India has been a pioneer in the human quest for knowledge for eons. Its soil has given birth to great intellectuals such as “Maharshi Vyasa” who rearranged the Vedas and composed the timeless epic “Mahabharata” and the eighteen Puranas, a treasure of our cultural heritage, “Maharshi Patanjali” who gave the world a system only. from “Yoga” by composing “Patanjala Yogasutra”, “Maharshi Panini” who rearranged Sanskrit grammar by composing “Ashtadhyayi” and last but not least “Maya” who gave the world the sciences of “Architecture” and “Astronomy” when composing “Mayamata” and “Suryasiddhanta” respectively, which were probably the first expositions of these themes. Incredible as it is, in the first quarter of the last century, a legend was born in this league alone.
“Pt. Raja Ram Shastri” was a versatile genius with a number of great achievements to his credit, including the most outstanding research paper on Sanskrit grammar surpassing “Maharshi Panini”. He was a curator of folk art, a writer, a linguist, an astrologer, an anthropologist, and a supreme researcher of Indian traditions all rolled into one.
Born on December 27, 1918 in Tohana Distt., Haryana into an orthodox Brahmin family, he became a scholarly scholar of no small stature. His parents died in his infancy and he was raised by his grandparents. He showed signs of extraordinary intellect very early in life. Without devoting much time to studies, he ranked fourth in the Punjab state in his matriculation exams. He then went ahead to complete his Shastri in half the time required.
After completing his education, he leaned into the field of literature and in the course of time made an outstanding contribution with his works. During his tenure as playwright at “All India Radio” from 1947 to 1957, he composed more than 300 one-act plays which were broadcast on AIR. “Dr. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi” also acknowledged Shri Shastriji’s contribution in composing his Granthavali in the first volume. But no proper recognition has been made. While “Dr. Dwivedi” was writing his Granthavali, he considered using some authentic material in which Shri Shastriji helped him by completing the termite-eaten parts of some original handwritten manuscripts on the classical principles of literature. This work alone speaks volumes for his scholarship.
Among his numerous literary works, seven collections of one-act plays in Hindi including “Sat Ladi Ka Har”, “Uljhan”, Damrunath” and “Devhuti” were also published. He authored many novels such as “Jhumman”, “Uljhe Tar”. etc. in Hindi along with the first Haryanvi language novel “Jhadu Phiri” which was later included in the postgraduate curriculum of Kurukshetra University in the year 2002.
Other of his writings include at least ten books on astrology and several research papers, including “Agroha”, which deals with the history of the Agrawal community of India.
The Haryana and Haryanvi language were of special interest to him. His contribution to Haryana’s political, cultural, social and linguistic realms is unparalleled. The cause of Haryana remained closely associated with him throughout his life. Under this association, he went on to establish “Haryana Lok Manch” in the year 1963, which has been a pioneering institution in its work of preserving, developing and researching different aspects of Haryanvi culture and folk art. The motto of “Haryana Lok Manch” is “Deshosti Hariyanakhyah Prithivyam Swargasannibhah” which means “Equal to heaven, there is a place on earth known as Haryana”.
Shastriji collected treasures of folk art on tape while wandering through rural Haryana. He later composed “Panipat Ki Teesri Ladaai” and published it in 1972 which is about the history of the Third Battle of Panipat. The work was originally composed by “Nigahi” in 1761 AD. C. as an eyewitness account of the battle, as he himself mentions in this popular Haryanvi language epic. This has been proclaimed as a unique work in the world of literature. It is a “Haryanvi Giti Kavya” (Haryanvi Epic Poem) and the entire work is an example of “Aprastut Prashansa Alankar” which distinguishes it from all other works. For his outstanding services in the field of Haryana art, culture and language, he was awarded the first “Lakhmichand Puraskar” in the year 1972.
Despite having many opportunities to go abroad and work there, he refused and thought of staying in India and working for the cause of Indian culture and especially that of Haryana. Money did not attract him and rather detracted. He was a teacher of criticism and radicalism by nature. Maybe that’s why he didn’t follow the beaten path of things in whatever field he entered. With his extraordinary research and collection of rare works in the Haryanvi language, he went on to prove that Haryanvi is not an “Upbhasha” (semi-language) of Hindi or a “boli” (accent) as is usually understood, but a well-developed the language itself with its history of written literature going back to the 8th century AD
Original handwritten manuscripts on both palm leaf and paper were part of his lifetime collection, which was rarer than rare. These include works on astrology, history, religion, yoga, Ayurveda, and many other subjects. He not only studied and researched them, but also made necessary corrections when necessary. One of the priceless gems in his collection is a work by Sindhi poet “Kazi Kadan” which contains 216 padas (stanzas) composed by him. Until now, only seven padas (stanzas) of Kazi Kadan were available, which were called “seven pearls of Sindhi literature”.
Linguistics was the field to which he added a whole new dimension by surpassing the legendary “Ashtadhyayi” of “Maharshi Panini”. This became his most successful work in the field of research. He developed 54 phonetic differentiations of “a”, the first letter of the Hindi alphabet, compared to the 18 originally enunciated by “Maharshi Panini”. Now “a” could be spoken and written with the help of special signs developed by him in 54 different ways. Unfortunately, the special pronunciation that he had developed was lost after his death. This was partly due to the indifference of the intelligentsia and the lack of adequate publicity during his lifetime. Shri Raja Ram Shastri’s “magnum opus” still remains unpublished in two volumes under the title of “Hindi Varnmala Ka Pratham Akshar” to “Evam Anya Varna”. This work of his received the seal of approval from eminent scholars after lengthy debates and discussions at the “Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth” (Considered University) in Delhi. This work was also submitted to the “Nobel Prize Committee” in the year 1992.
In his later years, he was working on a still advanced concept of his own that these 54 types of “a” can be further expanded to 378 if each of the 54 different “a”s can be combined with the “Saptasuras” (the seven musical notes). His linguistic genius opened up a field of research so unusual that few could have dreamed of it.
On November 6, 2002, the Sun of Sanskrit Grammar set on the death of Shri Shastriji at the ripe age of 84 years. He left behind a legacy of intellectual achievement, scholarship, and quality that is born once in centuries. His life will continue to be a source of inspiration for centuries to come.