NEW DELHI: Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday nominated Dr M L Raja for the prestigious Dr S Radhakrishnan Chair for a one-year term, effective from 7 May 2025 to 6 May 2026.
The Dr S Radhakrishnan Chair was instituted by the Rajya Sabha in 2009 with the aim of promoting scholarly research on various aspects of parliamentary democracy in India.
In an official statement delivered during an event at the Vice-President’s Enclave, Dhankhar announced Dr M L Raja's nomination and remarked, that the Dr S Radhakrishnan Chair was established to honour the legacy of "one of the distinguished sons of Bharat, the first Vice-President who became President, Dr S Radhakrishnan."
Dr M L Raja, from Tamil Nadu, is the second individual to be conferred with the position of Chair. Jawahar Kaul, a prominent journalist from Jammu and Kashmir, earlier served as Chair.
While Dr Raja is technically the third recipient of the position, he is second functioning Chair as the position was made operational during Dhankhar's tenure.
Speaking about the significance of the chair, Dhankhar said, "In 1962, September 5 was declared as Teacher's Day. It happens to be the birthday of Dr S Radhakrishnan. This underscores that though you may have any position — President, Vice-President. philosopher or author — social recognition comes by virtue of being a teacher for Radhakrishnan."
Dr M L Raja brings with him an exceptional blend of multidisciplinary expertise, considering his qualifications as an ophthalmologist, epigraphist, archaeologist, and historian. He currently serves as the Director of AVINASH (Academy on Vibrant National Arts and Scientific Heritage) and RICH (Research Institute of Chronology and History).
His prolific scholarship includes 13 published books on topics ranging from ancient Indian astronomy to historical chronology, notably "Aryabhatta’s Date: An Analytical Study" and "Astronomical Evidence of the Date of Mahabharata War."
Dr Raja has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including recent honours from the Governor of Tamil Nadu for his contributions to Tamil literary studies and research on "Kamba Ramayanam."
He has played a significant role in the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Division of AICTE, serving as both mentor and expert evaluator.
His current research is centred on determining an accurate chronology of Indian history. This includes work on dating prominent historical figures such as Adi Shankara and Chandragupta Maurya, as well as analysis of astronomical texts. His command over Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, and English enables him to engage comprehensively with a wide array of historical sources.
'Perform fundamental duties, unite on national issues'
At the inaugural session of the Rajya Sabha Internship Programme (Phase 7) at the Vice-President’s Enclave on Tuesday, Dhankar spoke at length about the success of Operation Sindoor and the growing need for Swadeshi consumption.
"The recent episode, Operation Sindoor, has changed our mindset massively. We are now nationalistic as never before. And this is reflected in participation of all political landscape in delegations that have gone abroad to project our message of peace and our complete intolerance to terrorism," Dhankar stated.
He also highlighted the need for support from citizens, not only by claiming fundamental rights, but also performing fundamental duties.
"Sometimes people wonder, 'how can we contribute?' ... Economic nationalism means we must consume Swadeshi. We must always take into consideration being vocal for local. This will inspire our people to cater to our needs," he remarked.
Advocating for collective effort and unity on national issues, Dhankhar said, "On issues of national security and economic progress, all factions need to put national interest over partisan priorities ... Sometimes politics get too hot for nationalism and security, something we need to overcome."
Emphasising that Parliament is the ultimate authority in law-making, Dhankar stated that the Parliament is not just a legislative body but a reflection of 140 crore people's will.
"Parliament has primacy not in everything because there are areas where executive has primacy, how to govern; where the judiciary has primacy, how to deal with justice ... but the Parliament is the ultimate authority to make law ... Parliament is the ultimate place for debate, dialogue, discussion, and discourse," he added.
Speaking about the Indian Constitution, he said, "This document painstakingly evolved has taken note of our civilisational growth also. If you look at the Constitution as signed by framers of the Constitution, you will have the occasion to see it. When you see it, you'll find it has 22 miniatures. Each miniature reflects our historical past, glorious historical past."
He noted that, while the Constitution grants fundamental rights, it also ordains every citizen to perform duties. "This Constitutional sanctity is required to be preserved in all situations. If there is any disruption of it, you can sense danger," he added.