Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly referred to as JP or Lok Nayak, was an Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader.
28 Facts About Jayaprakash Narayan
2.
Jayaprakash Narayan is remembered for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, for whose overthrow he had called for a "total revolution".
3.
Jayprakash Narayan was born on 11 October 1902 in the village of Sitabdiara, Ballia district, United Provinces, British India.
4.
Jayaprakash Narayan's house was near the banks of the flood-prone Ghaghara river.
5.
Jayaprakash Narayan was the fourth child of Harsu Dayal and Phul Rani Devi.
6.
Jayaprakash Narayan's father Harsu Dayal was a junior official in the Canal Department of the State government and was often touring the region.
7.
When Jayaprakash Narayan was 9 years old, he left his village to enroll in the seventh class of the collegiate school at Patna.
8.
In October 1918, Jayaprakash Narayan married Braj Kishore Prasad's elder daughter Prabhavati Devi, a freedom fighter in her own right.
9.
Jayaprakash Narayan took the Maulana's words to heart and left Bihar National College with just 20 days remaining for his examinations.
10.
At age 20, Jayaprakash Narayan sailed aboard the cargo ship Janus while Prabhavati remained at Sabarmati.
11.
Jayaprakash Narayan reached California on 8 October 1922 and was admitted to Berkeley in January 1923.
12.
Jayaprakash Narayan was forced to transfer to many universities thereafter.
13.
Jayaprakash Narayan pursued his favourite subject, sociology, and received much help from Professor Edward Ross.
14.
In Wisconsin, Jayaprakash Narayan was introduced to Karl Marx's Das Kapital.
15.
News of the success of the Bolsheviks in Russian Civil War made Jayaprakash Narayan conclude that Marxism was the way to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
16.
Jayaprakash Narayan returned from the US to India in late 1929 as a Marxist.
17.
Jayaprakash Narayan joined the Indian National Congress on the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1929; Mahatma Gandhi became his mentor in the Congress.
18.
Jayaprakash Narayan shared a house at Kadam Kuan in Patna with his close friend and nationalist Ganga Sharan Singh with whom he shared the most cordial and lasting friendship.
19.
Jayaprakash Narayan served as the Chairman of Anugrah Smarak Nidhi.
20.
Between 1947 and 1953, Jayaprakash Narayan was President of All India Railwaymen's Federation, the largest labour union in the Indian Railways.
21.
Jayaprakash Narayan returned to prominence in State politics in the late 1960s.
22.
On 5 June 1974, Jayaprakash Narayan addressed a large crowd at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
23.
Jayaprakash Narayan called for Indira and the CMs to resign and the military and police to disregard unconstitutional and immoral orders.
24.
Jayaprakash Narayan advocated a program of social transformation which he termed Sampoorna kraanti, "total revolution".
25.
Jayaprakash Narayan was kept as detenu at Chandigarh even after he asked for one month parole to mobilise relief in flooded parts of Bihar.
26.
Jayaprakash Narayan died in Patna, Bihar, on 8 October 1979, three days before his 77th birthday, due to effects of diabetes and heart ailments.
27.
At the age of 17, Jayaprakash Narayan was married to Prabhavati Devi, daughter of lawyer and nationalist Brij Kishore Prasad in October 1919.
28.
Prabhavati was very independent and on Gandhi's invitation, went to stay at his ashram while Jayaprakash Narayan continued his studies.