Reflections on The Man, The Mind and The Mission

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Reflections on the Man, the Mind and the Mission; a Festschrift on the 85th Birthday of Koneru Ramakrishna Rao is a humble tribute to Prof. Koneru Ramakrishna Rao, one of the tallest scholars of our times. This Festschrift contains reminiscences, reflections and papers by scholars and academicians from around the globe who are familiar with Prof. Rao's epoch-making contributions. The book also contains special messages from luminaries in diverse disciplines who are friends and admirers of Prof. Rao.. Scholarly reviews of some of his most recent books have also been included. The volume concludes with the brief memoirs of Prof. Rao titled "Wide Open Horizons: A Short Story of My Tryst with Destiny", an intellectual delight.

Prof. Rao is a scholar, philosopher, scientist, educationist, leader and visionary with an incredible ability to live his amazing dreams. He dabbles with 0,5* the intricacies of Psychology and Parapsychology, Philosophy and Yoga, Consciousness Studies and Gandhian Thought, Educational Administration and Information Science, with equal ease and astounding finesse. And above all, here is a man untouched by time. In his 85th year, tie is more active than ever before, enriching academia and society at large with his erudition and philosophical acumen, profound thought and most exemplary leadership. The year 2017 will see the publication of his five remarkable volumes.

Dr Nalini Bikkina, Director In-Charge, GITAM School of Gandhian Studies, GITAM University, Visakhapatnam is the recipient of the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship 2017. Dr Nalini has been in the teaching and research arena since 2004, and was honoured with GITAM Best Teacher and Best Researcher Awards. An ICSSR Doctoral Fellow, her research interests have been in the inter-disciplinary social sciences with an emphasis on public systems, having had a brief stint with the AP State Administrative Service.

Dr. Rositta Joseph Valiyamattam is presently Coordinator, Centre for Languages, School of Gandhian Studies, and also heads the PG Department of English, GITAM University, Visakha-patnam. She topped in her Masters in English from Andhra University. She was awarded a Doctorate by Andhra University for her thesis on the Indian English novels with interdisciplinary links to Indian politics and history. Personal and National Destinies in Independent India is her book and she has published over thirty articles in reputed literary journals and anthologies.

Reflections on the Man, the Mind and the Mission: A Festschrift on the 85th Birthday of Koneru Ramakrishna Rao is both a tribute and a chronicle. Even as India celebrates seventy years of its Independence in 2017, one of her most distinguished sons celebrates sixty-five years of his service to the nation and to the world as an educator par excellence. The 85th birthday of Prof. Koneru Ramakrishna Rao on 4 October 2017 is the inspiration behind this book which takes up with glad humility the challenge of chronicling for future generations, the life, ideas and work of one of the tallest scholars of our times.

This Festschrift is the product of the dedication and affection of several luminaries and academicians whose lives have been touched by Prof. Rao, directly or indirectly. The book begins with greetings and tributes from around the world sent by statesmen and scholars, psychologists and philosophers, on the happy occasion. This is followed by visual glimpses of Prof. Rao's life, acquainting the reader with the most recent accomplishments of an outstanding figure who combines leadership and scholarship for the greater good.

Part I of the volume begins with a comprehensive overview of Prof. Rao's life and work, followed by scholarly articles which study in-depth his forays into various disciplines and their implications for future generations. John G. Kruth writes passionately about K.R. Rao as a crusader for parapsychology while Anand Paranjpe documents his sterling contributions to Indian psychology. K.R. Rajani presents an elaborate comparison of the contributions of Sri Aurobindo and Prof. Rao to Indian philosophy. Sonali Bhatt Marwaha delves even deeper into Rao's Trident Model of Consciousness. V. Balamohandas chronicles Prof. Rao's saga as a visionary administrator and tireless builder of institutions. Janak Pandey succinctly captures the essence of K.R. Rao's vast scholarship and so does David Lorimer who salutes Rao's heroic mission of bridging Eastern and Western knowledge systems. Chenchulakshmi Kolla pays tribute to Rao's contribution as an advocate of yoga through her highly informative piece on the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga. B. Sambasiva Prasad in his article "Pursuit of Gandhi's Dharma" highlights Prof. Rao's deep commitment to translating Gandhian thought into practice in the contemporary social context.

Part II of the Festschrift is devoted to reviews of Prof. Rao's five latest books being published in 2017 - Colonial Syndrome: The Videshi Mindset in Modern India (by Sasikala A.S.), Elements of Parapsychology (by Sangeefa Bhamidipati), Foundations of Yoga Psychology (by N. Deepa Mohan), Gandhi's Dharma (by Y.P. Anand), and the Phenomenology of Violence (by Rositta Joseph Valiyamattam).

The Epilogue contains the focal point of this Festschrift. Readers shall encounter a veritable treasure-trove as they read the memoirs of Koneru Ramakrishna Rao. Wide Open Horizons: A Story of My Tryst with Destiny brings out the best in Rao as a writer and takes us on a memorable and exciting journey across continents and eras.

**Contents and Sample Pages**