Prof. Radhakrishnan devoted to propagate Gandhian ideals

COLOMBO: Prof. Neelakanta Radharkrishnan is one of the most eloquent Gandhian scholars and activists of our times. His contributions as a prolific writer, philosopher, artist and a wide range of his interests and involvement in training in non-violent are varied and complex.

During the past 45 years of his active public life, in addition to being a well-known member of the Faculty of English in Gandhigram University, Tamil Nadu, he has been ardently involved in everything of national and international importance.

Ever since his joining Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi 1989, he devoted his attention fully to the propagation of Gandhian ideals for peace and international understanding.

He is perhaps, the first Gandhian scholar who designed serious and imaginative steps to take Gandhi to the universities and inspire the Indian youth to go to villages to bring about a qualitative change in village life. Very few Gandhian scholars have perhaps penetrated deeper into the significance of Gandhiji’s experiment in relation to the contemporary sociopolitical, educational, economic and cultural problems to make the world a better place where people belonging to different castes, creed, ethnicity and nationalities happily coexist.

He made a series of experiments with whatever innovations he made on Gandhian creative activities. Along with the deepening of his understanding of Gandhian culture, Dr. Radhakrishnan’s ideas and feelings, his relationship with people and even his language have been bound to undergo great change.

In a significant step, Martin Luther King International Chapel in Atlanta, Georgia, the world famous seat of learning, civil liberties, justice and freedom, inducted Radhakrishnan into the International Collegiums of Scholars.

Radhakrishnan is the first Indian ever to receive this honour and with this he joins the band of distinguished scholars and world leaders whose work in different fields of human endeavour is recognised and utilised internationally for strengthening humanity’s ceaseless struggle for justice and freedom.

Not much later than this, the Kerala University identified him for its Millennium Award in recognition of his work to promote Gandhian ideals globally.

The award was presented to him on February 5, 2001 at a special function.

Radhakrishnan also received from the Soka University of America at Los Angeles, the prestigious Honorary Ambassadorship in recognition of his contribution to Education, Peace and Culture, at a special investiture function at the University Senate Chamber on August 9, 2001.

The citation recognises the various initiatives undertaken by Radhakrishnan in fostering harmony and amity in several parts of the world by interpreting creatively Gandhian vision of education for social change and the need to restructure education, taking into account the fast changing international scenario.

From 1980, Prof. Radhakrishnan has been associating over 40 universities abroad as visiting professor/lecturer/course consultant. He has written over 200 research papers on various themes related to language, literature, linguistics, culture, peace, Gandhian Thoughts and human rights.

Writing in English and Malayalam he has published/edited 52 books, many of which have been translated into several Indian and foreign languages.