Birth : 17th September 1912 at Guna – Central India.

Education :

Primary education : Guna, Sagar, Jabalpur, Neemach, Indore and Dhar.

Matriculation : Dhar (Allahabad Board), 1927. 1st in High School.

Inter Science : Dhar (Ajmer Board) 1st in Anand College.

Mechanical Engineering :V. J. T. I. Mumbai 1929-30.

B.Sc. Tech : (Industrial Chemistry & Chemical Engineering- from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) 1935.

Post Academic activities :

  • Industrial Teacher :
    R.B. Chunilal School, Chitapatti, Fyzabad, U. P. 1935.
  • Distillation Chemist: 
    Hindustan Aromatics Co. Banaras 1935-37.
  • Founder Partner : 
    Ideal Institute Pvt. Ltd (Asha Brand Beauty Aids & Inks) at Banaras 1936.Shifted to Mumbai in 1939. Resigned 1950
  • Partner :
    Julie Claire brand Lipsticks & Varnishes with Edward .J Fielden & Mrs Meave Scott of J. Walter Thompson Co (Eastern) Ltd., Mumbai 1943-47.
  • Production Director :
    Ninad (Advertising) Ltd 1947-50.
  • Founder :
    Kromo Prints May 1950 Mumbai.
  • Founder : 
    Institute of Typographical Research (ITR)– Pune along with Vasant Bhat and MukundGokhale and later joined by Sanjay Deshpande.
  • Lecturer : 
    Govt. Institute of Printing Technology in Ceramic Theory – Sir J. J. School of Arts (Ceramic Craft section).Consultant in Ceramic educational activities.
  • Graphic Arts Consultant : 
    Inpolygraphmash – Moscow, Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO at Tokyo, Japan, Graphic Arts Research Foundation Inc. Boston, USA.
  • Active Member : 
    Script Study Group and Akshara Samshodhan Kendra, Mumbai.
    Graphic Arts Research Society of India (GARSI), Mumbai.
    Institute of Typographical Research (ITR), Pune.
  • Active Collaborator : 
    National Centre for Software Development and Computer Techniques at T.I.F.R Mumbai.
    National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

Achievements – Scripts & Keyboards :

S. No. Description Year
1 Study of Epigraphy, Historical Research & Script Designs. Since 1926
2 Official Calligrapher : Marathi-Gujarati Script Reform Committee, Govt. of Mumbai (Chairman Kakasaheb Kalelkar). 1939-49
3 Pantographic cutting of Steel types for a prototype for Govt. of Maharashtra, Directorate of Languages. 1961-62
4 Designed Marathi, Gujarati types for typewriters of Halda (Madras) and Remington (Calcutta) (Types produced in Germany). 1966-67
5 Designed new die-system for Devanagari on Bradma addressing Machines(Types produced in England). 1968
6 Designed fine-line Devanagari types for Godrej typewriters (Types produced by Alfred Ransmeyer, West Berlin). 1970
7 On-spot collection of data on composition of Regional Scripts: Kannada (Bangalore- Mysore); Malayalam (Cochin-Travancore); Tamil (Madras-Tanjore) and Urdu (Hyderabad-Vijayawada). 1970
8 Lead Paper on Common Script for South Indian Languages, organized by Dravidian Linguistic Association, Bangalore. March 1970
9 Produced for the first time in India, Photo-matrix for Photo setting of one modern face and one traditional face in Devanagari at Tata Press, with R. Subbu and G. S. Krishnaswamy. 1972-74
10 Designed on DATEK Keyboard for Harris Intertype Fototronik-600, a Devanagari Keyboard, installed by Mehta Offset, New Delhi. 1974
11 Patent No 117318/1978 – Oblique cut matrices for linear composition of Devanagari with SRamu (Tata Press).  
12 Patented for tele-printer,a new Tele-Nagari Input-Output concept with linear sequence, through Phonetic and balanced Keyboard No 301.Mumbai. 1977
13 Joint Patent No 207.Bom.1978 with Dr. S. P. Mudur’Computer input using molecular build-up with Phonological atoms” (Total 52) to output hundreds of aksharas through matrix characters, already in memory through digitised graphics. 1978
14 Designed compact keyboard for Monotype India Ltd. 1978
15 Designed computer keyboard for ’National Centre for Software development and Computer Techniques’, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research Mumbai. 1978
16 Designed functional keyboard for traditional Devanagari for Diatronic Photosetter by H Berthold AG Germany and unitized light and bold Devanagari. ITR 79 through Institute of Typographical Research, Pune with Vasant B. Bhat and Mukund Gokhale. 1979
17 Designed for immediate feedback, linear marching display type for Devanagari with 1(5/14) and 2(5/14) dot-matrix at T.I.F.R. (NCSDCT)  

Awards :

  • Phalke Industrial Prize, Maratha Chamber 1952.
  • State Award for ‘Excellence in Printing’.Govt. of Maharashtra, 1966.
  • Awarded ‘Acharya VinobaBhave Award’ at NagariLipi Parishad, Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Rajghat, New Delhi.

Foreign Tours :

  • 1962
    Italy, W Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland, UAR (Cairo-Egypt) for studies in Art Heritage.
  • 1969
    Soviet Russia Inpolygraphmash Moscow, for installing Devanagari on Russian linecaster. Study of contemporary printing in E Berlin, England, France, West Berlin, Holland, Switzerland, Italy and England with V. B Bhat.
  • 1979 
    To meet leading hot-metal and photosetter manufacturing firms in France, Holland, West Germany, Switzerland, Italy and England with V. B. Bhat.

Seminars :

Year Description Place
1967 Phonetic Graphics – Xth Congress of Association of Typographique Internationale. Paris
1969 Designing Devanagari Types – Annual Session of All India Type Founders Federation. Mumbai
1970/71/73 All India Advanced Summer Schools of Teachers and Sequential Summer School. Govt. Institute of Printing Technology. Mumbai
1975 39th Annual session of Indian Ceramic Society. Mumbai
1979 First seminar on ‘Screen Printing and Inks’. Screen Printing Association of India. Mumbai

Papers & Books :

  1. Soap-Science &Practice (Marathi),Udyam Press, Nagpur, 1938.
  2. Devanagari – Origin and Evolution, Marathi SahityaPatrika, Mumbai 1959.
  3. Devanagari – ‘The Script of Gods’ Collection of 5 articles printed in Bulletin of All India Master Printers. 1961-62.Devanagari – ‘The Script of Gods’ Collection of 5 articles printed in Bulletin of All India Master Printers. 1961-62.
  4. Devanagari Typefaces as affected by Printing Technology, MudranVidya Annual Mumbai, pp 94-117, 1962.
  5. Screen Printing in Graphic Arts, MudranVidya, pp 59-69, 1965.
  6. Phonetic Graphics – paper presented at Xth Conference of Association of Typographique Internationale (A Type I) Paris, 1967.
  7. Designing a new face for Devanagari, paper read at all India Type founders Federation, Mumbai session, 1967.
  8. Ganesh Vidya – The traditional Indian approach to phonetic writing, Tata Press Mumbai, 1968.
  9. Xerography – Electronic Printing, MudranVidya, pp 4-7, 1974.
  10. Writing in Vedic Period, Smriti-Gandha in memory of late Shri V. V. Chitale, Nagpur 1975.
  11. Evolution of Photo-type setting, MudranVidya, pp 44-48, 1975.
  12. ‘Printing Press and Shivaji’. Centenary Collection of Articles-Govt. of Maharashtra, pp 231-234, 1975.
  13. Devanagari-The ideal phonetic script – Hindu Vishwa, a special KumbhaMela number, Mumbaipp 56-63, 1978.
  14. Devanagari-The Vehicle of State Language. LokRajya, Govt. of Maharashtra, Mumbai, 1979.
  15. Methodology of Designing Devanagari input typewriter keyboard, MudranVidya, 1979.
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