27 Facts About Jayaprakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava, known as JP and Lok Nayak, was an Indian politician, theorist and independence activist.

Jayaprakash Narayan is mainly remembered for leading the mid-1970s opposition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and calling for her overthrow in a "total revolution".

In 1999, Narayan was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in recognition of his social service.

Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava was born on 11 October 1902 in the village of Sitab Diara, Chhapra district, Bengal Presidency, British India.

Jayaprakash Narayan's house was near the banks of the flood-prone Ghaghara river; every time the river swelled, the house would be slightly damaged, eventually forcing the family to move a few kilometres away to a settlement that is known as Jayaprakash Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Jayaprakash Narayan was the fourth child of Harsu Dayal and Phul Rani Devi.

Jayaprakash Narayan's father was a junior official in the canal department of the state government and often toured the region.

When Jayaprakash Narayan was nine years old, he left his village to enrol in the seventh class of the collegiate school at Patna.

Jayaprakash Narayan stayed at Saraswati Bhawan, a student hostel in which most of the boys were older than him and included some of Bihar's future leaders, such as its first chief minister Krishna Singh, his deputy Anugrah Jayaprakash Narayan Sinha and several others who became politicians and academics.

In October 1918, Jayaprakash Narayan married Braj Kishore Prasad's elder daughter and independence activist Prabhavati Devi.

At age 20, Jayaprakash Narayan sailed aboard the cargo ship Janus while Prabhavati remained at Sabarmati.

Jayaprakash Narayan reached California on 8 October 1922, and was admitted to the University of California, Berkeley in January 1923 as a chemistry undergraduate.

Jayaprakash Narayan chaired the association's 1923 national convention, which was held at the university at the end of December 1923.

In Wisconsin, Jayaprakash Narayan was introduced to Karl Marx's book Das Kapital.

News of the success of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War made Jayaprakash Narayan conclude Marxism was the way to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

Jayaprakash Narayan graduated from University of Wisconsin with a MA in Sociology, and from Ohio State University with a BA in behavioural science.

Jayaprakash Narayan shared a house at Kadam Kuan in Patna with his close friend and nationalist Ganga Sharan Singh with whom he shared a lasting friendship.

Jayaprakash Narayan served as the chairman of Anugrah Smarak Nidhi.

Between 1947 and 1953, Jayaprakash Narayan was President of All India Railwaymen's Federation, the largest labour union in Indian Railways.

Jayaprakash Narayan called for Gandhi and the CMs to resign, and the military and police to disregard unconstitutional and immoral orders.

Jayaprakash Narayan advocated a program of social transformation, which he termed Sampoorna kraanti.

Jayaprakash Narayan was detained at Chandigarh; he asked for one month of parole to mobilise relief in flooded parts of Bihar.

At Jaslok Hospital, Bombay, Jayaprakash Narayan was diagnosed with kidney failure; he would be on kidney dialysis for the rest of his life.

At the age of 17, Jayaprakash Narayan was married to Prabhavati Devi, daughter of lawyer and nationalist Brij Kishore Prasad in October 1919.

Prabhavati was very independent and on Gandhi's invitation, went to stay at his ashram while Jayaprakash Narayan continued his studies.

In March 1979, while he was in the hospital, Jayaprakash Narayan's death was erroneously announced by the Indian prime minister Morarji Desai, causing a wave of national mourning, including the suspension of parliament and regular radio broadcasting, and the closure of schools and shops.

Jayaprakash Narayan died in Patna, Bihar, on 8 October 1979, three days before his 77th birthday, due to the effects of diabetes and heart disease.