<p>This volume contains 31 reminiscences by colleagues, friends and kin who were associated with the late V.K.R.V. Rao during his life-time, particularly in his life-long mission to nurture social science in the country and build centres of excellence in social science research.</p> <p>It is a tribute to his memory on the occasion of his centenary and focuses mainly on the third and final Institution, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore that Prof. Rao founded.</p> <p>The incidents covered and personalities referred to in the contributions give a good idea about the man who rode as a colossus in the academic and intellectual arena of the country for over 50 years, the personal and professional challenges he faced in his relentless quest and always emerged victorious. It is hoped that the collection would provide for us and the posterity a glimpse of the exemplary zeal with which Prof.</p> <p>Rao went about fulfilling his mission and inspired scores of young academics to participate in it.</p>

<p><strong>B.S. Baviskar:</strong> Distinguished Sociologist, and Hon. Fellow, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>B.M. Bhatia: </strong>Distinguished Social Scientist and former Principal, Hindu College, University of Delhi.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>P.J. Bhattacharjee: </strong>Distinguished Demographer and former Director, India Population Project, Govt. of Karnataka.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>M.K. Boraiah: </strong>He is on the staff of ISEC and had worked as personal attendant to the late V.K.R.V. Rao when he was Hon. Director, Tumkur Project and Chairman, Board of Governors.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Ashish Bose:</strong> Renowned Demographer and former Director, Institute of Economic Growth.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>P.R. Brahmananda:</strong> The late Professor P.R. Brahmananda was Professor at the Bombay School of Economics and an outstanding economist. He was associated with ISEC as Founder Member, Visiting Professor and Member of the Board of Governors.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Frances Cairncross: </strong>Rector, Exeter College, Oxford University.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>R.S. Deshpande:</strong> Professor, Agricultural Development and Rural Transformation Centre, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>M.Y. Ghorpade: </strong>Former Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Devaki Jain:</strong> Renowned Development Economist, Founder and former Director of the Institute of Social Studies Trust, Delhi.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>N. Jayaram:</strong> Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Gopal K. Kadekodi:</strong> Honorary Professor, Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research, Dharwad.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K.S. Krishnaswamy:</strong> Former Dy. Governor, Reserve Bank of India and Member, Board of Governors, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>C.T. Kurien:</strong> Former Director, Madras Institute of Development Studies and Member, Board of Governors, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>James Manor:</strong> Emeka Anyaoku Professor at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. During 2006-07, he was the V.K.R.V. Rao Professor at the Institute for Social and Economic Change.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>N. Samba Murthy: </strong>Former Dy. Librarian, ISEC Library.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>M.V. Nadkarni:</strong> Hon. Visiting Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K.S. Narayana: </strong>Assistant Registrar (Academic), ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K.N. Ninan</strong>: Professor, Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>V.R. Panchamukhi:</strong> Distinguished Economist, and currently Managing Editor, Indian Economic Journal.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K. Puttaswamaiah:</strong> Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Applied Economics and Econometrics, Bangalore. Also, Founder Member, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Meera Ramakrishnan:</strong> Daughter of the Late Prof. V.K.R.V. Rao.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>A. Ramaswamy:</strong> Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Govt. of Karntaka.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>P. Ramachandran:</strong> He worked as the late V.K.R.V. Rao’s Personal Assistant from early 1974 to 1991.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>S.L. Rao: </strong>Chairman, Board of Governors, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>V.M. Rao: Hon.</strong> Visiting Fellow, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Vijayendra Rao:</strong> Lead Economist, Development Research Group, The World Bank.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>M.R. Koneri Rau:</strong> Former Registrar, ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>A.S. Seetharamu: </strong>Former Professor and Head Education Unit, ISEC.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Gurushri Swamy:</strong> Consultant, World Bank. Former faculty member of ISEC, Bangalore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Vinod Vyasulu:</strong> Consulting Economist, Bangalore. He was a student of the Delhi School of Economics, and a professor in the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.</p>