Brij Khandelwal

Agra, Feb 1 He is 91 years old and has written as many as 157 books. M.L. Agarwal, an educationist from Agra, has been writing prolifically since 1951 and refuses to call it a day.

Agarwal, a crusader against corruption, retired as the principal of a degree college. Father of three sons and six daughters, he churns out books, guides, dictionaries and textbooks at regular intervals. His latest book was published in December 2009.

"Hundreds of thousands of students have benefited from my books. The 35th edition of my English to Hindi dictionary with five helpful features — correct pronunciation, synonyms, antonyms, usage and, of course, the meanings — is now out and doing well," Agarwal said.

Born in Hathras, he studied and graduated from Agra University. After retirement in 1979-80, his one passion has been writing books for students.

From books for Uttarakhand Board students to textbooks for high school students in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, from English grammar and composition books to those on general knowledge, environment and arithmetics, he has written them all. His "Inspiring Poets" was the high school text book in Uttar Pradesh for many years.

"I have publishers lined up with offers. Instead of royalty, I charge a lump sum and produce the book within a specific deadline," Agarwal says.

"I never cut or delete what I write. Once written, it is final except for a comma or a colon mark here and there. It's as if He (god) dictates from above," he says.

He squats on the floor, writes with his hand, never touched a computer but keeps his records meticulously.

"Earlier, I used to write letters to the editor regularly and occasionally some articles. My daily routine is fixed — I read newspapers for two hours, work for at least four hours in two shifts, write, and follow simple habits," he adds.

Agarwal maintains his own research and reference division stocked with books and clippings, which are used as source material for the books.

The Agra-based World Record Holders' Organisation has forwarded his details to the Guinness authorities for recognition, according to Dinesh Shandilya, president and world record holder for the longest flute.