had said his three foremost desires were : (i) To bring up the level of Jain learned personalities and establish their greatness in all corners of society. (ii) Jain holy places, particularly of Digambar Jains be renovated, preserved and identified and to take up the work of publication of Digambar Jain literature at the earliest. (iii) To remove shortsightedness in Jains, especially of women and more particularly of widows, to help them in they’re pitiable conditions and form out a concrete plan for these purposes.

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