Shashi was born on 1 July 1935 at Haridwar in India.[2] He did a master's degree in Man Management and Manpower Planning from Manchester University and obtained a doctoral degree in sociology from Agra University for his thesis on Himalayan Nomads making him the first person to complete a Ph.D. from the university. Shashi's doctoral advisor was the social scientist R. N. Saksena.[3]
Starting his career as a government servant, he took voluntary retirement midway through his service and joined the International Institute of Culture and Languages as the chairman of their Media Research and Encyclopedia divisions where he is reported to have edited Encyclopedia of Humanities and Social Sciences (50 vols),[4]Encyclopedia of Indian Tribes (12 vols),[5]Encyclopedia of World Women (10 vols)[6] and Encyclopedia Indica (150 vols).[7]
Shashi is a visiting professor at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the president of the International Academy of Children's Literature and chairs International Institute of Nomadic Studies.[3] He served as the director of Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's Publication Division,[2] and as the honorary editor of Collected Works of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar which was published in eight Indian languages by the Indian government.[3] He is a member of the jury for the Delhi Gaurav Awards.[8]
The University of Colombo honoured Shashi with D.Litt. (honoris causa) for his "pioneering work on Roma of Europe and America", making him the first recipient of D.Litt. from the university in anthropology.[9] In 1990, the Government of India awarded him Padma Shri for his "multifaceted achievements in the field of literature".[1]
^ abRishi, Weer Rajendra (1992). Gandamula to Sumeru. Chandigarh, India: Roma. p. 180. OCLC28710084. Dr. Shyam Singh Shashi, an eminent poet and litterateur was awarded PADMASHRI in 1990 for his multifaceted achievements in the field of literature. He has written over 100 books in English and Hindi. A socio-anthropologist of long standing...
^ abChavda, Purnendu; Sagar, H. L., eds. (1986). Who's Who, Indian Personages. Vol. 1. New Delhi, India: Crystal Ship. p. 376. OCLC18909202. Dr Shashi, Shyam Singh; Director, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India, Patiala House, New Delhi 110 001; born July 1, 1935 at Hardwar (UP); Edu : M. A. (Sociology), Ph.D. (Socio-Anthropology) 1968 (Agra Univ); also passed Sahitya Ratan (Hindi Hons), Translation Course, Administrative Course (Indian Inst of Public Admn, N Delhi), Manpower Management Study (Manchester Univ, UK and BBC, London), other short term courses (ISTM), Studied Vedas and Upnishads (at young age); Specialisation in Tribal literature, Children literature, and Poetry; as a Journalist, edited a number of journals both in public and private sector...
^Rishi, Weer Rajendra (1992). Gandamula to Sumeru. Chandigarh, India: Roma. OCLC28710084. First in many fields, Dr. Shashi is also the first scholar to get his Doctorate in Sociology on Himalayan nomads. He is again the first scholar to be conferred with a D. Litt. in Anthropology for his pioneering work on the Roma of Europe and America by the International University, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
