Born in 1933 in Kota, ( Rajasthan ), India. Lalit Jain discovered his true calling very early in life. He completed his primary education from Hathras ( Uttar Pradesh ) where his father a railway station master retired after years of service. He had to curtail his desire to study further as the odds were against him. Lack of a college coupled with financial constraints forced him to move to Delhi to eke out an honest living at a very young age. He started his career designing sewing reel labels for a small printing press near Sadar Bazaar in Old Delhi. It was during this phase that he was appointed by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) on a short term basis to illustrate pottery and antiquities found on their various excavations. His talent and vision found him a permanent place with ASI and he spent many fruitful years drawing inspirations from his travelogues with them. In his quest of learning in the year 1963, he received a diploma in art from the prestigious Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai.