V. K. R. V. Rao

V. K. R. V. Rao - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of V. K. R. V. Rao

Vijayendra Kasturi Ranga Varadaraja Rao (8 July 1908 – 25 July 1991) was an Indian economist, politician and educator.

This profile of V. K. R. V. Rao covers Early Life and Family Background, Career and Rise to Fame, Institute builder, Publications and Legacy and Influence.

Early Life and Family Background of V. K. R. V. Rao

Rao was born in a Kannada speaking Madhwa Brahmin family on 8 July 1908 at Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to Kasturirangachar and Bharati Amma. He had his early schooling in Tindivanam and Madras (Chennai). He obtained a B.A and M.A. In economics from Bombay University (now Mumbai University) before earning another B.A. From Cambridge, where he was a member of Gonville and Caius College. He was awarded the Ph.D. Of Cambridge in 1937; the title of his doctoral thesis was "The National Income of British India, 1931-1932". He studied with John Maynard Keynes.

Career and Rise to Fame of V. K. R. V. Rao

V. K. R. V. Rao served as a Union Minister for Education in 1971, elected as a member for Bellary in 1967 and 1971. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 1974.

Institute builder

The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru, an office of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, is rated as the brainchild of Rao.

Publications

Notable among his works are: Taxation of Income in India (1931), An essay on India’s National Income -1925-29 – (1936); The National Income of British India (1940); India and International Currency Plans (1945); Post-War Rupee (1948); Greater Delhi A Study in Urbanization 1940-1957 (1965); Gandhian Alternative to Western Socialism (1970); Values and Economic Development – The Indian Challenge (1971); the Nehru Legacy (1971); Swami Vivekananda – Prophet of Vedantic Socialism (1978); Many Languages and One Nation – the Problem of Integration (1979); India’s National Income 1950-80 (1983) Food, Nutrition and Poverty (1982); Indian socialism: Retrospect and Prospect (1982), etc.

Legacy and Influence

V. K. R. V. Rao is commemorated by the VKRV Rao prizes in Social Science Research.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._K._R._V._Rao), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.