# Narain Chand Parashar > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Narain_Chand_Parashar > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Narain_Chand_Parashar.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narain_Chand_Parashar > Source revision: 1214451200 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{More citations needed|date=May 2007}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Narain Chand Parashar | image = | alt = | caption = | office = Member of the [Lok Sabha](/source/Lok_Sabha) | term_start = 1971 | term_end = 1989 | predecessor = Prem Chand Verma | successor = [Prem Kumar Dhumal](/source/Prem_Kumar_Dhumal) | constituency = [Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh](/source/Hamirpur%2C_Himachal_Pradesh_(Lok_Sabha_constituency)) | office2 = Member of the [Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly](/source/Himachal_Pradesh_Legislative_Assembly) | term_start2 = 1990 | term_end2 = 1998 | predecessor2 = Prem Dass Pakhrolvi | successor2 = [Babu Ram Mandial](/source/Babu_Ram_Mandial) | constituency2 = [Nadaun (Vidhan Sabha constituency)](/source/Nadaun_(Vidhan_Sabha_constituency)) | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1934|7|2}} | birth_place = [Ferozepur](/source/Ferozepur), [Punjab](/source/Punjab_(British_India)), India | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2001|2|21|1934|7|2}} | death_place = [Delhi](/source/Delhi), India | party = [Indian National Congress](/source/Indian_National_Congress) }} '''Narain Chand Parashar''' (2 July 1934 – 21 February 2001) was an Indian [parliamentarian](/source/Member_of_parliament), [professor](/source/professor), [linguist](/source/linguist) and writer. He was born in [Ferozepur](/source/Ferozepur), [Punjab](/source/Punjab_(British_India)), the son of Nand Lal and Phula Devi of the village of Sera in the present day [Hamirpur](/source/Hamirpur%2C_Himachal_Pradesh) district. Parashar was educated in [Kangra district](/source/Kangra_district), which then consisted of the present day Kangra, Hamirpur, [Una](/source/Una_District), [Kullu](/source/Kullu_district), and [Lahul and Spiti](/source/Lahul_and_Spiti) districts. He gained BA (Hons) and MA degrees in [English language](/source/English_language), and went on to teach English at the Tanda in district Hoshiarpur, Punjab and later [University of Delhi](/source/University_of_Delhi). Parashar also gained diplomas in the [Chinese](/source/Chinese_language), [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language) and [Bengali](/source/Bengali_language) languages, and had knowledge of [German](/source/German_language), [Italian](/source/Italian_language), [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language), [Telugu](/source/Telugu_language), [Tamil](/source/Tamil_language) and [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language). As a linguist, he wanted to develop the [Pahari](/source/Pahari_language_(Himachal)) language, with the aim of reinforcing [Himachal](/source/Himachal)i cultural identity. He led a popular movement for the inclusion of Pahari as an [official language of India](/source/official_language_of_India) in Schedule 8 of the [Indian Constitution](/source/Indian_Constitution), a demand currently under the consideration of the Government of India. Parashar was an author in English, Hindi and Pahari, and was an authority on Parliamentary procedure, [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism) and on [sociopolitical](/source/sociopolitical) problems of the hilly areas of the country. He also translated the Buddhist texts ''Dhampadda'', ''Bodhicharyavataara'', and ''Saddharmapundriksutra'' (the ''[Lotus Sutra](/source/Lotus_Sutra)'') into his native Pahari language. He was awarded a [Doctorate](/source/Doctorate) by the University of Delhi for his critical analysis of the ''Bodhicharyavataara''. Professor Parashar was a follower of the ideas of the Indian independence leader Netaji [Subhas Chandra Bose](/source/Subhas_Chandra_Bose), and worked to spread his message. He founded a school in Bose's name in the village of Sera, Hamirpur, and celebrated his birthday every year. Parashar was also a Buddhist scholar, and celebrated [Buddha Purnima](/source/Buddha_Purnima) every year. Parashar worked to promote the legacy of Himachali leaders and freedom fighters. He wrote the biography of [Pahari Gandhi Baba Kanshi Ram](/source/Baba_Kanshi_Ram), poet and freedom fighter,{{cite web |url=http://publicationsdivision.nic.in/Eng-Pub/Biographies/EB07.HTM |title=bio |accessdate=2007-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928215129/http://publicationsdivision.nic.in/Eng-Pub/Biographies/EB07.HTM |archive-date=28 September 2007 |url-status=dead }} and was successful in getting a postage stamp released in his honour by the then Prime Minister of India, [Indira Gandhi](/source/Indira_Gandhi), in 1983. ==Parliamentary career== Narain Chand Parashar was elected three times to the [Lok Sabha](/source/Lok_Sabha), or lower house of the [Parliament of India](/source/Parliament_of_India); the [5th](/source/5th_Lok_Sabha) (1971–1977), the [7th](/source/7th_Lok_Sabha) (1980–1984), and the [8th Lok Sabha](/source/8th_Lok_Sabha) (1984–1989).{{cite web |url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls13/ses6/020301.html |title=fioe |accessdate=2007-11-23}} He received the "Best Parliamentarian Award" for the year 1987, the award being presented by the then Vice-President of India Dr. [Shankar Dayal Sharma](/source/Shankar_Dayal_Sharma). Parashar served as the Chairman of the Committee on Government Assurances for four years (1986–89). Parashar represented India several times in international fora, the [United Nations General Assembly](/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly) sessions in 1980 and in 1986 ([New York City](/source/New_York_City)), the [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO) Conference in 1985, and the international conclave to solve the [Nicaragua](/source/Nicaragua) problem, held in [Lisbon](/source/Lisbon). Parashar was awarded [honorary citizenship](/source/honorary_citizenship) of [New Jersey](/source/New_Jersey), USA in 1986. Parashar was the only member of the [Indian National Congress](/source/Indian_National_Congress) party to withstand the anti-Congress waves of 1977 and 1990. Subsequent to his landmark win in the 1990 assembly elections Sh. [Rajiv Gandhi](/source/Rajiv_Gandhi) made Parashar president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, on 11 June 1990. He campaigned tirelessly for the revival of the party and it resulted in the return of the Congress party to power in the state. He won the [Nadaun](/source/Nadaun) assembly seat again in 1993 and was the Education minister of the state until 1998. He used his position to get various centrally sponsored schemes sanctioned for Himachal, Sanskrit Vidyapeeth at Kaleshwar in Kangra, Kendriya Vidyalayas in Hamirpur and Nadaun. DPEP (District Primary Education Programme), ICDS schemes for various blocks of the state were introduced. In addition the state's achievements in the field of education, during his tenure, were acclaimed by Dr. Amratya Sen. Parashar died on 21 February 2001 in [Delhi](/source/Delhi).{{cite web|url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls13/ses6/020301.html|title=Obituary References}} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Parashar, Narain Chand}} Category:2001 deaths Category:1934 births Category:People from Firozpur Category:Scholars from Himachal Pradesh Category:People from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh Category:India MPs 1980–1984 Category:India MPs 1984–1989 Category:Lok Sabha members from Himachal Pradesh Category:20th-century Indian linguists Category:People from Punjab Province (British India) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Narain Chand Parashar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narain_Chand_Parashar) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narain_Chand_Parashar?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.