Joy of giving

“A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people. A hero to me is someone who saves people and who really deeply cares.”

—Debi Mazar

It is a state function in Bhopal in October 2013 where the Minister of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh, is conferring ‘Laxman Singh Gaur awards’ to the outstanding students, teachers and Principals. Professor Uttam Chand Jain is called upon to receive the award of rupees one lakh for the exceptional services rendered by him as the Principal of Maharani Laxmi Bai Autonomous PG College for Girls, Bhopal, during the year 2010-11.

The distinguished gathering of educationists claps to give him a standing ovation. It is not his being selected for the award, but his announcement thereafter that has made him larger than life. Dr. U.C. Jain was quick to announce that he will not keep a single paisa of this amount for himself. In a generous move, he decided to donate rupees fifty-one thousand to Government. MLB Girls College, Bhopal. This money would be kept as corpus money and the yearly interest accrued would be given as a prize to the toppers of B.A., B.Com and B.Sc. in rotation. After deduction of 30% income tax at source, Dr. Jain decided to give away the remainder to four of his maidservants for the education of their children.

What a saintly gesture. In these days, when people are exploiting every available opportunity to fill their pockets, I wonder how angels like Dr. Jain appear on this earth! A soft-spoken and cheerful person, he is a man of few words. True to his name, ‘Uttam’, he turned out to be the best.

He had a very harrowing childhood, having lost his mother at the tender age of just one year, and his father, when he was ten years old. It is said those who don’t have anyone, have God on their side. It was his paternal aunt who played the role of God and brought him up like her own son. He took a lot of interest in studies and has always been a topper.

Dr. Jain feels he has got a lot from others. In fact, he is reaping the fruits of helping others at every possible opportunity. He wants to pay back to society always

Having done M.Com and PhD from Sagar University, Dr. Jain applied for the post of a lecturer. He got the appointment letter within a week. He joined at Government College, Bilaspur. During his illustrious career spanning over four decades, Dr. Jain has held many prestigious appointments, including 22 years as a Principal and is presently the Additional Director in the Department of Higher Education. He is responsible for the coordination, supervision and inspection of as many as sixty-six colleges of Bhopal and Hoshangabad regions.

Dr. Jain feels he has got a lot from others. In fact, he is reaping the fruits of helping others at every possible opportunity. He wants to pay back to society always and in every way. With the blessings of God, his sons, daughters- in-law, daughter and son in law are all well-settled. He said, “Instead of leaving fixed deposits for them, he would prefer to help the needy ones.” What a noble thought put into action!

When asked to give a message to the people, he said, “Do your duty with full dedication and honesty.” He spells out his secret of success as ‘hard work’ and “There is no short, cut to success,” he adds. Two years to go for his retirement, he plans to continue his mission of helping people and making this world a better place. No one can feel the joy of giving better than him.