Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi
News
Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi to visit Bath Spa University and give lecture as part of bespoke Honorary Degree acceptance ceremony
Tuesday, 30 May, 2023On Monday 5 June 2023, Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi - grandson of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi - will visit Bath Spa University to accept an Honorary Degree from the institution, and give a lecture to students and staff, as part of a bespoke conferment ceremony.
Taking place at the University’s Newton Park Campus, Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi will be awarded a Doctorate in Education.
As part of the unique Honorary Degree conferment event, staff and students will also be given the opportunity to attend a meet, greet and question and answer session with Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi whose lecture will be centred on 'Reflections on our Times and Tide'.
The schedule for the event is as follows:
- 11:15am - Meet and greet
- 12 noon - Lecture given by Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi
- 12:30pm - Q&As with staff and students and Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi
- 12:45pm - Conferment of Honorary Degree
The above will be followed by a formal lunch with the entire event concluding at 2:30pm.
Limited spaces are still available. If you are a Bath Spa University student or member of staff and you would like to attend, please fill in this form by Thursday 1 June.
Born in 1945 as the youngest of four children, as a child, Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi was used to his grandfather the Mahatma Gandhi and his associates visiting and staying in his familial home. These precious moments with his grandfather no doubt had a significant impact on his future ambitions.
As an adult, Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi went on to read English Literature and History at St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, India. Currently Distinguished Professor of History at Ashoka University, Sonepat, India, he contributes monthly columns to The Telegraph (Kolkata) and The Hindustan Times (New Delhi). He also writes on occasion for The Hindu (Chennai) and Hindustan (New Delhi).
Professor John Strachan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at Bath Spa University, said:
“Bath Spa University is delighted to welcome Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi to Bath and to recognise his extraordinary and transformative contribution to Indian educational, political and cultural life over many years. This is a considerable achievement and we are very glad that our University, with its close teaching and research collaborative links with India, is able to recognise that contribution. Welcome Dr Gandhi.”
As a member of the Indian Administrative Service, Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi has held administrative positions in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and at the national headquarters in Delhi. He was Secretary to the Vice President of India (1985-1987) and Secretary to the President of India (1997-2000). Positions held by him outside India have included those of Director of The Nehru Centre in the High Commission of India, London, High Commissioner for India in South Africa, Lesotho, Sri Lanka, and Ambassador of India in Norway and Iceland. He was Governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.
With his wife Tara, an ornithologist and nature conservationist, Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi lives in Chennai and Bengaluru and spends as much time as possible in the Nilgiri hills, Tamil Nadu. They have two daughters and three granddaughters.