A Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, USA) and an electronics engineer (IIT, Kanpur) with a graduation in management (IIM, Calcutta), Dr Rajesh Tandon is an internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development.
His journey with PRIA started in 1982, as a young IIM graduate wanting to do more than just complete his PhD fieldwork. Here’s a quick glimpse of how it all began:
Over the past fifty years, Dr. Tandon’s passionate commitment towards inclusive democracy and development for all has spear-headed PRIA to its current standing, directly impacting several hundred organisations, and thousands of participatory trainers and communities.
Dr Tandon’s commitment towards promoting participatory research for empowerment of the marginalised moves beyond PRIA’s grassroots work to contributing to social responsibility of higher education through his leadership of Global Alliance on Community-Engaged Research (GACER) network where he serves as chairperson, as member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Unnat Bharat Abhiyan appraisal committee, and as UNESCO Co-Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. He was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) Hall of Fame in 2011.
Dr. Tandon has been Chair of the external advisory committee at the Office of Community Based Research at the University of Victoria in Canada (2006); chair of the International Forum on Capacity Building of Southern NGOs (1998-2002); president of the Asian-South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education in New Delhi (1991-2000); and vice president of the International Council for Adult Education in Canada (1986-1994). He also serves on the Boards of many national and international non-profit organisations, and has served as Advisor to the Commonwealth Foundation, UNDP, and numerous other international agencies.
For his distinguished work on Gender Issues, the Government of India honoured Dr. Tandon with the Prestigious Award in Social Justice in March, 2007. The following year, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) in recognition of his pioneering work in the area of civic engagement, governance and community based research by the University of Victoria, Canada.
An avid reader and writer, Dr. Tandon has authored and co-authored more than 100 articles, a dozen books and numerous training manuals on themes such as democratic governance, civic engagement, civil society, governance and management of NGOs, participatory research and people-centred development.
Dr Tandon’s unflagging energy and passion continues to guide PRIA as an organisation committed to using the power of people’s knowledge for empowerment , while remaining a source of support to the civil society sector and everyone in the PRIA family.