Vinodbhai Dalal was born on the auspicious day of October 29, 1920 to a religious Gujarati Jain couple named Sh. Nandlal Dalal and Smt. Chanchalben Dalal, residents of Ahmedabad. His family moved to Delhi in 1927, and he completed his early education there. In the year 1943, he graduated from the Banaras Hindu University, (one of the most prestigious institutions of that time), and earned a double engineering degree with coveted gold medal. In fact, he always received meritorious scholarships from class VIII upto his B.E. (Engineering degree).
During his career, he served various prestigious roles like Electrical Engineer, Chief Engineer and Advisor, Engineering Services with D.C.M. (Delhi). He performed each and every role with extreme devotion and commitment through out his career span. Talent, leadership and perseverance made him a top engineer. The tripartite of extreme devotion to religion, dedication to hard work and self-cultivation were integral parts of his personality. Vinodbhai Dalal was not only a skilled professional but also always used to work tirelessly for the upliftment of the lives of laborers and artisans.
Many eminent personalities like Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Smt. Indira Gandhi etc. were influenced by this thought stream, during his work tenure with DCM. DCM founder Lala Sir Shriram had always been very appreciative of his qualities. Apart from the mills of D.C.M, he played a key role in the establishment of renowned education centers like Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Swatantra Bharat Mill Vidyalaya in Delhi.
Although he had always been an engineer in his professional life, he also inherited extreme devotion to religion from his revered mother. Following her footsteps, Shri Vinodbhai N. Dalal joined the Hastinapur Jain Shwetambar Tirtha Prabandhak Committee in 1952. He was the President of the committee from 1961 to 1972. He also renovated the old temples of Ambala, Jagadhri, Muzaffarnagar, Malerkotla. He is also credited for the construction of new temples in Chandigarh, Agra and Moradabad. His moral and financial support, foresight and guidance in the construction of a new temple at Kangra (the site discovered decades ago by the former sage Shri Jinvijay ji Maharaj), will never be forgotten. His contributions as the head of the renovation committee of Shri Suparswanath Jain Temple, Ambala, from 1972 to 1978 will always be cherished. It is impossible to forget the hard work and devotion that he put forth in the donation collection exercises from Guru devotees of Mumbai, Ahmedabad and other places. The late Seth Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai, who was the life president of Kalyanji Anandji Pedhi (trust), Ahmedabad and the President of The All India Bhagwan Mahavir 2500 National Nirvana Year Celebration Committee appointed by the Government of India, was an avid admirer of this virtue of Vinodbhai. The newly constructed temple at Indranagar, Ludhiana was completed under his supervision. Apart from this, the credit of inspecting and directing the construction work of many Jain temples and educational institutions in North India like Shri Atmanand Jain College (Ambala), Faridabad Jain Temple, Badaut Jain Temple, Meerut Jain Temple, Ayodhya and Ratnapuri Mahatirtha, Hoshiarpur Jain Temple, Shahdara Jain Temple, Gurgaon Jain Temple, Mahavir Memorial (Delhi), Jain Temple Gujarat Vihar (Delhi), Jain Temple Gujarat Apartments (Delhi), Jain Temple Vallabh Vihar, Rohini (Delhi) and Vijay Vallabh Smarak (Delhi), also goes to Sh. Vinodbhai N. Dalal. He was also the founder president of Bhogilal Leharchand Institute of Indology. The establishment of Jain Bharti Mrigavati Vidyalaya in Delhi was also possible due to his continuous dedication and hard work.
His lifelong contributions to the Jain society gives an undoubted conclusion that while he was an individual, he functioned like an institution in true sense. The Jain samaj saw Vinodbhai as the pinnacle person of the society. During his lifetime, he was decorated with various honors and awards by various institutions of Jain society and also by the Government of India.
Along with Shri Vinodbhai’s work efficiency and commitment to duty, his extreme devotion to Jain saints has also been notable. He was a special devotee and confidant of the Jain saints and patriarchs like “Yugpurush Punjab Kesari” Srimadh Vijay Vallabh Surishwarji Maharaj, Acharya Vijay Samudra Surishwarji Maharaj, Vijay Indradinn Surishwarji Maharaj, Vijay Nityanand Surishwarji Maharaj, and Acharya Padmasagar Maharaj. He was also a close aide to many gurus like Jain Shiromani Acharya Vasant Suriji Maharaj, Sadhvi Shri Mrigavati Shri Ji Maharaj etc. His simple and dutiful nature have made him dear to all. On his request, many Jain Patriarchs and saints have blessed with their divine presence at his Punjabi Bagh residence in Delhi, and have consecrated it.
The spiritual life of Shri Vinodbhai N. Dalal started at the age of 32, from the holy land of Hastinapur. He joined the Hastinapur Jain Shwetambar Tirtha Prabandhak Samiti in 1952. After discovering his real direction from here, he came closer to the Jain saints and became the leader in the renovation work of Jain temples. He was the President of the Hastinapur Jain Shwetambar Tirtha Prabandhak Samiti from 1961 to 1972 (Vikram Samvat 2018-2028). Post that, he continuously decorated the position of “Chairman, Construction Committee” at Shree Hastinapur Jain Shwetambar Tirtha Samiti, until his last breath in 2009. Under the able guidance and supervision of Shri Vinodbhai Dalal, there were many new establishments set up in the Hastinapur shrine, such as “Shri Shantinath Bhagavan Temple, Bhojnalaya, Rishabhdev Bhagwan Parana and Kalyanak Temple, Seth Shri Surajmal Nagindas Jhaveri Dharamshala, Shri Dharmchand Kanchankumari Jain Upasana Bhawan, Sanghvi Shri Kesharimalji Gadia Dharamshala, Smt. Mohandai Oswal Jain Parana Bhawan, Nishiya Ji Temple and Shri Rishabhdev Nirvana Bhumi Ashtapad Temple”.
In order to successfully lead any great task, it is extremely important to have diligent colleagues, who carry the same thought stream and determination. One such close assocaite of Vinodbhai in his spiritual journey was Shri Nirmal Kumar Jain. Today, when we see the name and fame of Shri Hastinapur shrine spreading in all directions, along with the construction of numerous temples, and that of “Astapad temple” , a the long cherished dream of has come true. It is because of continuous hard work, devotion and unparalleled dedication of these 2 pilgrim lovers, namely Sh. Vinodbhai N. Dalal (Chairman Construction Committee) and Sh. Nirmal Kumar Jain (General Secretary). Their contribution is turely unparallel and indescribable. Nirmal Kumar ji has always given respect and admiration to Vinodbhai like his elder brother. Our prayers to almighty God to bless respected Nirmal Ji with lots of fame, prosperity, devotion, along with strong, healthy and long life.
Truly, it was destiny that Shri Vinodbhai's spiritual life began, expanded and ended on the pious land of Hastinapur. His association with Hastinapur shrine began in 1952; and post completion of all the work of grand construction of Ashtapad Tirth, he breathed his last in 2009. In this spiritual journey of 58 years, his better half Smt. Champaben Dalal, fully supported him at every step. While Vinodbhai had the family like affection for all the staff and associates of Hastinapur Committee; at the same time, Champaben had a motherly image for them, through her courage, discipline and love. It is appropriate to state that both these great souls had descended on earth only to serve the Hastinapur Tirth. With the completion of the construction of Ashtapad in 2009, both these saintly souls left this world within two months.
Champaben (22.03.2009) and Vinodbhai (26.05.2009) renounced their bodies and their souls entered into the divine restful abode of almighty god.
The Jain society has expressed that "It is impossible to forget or even match Vinodbhai Dalal's unique role and guidance, in the restoration and reconstruction of all ancient Jain temples in Northern India." Jain society has always felt pride in his divine presence. On seeing a pinnacle personality like him, where the sacred Bhagwad Gita's saying of "Shareermadhayam Khalu Dharmasadhanam" echoes in our mind, even the eternal lines of Bishop's Candlesticks also come true, “This poor body is the living temple of God”. He was the owner of the life and body in the form of a true, lively and beautiful temple, far and away from the forest of concrete.