Akshay Kumar Jain | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1915-12-30)30 December 1915 Bijaigarh,Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | 31 December 1993(1993-12-31) (aged 78) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupations | Journalist writer indian independence activist |
| Years active | 1939–93 |
| Known for | Navbharat Times |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Sahitya Ratna Award |
Akshay Kumar Jain (1915–1993) was anIndian independence activist, writer, journalist and the editor ofNavbharat Times, a Hindi-language daily owned byThe Times Group.[1][2] He was one of the founders of the National Union of Journalists (India) and held the chair of its reception committee when the organization was formed in 1972.[3]
Born on 30 December 1915 at Bijaigarh inAligarh district of the Indian state ofUttar Pradesh to Roop Kishore Jain, who was aDiwan, Jain graduated fromHolkar Science College, Indore in 1938 and followed it up with a degree in law (LLB) fromAligarh University in 1940.[1] During this period, he was involved with theIndian freedom movement and participated in theQuit India movement of 1942.
He started his career in 1939 atDaily Sainik while studying for law and was involved withHindusthan Samachar,[4]Sudarshan weekly (editor 1940), andVir (1940–46) before joiningNavbharat Times when the daily was founded in 1946. He continued with them for 31 years till his retirement in 1977 as its Editor-in-Chief.
Jain presided two sessions of All-India Newspapers Editors Conference (1964 and 1967) and served as the member of thePress Council of India for two terms. He chaired the board of directors ofSamachar Bharati News Agency, presided theHindi Patrakar Sangh and was a member of theInternational Press Institute, a global organization promoting press freedom and fair journalistic practices. He published several books in Hindi language which includedYada rahi mulakatem[5] andBacapana ki batem.[6] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1967, for his contributions to literature and journalism.[7] Jain, who was also a recipient of the Sahitya Ratna Award (1970), died on 31 March 1993, at the age of 78.[8]
