Jayprakash Narayan | |
---|---|
Born |
Sitabdiara, Bengal Presidency, British India (Now in saran, Bihar) |
11 October 1902
Died | 8 October 1979 Patna, Bihar |
(aged 76)
Nationality | Indian |
Other names | JP, Lok Nayak |
Organization |
Indian National Congress Janata Party |
Movement |
Quit India Sarvodaya JP Movement |
Jayaprakash Narayan ( listen ; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak (Hindi for The People's Hero), was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and political leader, remembered especially for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he called a "total revolution". His biography, Jayaprakash, was written by his nationalist friend and an eminent writer of Hindi literature, Ramavriksha Benipuri. In 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in recognition of his social work. Other awards include the Magsaysay award for Public Service in 1965. The Patna airport is also named after him. The largest hospital run by the Delhi government and the teaching hospital of the famous Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Hospital, is also named after him. It was formerly called Irwin hospital. There is also a park in his name, situated on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, in New Delhi, just opposite to Maulana Azad Medical College. On August 1, 2015, the Chhapra-Delhi-Chhapra Weekly Express was renamed as "Loknayak Express" in his honour.
Jayprakash Narayan was born on 11 October 1902 in the village of Sitabdiara in Saran district of Bihar, India. He came from a kayastha family. He was the fourth child of Harsu Dayal and Phul Rani Devi. His father Harsu Dayal was a junior official in the Canal Department of the State government and was often touring the region. When Narayan was 9 years old, he left his village to enroll in 7th class of the collegiate school at Patna. While in school, Jayaprakash read magazines like Saraswati, Prabha and Pratap, books like Bharat-Bharati, and poems by Maithilsharan Gupta and Bharatendu Harishchandra which described the courage and valour of the Rajput kings. Jayaprakash also read the Bhagwad Gita. His essay, "The present state of Hindi in Bihar" won a best essay award. He excelled in school and by 1918 completed school and undertook the 'State Public Matriculation Examination' and won a District merit scholarship to Patna college.