Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan (1902 - 1979)

Life and Journy of Jayaprakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan (widely known as JP) Indian nationalist and social reform leader, was India's leading indigenous critic after Mohandas Gandhi.

A disciple of Mohandas Gandhi and leader of India's independence movement, Jayaprakash Narayan remained a rebel in his native land until the end of his life. Born of middle-caste Hindu parents in a small village in Bihar on Oct. 11, 1902. His father Harsudayal was a junior official in the canal department of the State government and was often touring the region. Jayaprakash, called Baul affectionately, was left with his grandmother to study in Sitabdiara. There was no high school in the village, so Jayaprakash was sent to Patna to study in the Collegiate School. He excelled in school. His essay, "The present state of Hindi in Bihar", won a best essay award. He entered the Patna College on a Government scholarship.
He became politically active in high school. Just before his graduation, he followed the call of Indian nationalists to quit British-assisted institutions. In 1922, he went to the United States, where he studied political science and economics at the universities of California, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Jayaprakash Narayan joined "Bihar Vidyapeeth" that was founded by Dr. Rajendra Prasad for motivating young talented youths and was among the first students of renowned Gandhian Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha, a close colleague of Mahatma Gandhi In 1920 Jayaprakash married Prabhavati Devi. His wife was also a freedom fighter in her own right and a staunch disciple of Kasturba Gandhi. Prabhavati was the daughter of lawyer and nationalist Brij Kishore Prasad, one of the previous Gandhians in Bihar.
In 1922, Narayan went to the United States, where he worked to support his studies in political science, sociology and economics at the University of California, Berkeley, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin–Madison and Ohio State University. He adopted Marxism while studying at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under sociologist Edward A. Ross; he was also deeply influenced by the writings of M. N. Roy. Financial constraints and his mother's health forced him to abandon his wish of earning a PhD. He became acquainted with Rajani Palme Dutt and other revolutionaries in London on his way back to India.

After returning to India, Narayan joined the Indian National Congress on the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1929; M. K. Gandhi became his mentor in the Congress. He shared the same house at kadam kuan in Patna with his close friend and nationalist Ganga Sharan Singh (Sinha). with whom he shared the most cordial and lasting friendship.During the Indian independence movement he was arrested, jailed, and tortured several times by the British. He won particular fame during the Quit India movement.