Shyam Singh Shashi

• Name — Shyam Singh Shashi • Born — 1 July 1935 • Birthplace — Haridwar, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India • Died — 19 February 2025 • Known for — Writings on tribals and nomads • Boards — Chairperson, International Institute of Nomadic Studies • Awards — Padma Shri • Doctoral Advisor — R. N. Saksena • Discipline — Anthropology • Sub Discipline — Social Anthropology • Workplaces — Former director of Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)

Shashi was born on 1 July 1935 at Haridwar in India. 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. 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), Encyclopedia of Indian Tribes (12 vols), Encyclopedia of World Women (10 vols) and Encyclopedia Indica (150 vols). Shashi was a visiting professor at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the president of the International Academy of Children's Literature and chaired International Institute of Nomadic Studies. He served as the director of Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's Publication Division, and as the honorary editor of Collected Works of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar which was published in eight Indian languages by the Indian government. He was a member of the jury for the Delhi Gaurav Awards. Shashi died on 19 February 2025, at the age of 89.