Phulchand Sethi (November 1911 – 2 October 1976) was a social worker, philanthropist and businessman from

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

in Northeast India. He was amongst the first proponents of Jainism in Nagaland. He was awarded the Commendation Certificate by the Governor of Nagaland,

Lallan Prasad Singh Lallan Prasad Singh ICS (1912 – 17 October 1998) was Governor of Assam (1973–80), Manipur (1973–80, 1982–83), Meghalaya (1973–80), Nagaland (1973–81), and Tripura (1973–80). He was awarded Padma Vibhushan award in 1999 after his ...

, on 15 August 1975 for Social and Humanitarian activities. In 1959, he established the Dimapur Chamber of Commerce. Sethi could speak many local dialects such as Angami, Sümi, Lotha, Kuki, Manipuri and Assamese. He died on 2 October 1976 in Dimapur.

Early life and education

Phulchand Sethi was born in November 1911, in Kohima, Nagaland to Hardev Sethi. He was schooled at Digambar Jain M. E. School (Kohima) in Nagahills, an institution of which he was later the secretary between 1928-1940. Sethi married Lada Devi Sethi in 1935, a well-known personality of the

Jain community The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains. Sangha Jainism has a fourfold orde ...

, and with her had five sons and six daughters. His sons and daughters have all held various important positions in the

Digambar Jain Mahasabha Digambar Jain Mahasabha or Shri Bharatvarshiya Digamber Jain Mahasabha is the oldest organisation of lay Jains in India. History The Digambar Jain Mahasabha was founded in 1894 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. It is considered a traditionalist or ...

and Jain Communities across India. Along with his family, Sethi left Kohima in 1944 due to Japanese invasion during World War II. They moved to Dimapur, Nagaland. His father along with his brothers had come from Chhapra, Rajsathan to Kohima in the 1880s. They were the first non-Naga settlers in Nagaland.

Career highlights

Sethi successfully promoted and managed diversified businesses. He was the secretary of the Digambar Jain M. E. School (Kohima). He was the President of the Kohima Marwari Sammelan and founded the Shree Digambar Jain Temple in Dimapur in 1944. He was the first Secretary (Maha Mantri) of Shree Digambar Jain Samaj Dimapur and continued in the post until 1976. He set up the Shree Digambar Jain School Dimapur in 1947 and also Dimapur Chamber of Commerce in 1959. He founded the Jain Mahavir Charitable Hospital Dimapur in 1975, the first charitable hospital in Nagaland. He also established the SD Jain Kirthi Stumbh in 1974, a very famous landmark in Dimapur. He was the first President of Multi-purpose Co-operative Society. He was also the founding Treasurer of Dimapur College of Arts & Commerce. He was the first Secretary of Durga Mandir Dimapur. He became the first non Naga nominated Member of Dimapur Town Committee in 1960. He was appointed Member of Railway Consultant Committee & Central Excise Advisory Committee by the government of India. He was also the Secretary of the first ever Jain Temple in Nagaland which was built in 1920 in Kohima. His sons built a hospital in his memory in their native village Chhapra, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan in 1994 and handed it over to the Rajasthan State Government. The hospital was inaugurated by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, then Chief Minister of Rajasthan. The

Statue of Vasupujya The Statue of Vasupujya located at Champapur in the Indian state of Bihar, is one of the tallest statues in eastern India and the tallest statue of Lord Vasupujya in India. The statue is dedicated to ''Vasupujya'', the twelfth Jain Tirthankara ...

which stands 31 feet in height, in Champapur, Bihar was constructed and donated by his son Binod Sethi, Chairman of Smt Sona Devi Sethi Charitable Trust

Gallery

Sri Phulchand Sethi receving Governor Sri LP Singh's certificate.PNG, Phulchand Sethi receiving Governor L. P. Singh's certificate at Parade Ground Kohima on 15 August 1975, Nagaland Jain Hospital Board.jpeg, The names of the secretaries of the SD Jain Charitable Hospital in chronological order Jain Temple Dimapur Donor's List.JPG, The Original list of Donor's of Jain Temple Dimapur The Pedestal.jpg, The Pedestal of Statue of Ahimsa, Mangi Tungi Shri Phulchand Sethi State Hospital.jpg, Shri Phulchand Sethi State Hospital Chhapra, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan

References

Citation

Sources

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External links

*https://epaper.easternmirrornagaland.com/epaper/edition/381/eastern-mirror-june-21/page/3 *https://web.archive.org/web/20160305090901/http://www.npjainmahasabha.com/pdf/06Jan2014_jaingazetteweekly.pdf *http://m.newshunt.com/india/english-newspapers/nagaland-post/state-news/jain-community-celebrates-mahavir-jayanti_38090912 *https://morungexpress.com/nagaland-news-in-picture-08-june-2021 *https://issuu.com/nagalandpost90/docs/october_2__2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sethi, Phulchand 1911 births 1976 deaths 20th-century Indian Jain writers People from Kohima People from Dimapur Businesspeople from Nagaland 20th-century Indian philanthropists