Jain Scholars in India

DR. VILAS ADINATH SANGAVE

Dr. Vilas Adinath Sangave, an eminent Sociologist and Jainologist, was born on 2nd June 1920 in a Jaina family at Solapur in Maharashtra. He had his College education in Poona and got his Doctorate in Sociology (on the study of Jaina Community) in 1950 from the University of Bombay. He worked for some years as Professor of Sociology in the renowned Karnatak College, Dharwad and Rajaram College, Kolhapur.

He retired in 1980 as Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, and since then he has been working as Honorary Director of Shahu Research Institute of Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

Dr. Vilas Sangave has to his credit forty Research Books and seventy-five Research Papers on Sociology and Social Anthropology in Marathi and English. His books in Marathi have run into many editions, have been translated into Kannada, Hindi and Gujarathi and have received prizes for best books from Bombay, Poona and Kolhapur Universities in Maharashtra. His book in English on Jainism has been translated into French. In recent years six large Research Volumes in Social History on "Rajarshi Shahu Chhatrapati Papers" edited by Dr. Vilas Sangave have been very much appreciated.

Dr. Vilas Sangave's research publications in Jainology are considered as significant contributions to studies in Jaina Society, History and Religion and the first five of these books have been posted on the Internet in 1996:

1. Jaina Community : A Social Survey (lst Edition, 1959; 2nd Edition,1980);

2. Life and Legacy of Mahavira: A Social Study (1975),

3. Sacred Shravana-Belagola: A Socio-Religious Study (1981),

4. Aspects of Jaina Religion (1990),

5. The Jaina Path of Ahimsa (1991),

6. History of Dakshin Bharat Jaina Sabha, (1976) (In Marathi),

7. Hirachand Nemchand : The Pioneer of Jaina Social Reform Movement (1989) (In Marathi),

8. Jaina-Culture :-Tradition and Impact (1991)(In Marathi),

9. Jaina Religion and Community (1997) (Published in USA),

10. Facets of Jainology (1998).

Dr. Sangave is closely associated with several Universities and national level Research Institutes in Social Sciences and Jainology, Dr. Vilas Sangave has been specially honoured by the University of Cambridge (U.K. ) in 1985 and by the Government of Bihar in 1989 for his distinctive services to research studies in Jainology.

Dr. Vilas Sangave is also a renowned speaker in English, Marathi and Hindi and is known for his erudite and effective lectures on Jain Society, Religion and Culture delivered in several Universities and Research Centres in India, U.K. and U.S.A.

As a scholar member of Special Delegation of International Jaina Community, Dr. Vilas Sangave participated in the presentation of the "Jain Declaration on Nature" to His Royal Highness Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace in London, in, October 1990. Again, as a scholar member of official Delegation of Jain Religion from India, Dr. Vilas Sangave delivered an address on "Jainism": The Oldest Religion" in the "Parliament of World's Religions : Centennial Celebrations (1893-1993)" held at Chicago (U.S.A.) in September 1993.

For his distinctive contributions to Jain Literature and Research Studies in Jain Sociology, Dr. Vilas Sangave was specially honoured with National and Inter-national Awards like :

1) Acharya Kund-Kund Puraskar (in 1990)

2) Ahimsa Puraskar (in 1994),

3) Gomatesh Puraskar ( in 1996) and

4) Acharya Vidyanand Puraskar (in 1998)