Vice-President and Chairman Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar has nominated Dr. M L Raja for the award of Dr S Radhakrishnan Chair for one year w.e.f. 07.05.2025 to 06.05.2026.
Dr S Radhakrishnan Chair was initiated by Rajya Sabha in the year 2009 with the objective of promoting research on different aspects of Parliamentary democracy in India.
Announcing the nomination of Dr M L Raja at an event at Vice-President’s Enclave today, Dhankhar stated, “ Let me welcome in particular today, whose presence I have solicited, and that is Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair, Dr. M.L. Raja…..This chair was initiated after one of the distinguished sons of Bharat, the first Vice-President who became president, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a philosopher, and also known for his academic commitment as a teacher. The chair was initiated for the first time in the year 2009. Technically, Dr M.L. Raja is the third recipient. De-facto second. The chair was made functional during my tenure when Jawahar Kaul, a distinguished journalist from the state of Jammu & Kashmir, deeply committed to nationalism, got the honour to get the chair, and Dr. M.L. Raja from deep south, state of Tamil Nadu, is the second one to get it…..About the chair, let me tell you, in 1962, September 5 was declared as Teacher’s Day. It happens to be birthday of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, that underscores that you may have any position, President, Vice-President. You may be a philosopher. You may be a great author but social recognition has come by virtue of his being a teacher, Teacher’s Day. Always bear that in mind. Respect your parents as much as you respect your teachers either way.”
Dr M L Raja brings exceptional multidisciplinary expertise as an ophthalmologist, epigraphist, archaeologist, and historian. Currently serving as Director of AVINASH (Academy on Vibrant National Arts and Scientific Heritage) and RICH (Research Institute of Chronology and History), he holds qualifications spanning medicine (M.B.,B.S., D.O.), archaeology and epigraphy (D.I.A.E.), and history (M.A.).His scholarly contributions include 13 published books covering subjects from ancient Indian astronomy to historical chronology, including notable works like “Aryabhatta’s Date: an Analytical Study” and “Astronomical Evidence of the Date of Mahabharata War.”
Dr Raja has received significant recognition, including recent awards from the Governor of Tamil Nadu for his contributions to Tamil literary works and research on Kamba Ramayanam. His involvement with the IKS Division of AICTE has been particularly noteworthy, where he has served as mentor and expert evaluator.
His current research focuses on determining accurate chronology of Indian history, including dating of historical figures like Adi Shankara, Chandragupta Maurya, and analyzing astronomical texts. His expertise in Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, and English enables comprehensive study of diverse historical sources.
