Girilal Jain
Encyclopedia
Girilal Jain was an India
n journalist. He served as the editor of The Times of India
from 1978 till 1988. He was sympathetic to Hindu nationalism
and authored books on the subject, the best known of which, The Hindu Phenomenon, was published posthumously.
. He received a bachelor's degree from Delhi University. He married Sudarshan Jain in 1951. They had a son and three daughters, among whom are the historian Ms. Meenakshi Jain and the columnist Ms. Sandhya Jain.
He died on July 19, 1993 at the age of 69.
Girilal Jain welcomed the movement for the Ram Temple
at Ayodhya as part of the process of Hindu self-renewal and self-affirmation.
He believed that the political-economic order that Jawaharlal Nehru
had fashioned was as much in its last throes as its progenitor
, the Marxist-Leninist-
Stalinist order. He believed that the two major planks of this order, secularism
and socialism
, have "lost much of their old glitter" while the third, non-alignment
, has become redundant.
According to him, the concept of nation is alien to Hindu temperament and genius. For,
it emphasized the exclusion of those who did not belong to the charmed circle (territorial, linguistic or ethnic) as much as it emphasized the inclusion of those who fell within the
circle. By contrast, the essential spirit of Hinduism was inclusivist, and not exclusivist
by definition. Such a spirit must seek to abolish and not build boundaries. That is why,
he held, that Hindus could not sustain an anti-Muslim feeling, except temporarily and,
that too under provocation.
Girilal Jain was roundly criticised for his 1982 Times Of India editorial titled "De-Turbaning of Sikhs" which was often cited as evidence of anti-Sikh bias of mainstream Indian media in early 1980s; which in turn inflamed separatist movement of Khalistan
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n journalist. He served as the editor of The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
from 1978 till 1988. He was sympathetic to Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expressions of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of historical India...
and authored books on the subject, the best known of which, The Hindu Phenomenon, was published posthumously.
Personal life
Girilal Jain was born in a rural village 50 miles (80 kilometeres) from New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. He received a bachelor's degree from Delhi University. He married Sudarshan Jain in 1951. They had a son and three daughters, among whom are the historian Ms. Meenakshi Jain and the columnist Ms. Sandhya Jain.
He died on July 19, 1993 at the age of 69.
His views
In 1988, Jain was fired as the editor of the Times of India when he developed Hindutva sympathies.Girilal Jain welcomed the movement for the Ram Temple
Ram Janmabhoomi
Ram Janmabhoomi is the "Birthplace of Lord Rama."Lord Rama is a major God in Hindu theology and the Hindu religion where He is described as an Avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. The exact location of Lord Rama's birth as stated in holy Ramayan as being in the city of Ayoudhya in Uttar Pardesh...
at Ayodhya as part of the process of Hindu self-renewal and self-affirmation.
He believed that the political-economic order that Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
had fashioned was as much in its last throes as its progenitor
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
, the Marxist-Leninist-
Stalinist order. He believed that the two major planks of this order, secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
and socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, have "lost much of their old glitter" while the third, non-alignment
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
, has become redundant.
According to him, the concept of nation is alien to Hindu temperament and genius. For,
it emphasized the exclusion of those who did not belong to the charmed circle (territorial, linguistic or ethnic) as much as it emphasized the inclusion of those who fell within the
circle. By contrast, the essential spirit of Hinduism was inclusivist, and not exclusivist
by definition. Such a spirit must seek to abolish and not build boundaries. That is why,
he held, that Hindus could not sustain an anti-Muslim feeling, except temporarily and,
that too under provocation.
Girilal Jain was roundly criticised for his 1982 Times Of India editorial titled "De-Turbaning of Sikhs" which was often cited as evidence of anti-Sikh bias of mainstream Indian media in early 1980s; which in turn inflamed separatist movement of Khalistan
Khalistan
Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh state, called Khālistān , carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region of India, depending on definition....
.