Ramjee Singh (born 1927, India) is a former Member of Parliament and vice-chancellor ofJain Vishva Bharati University.[1] He is an eminentGandhian and is the author of a number of books on him. He was also the director ofGandhian Institute of Studies,Varanasi, India.[2] In January 2020 he was awarded the fourth highest civilian award in the country: ThePadma Shri for Social Work.[3][4]His life has been a blend of being a Gandhian academician as well as an activist.[5] Singh has declaredMahatma Gandhi as theBodhisattva of the 20th century.[6]
Towards his academic achievements, he has earned three doctorate degrees, a PhD inJainism, a D.Litt. inHindu thought and another D.Litt. inPolitical Science in Gandhism and was awarded emeritus fellowship.[7]He is a prolific writer and has authored and edited about 50 books, mostly on Gandhism and Indian philosophy and culture both in English andHindi.[8] He was also vice-chancellor of the Jain University, and a panel speaker at the International Philosophical Congress (Brighton) andParliament of the World's Religions (Chicago, 1993), andCape Town, 2001.[9] He was secretary and president ofAll India Philosophical Association for about 12 years and is currently the vice-president ofAfro-Asian Philosophical Association.[10]
As a social activist he participated in freedom movement of India in 1942 under Gandhi's leadership and also suffered imprisonment for 21 months when the Indian government had suppressed all civil and political rights and imposed emergency in 1975–77.[15] As a result, he was elected to theParliament of India with a margin of 186,000 votes against his formidable rival, who was laterChief Minister of Bihar.[16] He has also raised his voice against inhuman blinding of under-trial prisoners in jail before the Supreme Court of India and had moved aPublic Interest Litigation in the High Court for the protection of the rights of the landless people.[17] As a Gandhian peace activist he has organised about 70 youth peace camps and helped to set up departments of Gandhian Studies and peace research throughout the country from the time he was president of the Indian Society of Gandhian Studies.[18] He still continues to be the president of the Indian Society of Gandhian Studies.[19]He has taught philosophy and Gandhian thought for 50 years and he is still an emeritus fellow of theUniversity Grants Commission. .[20]
