in Patna that became one of the premier Hindi publication houses in eastern India. He was conferred with the title of Bihar Ratna in 1990 and was felicitated with the Anant Gopal Shevade Hindi Samman in 1993, for his contributions to the society and literature. Indian National Congress Besides being one of the youngest MPs in the Fifth Lok Sabha, he was also an elected member of the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the ruling Indian National Congress. He was a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Up against a popular anti-Indira wave in 1977, he lost to Sri Sukhdev Prasad Verma of BLD. Janata Party In 1984, he joined the Janata Party and unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary election from Aurangabad, Bihar, but still he was able to shake the bastion of the Rajput Supremo Sri Satyendra Narayan Sinha as he had to trail in one of the assembly segments for the first time. Janata Dal Singh was one of the founder members of the Jan Morcha with Sri Vishwanath Pratap Singh and raised it in Bihar almost solely. Jan Morcha later merged into the Janata Dal. Thereafter, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1990, the office that he held until his death. Parliamentary committees He served as a Member on various Parliamentary Committees. His contribution as the Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Languages deserves special mention. Later, he rose to become its Deputy Chairman (07.06.1994 to 26.11.1995). He was also on the Panel of Vice-Chairmen of the Rajya Sabha (1990–92). Services He also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Delhi Public Library and the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (en. Central Hindi Institute). Earlier, he was a Director on the Board of Samachar Bharti, a news agency for vernacular languages; and went on to become its Chairman. He authored more than thirty books and edited many others. He was a columnist for Hindi dailies and periodicals. Personal life A true humanitarian, he was a friend of all and a foe of none. Even being in politics, he did not let himself be bound in the shackles of the party that he represented. He was equally admired and loved by all across the party line. His sudden demise in the night of 26 November 1995, in a train journey between Patna and New Delhi at Tundla, left his family of friends, admirers and followers shocked