A gentle lamp that quietly glows, illumining a monumental treasure stored by the meticulous hands of history, a steady flame touching the cobwebs of ignorance and dogmatism and obliterating them, a spark igniting curious minds and leaving behind a warm afterglow: such was the intellect, the personality and in  fact, the life of Dr. Indra Chandra Shastri. Once aptly described by Jainendra Kumar as a living symbol of Indian intellect, Dr. Shastri was a philosopher, an exceptional author, and an authority on poetics, philosophy, religion, culture, Indology, linguistics, grammar, epistemology etc. His pioneering contributions are evident in the field of Pali, Prakrit, Philosophy (eastern and western), History of  India, European  Language etc. He was an indefatigable and prolific thinker who combined abstract thought with a rare imagination. A  pursuer  of individual spiritualism and inspired by Jain Anekanta, he was a man of courage and dedication and  remained  a  fervent champion  of rationalism.

Born on 27 May, 1912, at Dabwali Mandi, now in Sirsa district of Haryana, Dr. Indra Chandra Shastri came to Bikaner for education where he studied Sanskrit and Prakrit. Later he received a Masters' degree in Sanskrit from Agra University and was bestowed the 'Shastracharya' in Vedanta from the Banaras Hindu  University. He did his 'Shastri' from Punjab University and 'Nyayatirtha' from Calcutta. He obtained a Ph.D. under the tutelage of Pandit Bat Krishna Mishra. The doctoral dessertation in 'Epistemology of Jain Agamas' was highly commended.

Influenced     by     Mahatma     Gandhi,     Shastriji    actively participated  in  the  freedom  movement.  In  1942 campaigned against  Bat  Diksha,  a  practice  of  forcible  adoption  of  poor children  by  Jain  ascetics  in  Rajasthan,  prevalent  those  days. This resulted in the tabling of a bill in the assembly of Bikaner. He also organized relief camps during partition. He was involved in organizational  activities,   he was Secretary Akhil Bharatiya Sanskrit Sahitya Sammelan in 1954-58. In 1957 he organized the Delhi session of All India Oriental  Conference. He was Chief Speaker at World  Religious  Conference  in  Ujjain,  Rajgir  and Delhi. In 1959 he was appointed the first Head of the Department of  Sanskrit  in  the  Institute  of  Post  Graduate  Studies  in  the University of Delhi. In 1961, due to loss of eyesight caused by glaucoma,  he resigned  from the  post.  Subsequently  appointed Professor   emeritus   under   a  University   Grants  Commission scheme, he pursued  research  on 'Religion  and Modem  Man' in 1967-69. He remained  associated  with  various  departments  as a  guest  speaker.

His writings are marked with high scholasticism. He wrote about 70 books and more than  600 research papers  where he distilled the wisdom of ancient classical texts and applied it to modern times. His 'Pali Bhasa Aur Sahitya' has a series of three forewords followed by the Hindi translation of Wilhelm Geiger's introduction to his German classic entitled 'Pali literatur und sprache'. Dr. Shastri made dispassionate analysis of thought currents which had prevailed over the centuries. He considered reason and logic as essential tools to dismantle the dead yet inherited thought structure of the past. He had the restless zeal of an explorer and reformer, evident in his works 'Religious Shops' and 'Ghosts of Culture'. His other important works are Sanskrit Kavya Shastra Ka Itihas, Mahabharat Ke Sukti Ratna, Alok Aur Unmad, Hamari Prampara, Jainism and Democracy, Dharma Aur Rashtra Nirman, Bharatiya Arya Bhasaen etc.

As a recognition of his pioneering efforts and  creative talent, he was awarded the 'Sahitya Seva Samman', by the Hindi Academy. He was also conferred the 'Sahitya Ratna Alankaran' by the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University. The President of India awarded him a 'Certificate of Honour' on 15 August 1986.

In his 'Epistemology of Jain Agamas', a comparative study, according to Dr. Satkari Mookerjee, "the maturity of judgement and sober appraisal of the lived and  orthodox  positions  and their points of  agreements and diversion by the author will ensure him the reputation of being one of the pioneer exponents of Jainology in English. It shows a healthy outlook and freedom from domestic bias".

He went on with his voluminous outpourings even after losing his eyesight and dictated his thoughts and ideas to create masterpieces.

Such a profile of courage and dedication passed away on 3 November 1986. Dr. Indra Chandra Shastri advocated a spiritual journey for the individual from the personal to the  universal and the humane. His  life journey was a pilgrimage for truth which we all remember and cherish.

The Department of Posts is honoured to issue a postage stamp in his memory.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India