1. Home
2. 8

AWARDS AND HONOURS

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 11/30/2019 11:34:10 AM

Koneru Ramakrishna Rao: Recipient of Padma Shri

Koneru Ramakrishna Rao, a philosopher, psychologist, parapsychologist, educationist, teacher, researcher and administrator. Rao was born on 4 October 1932, in Coastal Andhra, Madras Presidency. He did his B.A. (Hons.) philosophy in 1953, M.A. psychology in 1955 and Ph.D in 1962 from Andhra University. He was a lecturer in the Departments of Philosophy and Psychology at Andhra University from 1953 to 58 under the tutelage of professors Saileswar Sen and Satchidananda Murthy. He left in 1958 to the United States as a Fulbright scholar. His stay at the University of Chicago was extended a year with a Rockefeller Fellowship with Richard McKeon at the University of Chicago and received PhD and D.Litt. degrees. He returned to India in 1960 as chief librarian at Andhra University, but then moved to North Carolina to work with J. B. Rhine at the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University, North Carolina and later headed his Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man as its executive director. He is a chancellor at GITAM University, Vishakaptnam. The Government of India awarded him by the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2011. He returned to Andhra University in the mid-1960s and in 1967 established the Department of Parapsychology, the only such university department of its kind in the world. In the meantime he had become a charter member of the Parapsychology Association and was elected as its secretary in 1963 and its president in 1965. In 1977 he became the director of the Institute for Parapsychology, but again in 1984 went back to Andhra to become the university's vice-chancellor. The following year he established the Institute for Yoga and Consciousness at Andhra and became its director. In 1987 he again became head of the Institute for Parapsychology. He also has served as the Chairman of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research for the Indian Government. He visited and lectured at universities in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Greece, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Awards received by Rao include Padma Shri (Literature and Education category) in 2011, Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) degrees from Andhra and Kakatiya Universities and a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) degree from Acharya Nagarjuna University.