India has been a pioneer in the human quest for knowledge since eons. Its soil has given birth to great intellectuals like “Maharshi Vyasa” who reorganized 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 unique. from “Yoga” composing “Patanjala Yogasutra”, “Maharshi Panini” who reorganized Sanskrit grammar composing “Ashtadhyayi” and last but not least “Maya” who gave the world the sciences of “Architecture” and “Astronomy” by composing ” Mayamata “and” Suryasiddhanta “respectively, which were probably the first exhibitions of these subjects. As incredible as it is, in the first quarter of the last century, a legend was born only in this league.

“Pt. Raja Ram Shastri” was a versatile genius with a number of great achievements to his credit, including the most outstanding research work on Sanskrit grammar that surpassed “Maharshi Panini”. He was a folk art curator, writer, linguist, astrologer, anthropologist, and a supreme researcher of Indian traditions, all combined in one.

Born on December 27, 1918 in Tohana Distt., Haryana into an Orthodox Brahmin family, he became a researcher of great stature. His parents died in his infancy and he was raised by his grandparents. He showed signs of extraordinary intellect from the beginning of his life. Without ever spending much time studying, it ranked fourth in the state of Punjab in its matriculation exams. He then moved on to complete his Shastri in half the time required.

After completing his education, he turned to the field of literature and over time made an outstanding contribution with his works. During his tenure as a playwright on “All India Radio” from 1947 to 1957, he composed more than 300 one-act plays that were broadcast on AIR. “Dr. Hazari Prasad Dwivedi” has also recognized the contribution of Shri Shastriji in the composition of 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 assisted him by completing the termite-eaten portions of some original handwritten manuscripts on 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 were also published, including “Sat Ladi Ka Har”, “Uljhan”, Damrunath “and” Devhuti. “He is the author of 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 graduate program of Kurukshetra University in 2002.

His other writings include at least ten books on astrology and various research papers, including “Agroha”, which deals with the history of the Agrawal community in India.

The Haryana and Haryanvi languages ​​were of special interest to him. His contribution to the political, cultural, social and linguistic arena of Haryana is unmatched. Haryana’s cause remained closely associated with him throughout his life. Under this association, he established “Haryana Lok Manch” in 1963, which has been a pioneering institution in its preservation, development and research work on different aspects of Haryanvi folk art and culture. 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 folk art treasures on tape while wandering through rural Haryana. Later he composed “Panipat Ki Teesri Ladaai” and published it in 1972, dealing with the history of the Third Battle of Panipat. The work was originally composed by “Nigahi” in AD 1761 as an eyewitness account of the battle, as he himself mentions in this popular epic from the Haryanvi language. 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 received the first “Lakhmichand Puraskar” in 1972.

Despite having many opportunities to go abroad and work there, he refused and chose to stay in India and work for the cause of Indian culture and especially that of Haryana. Money was not attractive to him and was more of a detraction. He was a master critic and radicalist 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 show that Haryanvi is not an “Upbhasha” (semi-language) of Hindi or a “boli” (accent) as it is often understood, but a well- developed the language itself with its history of written literature dating back to the 8th century AD

Original handwritten manuscripts on both palm leaves and paper were part of his lifelong collection, which was the rarest of the rare. These include works on astrology, history, religion, yoga, Ayurveda, and a host of other topics. Not only did he study and research them, but he also made the necessary corrections when necessary. One of the priceless gems in his collection is a work by the Sindhi poet “Kazi Kadan” containing 216 padas (stanzas) composed by him. So far, 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” from “Maharshi Panini”. This became the work of his greatest success in the field of research. He developed 54 phonetic differentiations of “a”, the first letter of the Hindi alphabet, compared to 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 due in part to the indifference of the intelligentsia and the lack of adequate publicity during his lifetime. Shri Raja Ram Shastri’s “magna work” 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 stamp of approval of eminent scholars after lengthy debates and discussions at the “Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth” (Deemed University) in Delhi. This work was also referred to the “Nobel Prize Committee” in 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” 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.

On November 6, 2002, the Sun of Sanskrit grammar set with the death of Shri Shastriji at the age of 84. He left behind a legacy of intellectual achievement, erudition, and the quality that is born once in ages. His life will continue to be a source of inspiration for centuries to come.