User:Nareshdadhich

PROFESSOR (DR.) NARESH DADHICH

Naresh Dadhich is a well-known institution builder, eminent educationist, able academician, illustrious teacher and adept litterateur. He is passionate about social justice and liberal democrate in approach. A proud believer in Indian heritage and

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enthusiast adopter of modern thinking and techniques. Currently, he is Vice Chancellor of Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University at Kota, Rajasthan. The University is the only open Government University in the state of Rajasthan, imparting education to about 2 lakh students through distance education.

Born on 19th September 1956 in Jodhpur, Prof. Dadhich had his whole education in Jaipur. He got his M.A.(first class) in Political Science from Rajasthan University in 1977 and joined the Department of Political Science, Rajasthan University in 1978 as an Assistant Professor. He still continues there as Professor of Political Science. He did his Ph.D. from the same University. He shouldered many administrative responsibilities in Rajasthan University including being Proctor/Rector in the Department of Political Science, Head of Political Science in Maharani College(a constituent college of the University)during 1995-1998,Hon.Assistant Director, Center for Gandhian Studies during 1989-92,93-94 and Hon. Director Center for Gandhian Studies during 1996-2000.In Center for Gandhian Studies he initiated many new academic activities which includes starting a biannual journal of Gandhian Studies, organizing lectures, seminars(national/international),workshops and conferences on Gandhi related themes. Many well known Gandhian and Peace activists and scholars such as Prof. Michael True, Prof. Douglas Allen, Prof. Ramjee Singh, Prof. N. Radhakrishnan visited the center during his tenure.He served the University in many capacities including as member Academic Council and Convener/ Member of various committees.

Prof. Dadhich has a rare distinction of getting two consecutive terms as Vice Chancellor of any University. He joined as Vice Chancellor of Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University on Oct.11, 2006 And after completing two successive tenures demitted office on 1February 2013.He has rejoined department of Political Science,University of Rajasthan,Jaipur. As an institution builder he is responsible for metamorphosing Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota into a vibrant institution of higher learning.  The existing courses were revamped; number of courses increased from 39 in 2006 to 110 in 2010 and the number of student increased from sixteen thousand in 2006 to one lakh twenty thousand in 2009. There are about two lakh students on roll today. He has instituted 3 prestigious annual lectures namely, Gandhi Lecture, D.S. Kothari Memorial Lecture in Science stream and Satya Prakash Memorial Lecture in Rajasthani Language A quarterly newsletter in English Meera, a biannual academic journal Gyan Vimarsh have been launched. Three research centres namely Gandhi and Peace Resource Center, Centre for Quality Assurance and Center for Research in Distance Education have been instituted. A new academic block named after Mahatma Gandhi has been constructed. A stream of academic activities including seminars, workshops, conferences are regularly held under his initiation and guidance

As an educationist he is the convener/member of various Government of Rajasthan/UGC/NAAC/DEC/NCERT committees and has helped developing/ building/recognizing/recommending the establishment of various courses/departments/colleges and Universities in the country. He has been instrumental in bringing all the State Open Universities under the umbrella association named Association of Indian Open Universities of which he is the unanimously elected President. He organised the conference of the Vice Chancellors of all State Open Universities in India in January 2010.

As an academician he is widely acclaimed as a new generation Gandhi and Peace Scholar who has made significant contribution in Gandhian Studies and has made it very popular in the country in recent years through popular and scholarly writings/delivering lectures/organizing conferences, workshops and seminars and introducing new courses in Gandhian Studies. His book Gandhi and Existentialism is cited as one of the major text of a school of interpretation of Gandhian thought along with the books of Raghavan Iyer, V.R. Mehta, Thomas Pantham, Bhikhu Parekh, Dennis Dalton and Ronald Terchek. He is professionally trained as a Political Scientist and has the honour of being invited to deliver prestigious lectures in India and abroad.A widely travelled man on academic assignments he has visited many countries including USA, Israel ,Spain,Hungary, South Korea and South Africa. As the Representative of Peace for Asian countries in the Universal Forum of Cultures, in Barcelona, Spain, held from June 13-15, 2004 his discussion with Johan Galtung and Marguerite Barankitse on Conflict in Every Day Life: Asian Perspective was telecast live in four different languages.

As a researcher and teacher, Prof. Dadhich has specialized in contemporary Western and Indian Political Thought and Gandhi and Peace Studies. Under his guidance 28 students have been awarded Ph.Ds. He is an examiner of D.Litt and Ph.D. theses of many Universities including, Delhi University, B.H.U and Panjab University. He has been Founder Editor of academic journals :Gandhian Studies and Gandhi and Peace Studies, Chief Editor: Political Science Review(1997-2000),Chief Editor: Rajya Shastra Sameeksha , Series Editor of Ideas and Thinkers in Social Sciences a project launched by Rawat Publications, Jaipur and Editor of Peace Building, a biannual newsletter of Peace Education Commission of International Peace Research Association(IPRA).He has been member of Editorial Board/Advisory Board of many academic Journals including Journal of Peace Education published by Taylor and Francis Group, Oxford.

A prolific writer, he has authored/edited six academic books,30 research articles/chapters in reputed journals/books and made several presentations in national and international seminars/conferences. He has contributed chapters in Self Learning Material of Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University while working as Vice Chancellor. He has written the first book in Hindi on John Rawls’s theory of justice. As a creative writer he has published two books of Poetry, one of these, Sangyan Trayi is based on three Upanishads namely, Kath, Ishavasyo and Mandukya As a recognition of his eminence as an academician/educationist, he has to his credit Special Honors: First Indian Academician to be awarded Prestigious Pell Center Fellowship in Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, USA in 2005,First Indian Academician to be elected as the Convener of Peace Education Commission(PEC) of International Peace Research Association in 2002.Member of International Advisory Board ,The Pell Center, Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Vice Chairman, Governing Board of Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur. His name is included in Wikipedia’s 100 important Political Philosophers of 20th century. He was also the Member of Delegation of Peace led by late Ms.Nirmala Deshpande to Pakistan in 2008.

Address: University of Rajasthan,Jaipur,India

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Email: nareshdadhich@gmail.com