Jadunath Sinha

Jadunath Sinha(1892-1978)

Jadunath Sinha was a well-respected philosopher, writer, and religious seeker, and the author of over forty books and numerous articles. The scholarship involved in his writings (ranging from psychology, ethics, logic, and other areas of philosophy to yoga, shakta sadhana, Vaishnavism, and vedanta) is quite impressive.

   Jadunath Sinha was born on 24th October 1892 at Kurumgram, Distt. ; Birbhum,West Bengal. His ancestral Village was Khaspur, Distt. Murshidabad , West Bengal, India. His father died in an accident when he was only 5 years old. Jadunath had  to struggle against all odds to get established in life.

He was educated at Rampurhat High school., Ripon college, City College, Calcutta and Calcutta University. He was a brilliant student. He had an enviable academic track record.
He obtained B.A.(Honours)Philosophy , Philip Samuel Smith Prize and Clint Memorial Prize winner 1915 (Calcutta University), M.A.,Philosophy, 1917,( Calcutta University), The coveted Premchand Roychand (P.R.S.)Scholarship, 1922 (Calcutta University), Griffith Prize, 1923 (Calcutta University), Mouat Medalist, 1925(Calcutta University), Ph.D.1934 (Calcutta University). He was admired by his teachers and was appointed Assistant Professor , Ripon College, Calcutta in 1917 even before his M.A. results were out. He taught at Rajsahi Government College, 1919-1921. (Calcutta University) Jagannath College ,Dacca,1921-1923(Dacca Intermediate Board),Head of the Post Graduate Department, Meerut, 1923-1953(Agra University) He resigned from service two years before retirement and dedicated himself to writing. He wrote on a wide range of topics in the field of Philosophy, Psychology and religion. The sheer volume of his writings is mind boggling. Some of the reviews of his works speak volumes of his scholarly disposition, acumen and profound knowledge. A) Indian Psychology Cognition The author has massive learning, which he carries with ease. Book breaks new grounds …………. NEW BRITAIN (London)
B) The expression is scholarly and clear and will be found of greatest value by all students of Indian Psychology and Philosophy THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
C) Indian Psychology Emotion and will – The Author is well acquainted with Indian Philosophy as well with Western thought, a combination which is rare, both in east and in west. The work is wholly based on original source and it is a pioneer attempt in the field. It is an excellent and authenticated work. -- MIND ( Edinburgh)
D) History of Indian Philosophy (VOl I,II,II,&IV); I regard it as the best History of Indian Philosophy ever published in English. Publication of these works by Sinha who is probably the greatest Indologist of the 20th century, should be regarded as milestones in revealing Indian wisdom to American scholars.------ Prof Archi J. Bahm ,University of New Mexico,USA.
E) Indian Psychology- Cognition; Philosophers will welcome Prof Sinha’s work as an important addition to their library--- very interesting book. --- NATURE(London)
F) Indian Psychology- Cognition ---A valuable book of references------ J. Mackenzie, JOURNAL OF ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY (BOMBAY)
G) The author's treatment of the theme is at once precise, clear and convincing. It is a quarry for further investigation in the line of comparative study and research.--- THE STATESMAN , CALCUTTA
H) Students and teachers of Indian Philosophy will be immensely benefited by this standard work by a veteran teacher.-- AMRITA BAZAR PATRIKA , CALCUTTA
I) It is a very competent work --- THE HINDU, MADRAS
J) A work of sterling merit ---- THE TIMES OF INDIA
K) Mr Sinha has given a scholarly and remarkably clear presentation of a complicated subject. All of us who are interested in the History of Indian Thought are in his debt.-------REVIEW OF RELIGION (USA)
l) INDIAN PSYCHOLOGY: This book is to be welcomed as an attempt to parallel
what the German, Italian, English have tried to do for European Psychology.-----------PHILOSOPHY( LONDON)
He was member Board of Studies, Philosophy 1927-1952( Agra University)President Philosophical section, Bengali Literary Conference, Delhi 1926,President, Indian philosophical Congress, Psychology Section, Calcutta 1935 , Elected General President , Indian Philosophical Congress Poona 1970. He was one of the founders and first President of Mitrabhum High School, Kurumgram. He was an ardent supporter of Female education . He donated to Calcutta University a Gold Medal to be awarded annually to the best female student in B.A. Examination, with distinction marks in memory of his deceased wife Sunity Manjari Sinha.
He filed a suit against Professor S. Radhakrishnan for infringement of his copyright in Calcutta High Court in1929. The suit settled outside court in 1933. Some of the news of the court case in Public Domain are furnished.
1. Subcontinental Plagiarism by,Idrees Bakhtiar.
--------There is one person who cannot be ignored. Dr. Sarvepally Radhakrishnan, the former President of India and author of the book on Indian Philosophy. The work was immediately challenged by one Jadunath Sinha a student of Radhakrishnan’s who had submitted his dissertation to him and another instructor. When Radhakrishnan's book was published Sinha wrote a number of letters to Calcutta’s Modern Review Magazine claiming that passages from his dissertation have been stolen for the book. Radhakrishnan’s misfortune was that many of Sinha’s articles had already been published in magazines before publication of the book giving weight to Sinha’s claim. The writer is associate editor,The Herald
2. Jadunath Sinha wrote in Modern Review,Calcutta -April issue of 1929
‘ It is indeed true that not only in our unfortunate land, but all over the world, self praise is sought by some by dispraise of others. But this is comparatively a trifling thing. It pales into insignificance when compared with the moral perversity involved in the violation of sacred trust by a cultured and honorable man if and when there is any. I sincerely pray, all scholars, young and old may outgrow this perversity.’
3. Notes on Great Indian Circus by Khushwant Singh page, 211-212
Radhakrishnan -------went on to become first King George V Professor at Calcutta University. He had a setback in his career when one of his student Jadunath Sinha, took him to Court for lifting passages out of thesis and using them in two volumes of Indian Philosophy without acknowledgement. Radhakrishnan denied the allegations and filed a counter suit of libel against Sinha. The cases were compromised. No one knows what the terms of compromise were. The publication of two volumes of Indian Philosophy opened up gates of all prestigious Universities of the world for Radhakrishnan. Honorary doctorates ,memorial lectures, and honours including a knighthood were showered on him. 4. Radhakrishnan – A religious Biography by Robert Neil Minor 1987,page 34,37 With the publication of Radhakrishnan's Indian Philosophy first volume in 1923 and second volume in 1927, the Modern Review began to question Radhakrishnan's use of sources. In 1929 however a distinguished Bengali student Jadunath Sinha (1802-1978) filed suit in the High Court of Calcutta charging Radhakrishnan with infringement of copyright because he has plagiarised some of Sinha's work. Sinha had received numerous prizes from Calcutta University and in October 1922 had submitted a thesis on 'Indian Psychology of Perception' to the university for Premchand Roychand (PRS) Scholarship, which he received later that year. His examiners were Professor B.N.Seal and Professsor Radhakrishnan. The remaining installment of his thesis were submitted untill its copletion in 1925, when he was awarded Mouat Medal by the university. Radhakrishnan and another neo-vedantin philosopher Krishnachandra Bhattaracharya (1875-1949) were his readers. In 1929 Sinha however, charged that Radhakrishnan had plagiarized significant portion of his thesis in-----Volume-II of Indian Philosophy. Sinha who was teaching at that time at Meerut colllege, was convinced that a crime had been committed, he first registered his grievance with a letter to the editor of the Modern Review, dated December 20, 1928, which was published as an article. The letter initiated an exchange between Sinha and Radhakrishnan in the pages of the Review in which Sinha reproduced extracts from his thesis of 1922 and Radhakrishnan's Indian Philosophy of 1927.
The suit in High Court of Calcutta in 1929 was met with a counter suit by Radhakrishanan for defamation of character. With mediation of Dr.. Shymaprosad Mukherjee ( the then Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University) the matter was settled out of court due to threatening financial expenditure and high personal cost
5. A reported case of Radhakrishnan’s Literary piracy by Barin De
www.dk agencies.com/doc/from/1063/to/1123/bkld/---/details html Summary; Compilation of reports on allegations against Sarvepally Radhakrishnan made by Jadunath Sinha for inclusion of---latter's thesis in -----.
Post mediation /settlement(1933)of Court Case events;
A) Jadunath Sinha was awarded Ph.D in1934 by Calcutta University
B) Two (2) of Jadunath Sinha’s books were published in London
i)Indian Psychology ; Perception- Jadunath Sinha, Publisher-Kegan Paul, London-1934
ii) Indian Realism-Jadunath Sinha, Publisher -Kegan Paul, London-1938
The scholarly books Dr. sinha authored exceed forty (40) in number, besides innumerable research papers in National and International journals.. He edited two international journals i) Democracy and World Peace, Calcutta and ii) Journal of Indian Spiritualism, Calcutta.

Also see some recent links:
1. The Strange Meaning of Teachers' Day in India
Written by Ratnesh Katulkar, Department of Dalit Studies of Indian Social Institute(ISI) New Delhi
2.Leading Jamia Millia Islamia scholar accused of plagiarizing in her thesis, Times of India
Akshaya Mukul, TNN | Sep 3, 2014, 06.01AM IST
3.थीसिस चोरी करके छपवाई किताब और बन गए महान !!
http //www facebook.com/singh1/../4525868485
इंडियन फिलॉसॉफी के लेखक कहलाने वाले पूर्व राष्ट्रपति डॉ राधाकृष्णन की ये किताब मूल रूप से उनके छात्र जदुनाथ सिन्हा की पीएचडी थीसिस थी जो उन्होंने कलकत्ता यूनिवर्सिटी के तत्कालीन प्रोफेसर डॉ. राधाकृष्णन और दो अन्य प्रोफेसरों के पास सबमिट की थी. राधाकृष्णन ने थीसिस पास करने में देरी की और उस बीच उसे ऑक्सफोर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी से छपवा लिया. इसके बाद ही उसे पीएचडी दी गई. जदुनाथ सिन्हा ने कलकत्ता'ज मॉडर्न रिव्यू मैग्जीन में पत्र लिखकर ये दावा किया कि राधाकृष्णन ने उसकी थीसिस चुराई है. राधाकृष्णन का दुर्भाग्य रहा कि सिन्हा के थीसिस से संबंधित कई आर्टिकल पत्रिकाओं में पहले ही छप चुके थे. मामला कोर्ट में गया, 1930 में. जदुनाथ ने कहा कि पूरी थीसिस ऑन द रिकॉर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी में पहले से सबमिट की हुई है और राधाकृष्णन को ही नहीं, दो अन्य प्रोफेसरों से भी चेक होनी थी, इसलिए उनके पास भी है. राधाकृष्णन ने हूबहू कॉपी किया था.. करीब दो हजार पेज की किताब में जल्दबाजी में वो कुछ भी हेरफेर नहीं कर पाए. --------------
-महेन्द्र यादव
. Note; The above write up is a compilation of information available in Public media for reevaluation by the posterity.