Dr. Rajesh Tandon
Founder of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and Founder Trustee of CAF India
A Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA and an electronics engineer (IIT, Kanpur) with a graduation in management (IIM, Calcutta), Dr Rajesh Tandon is the reason why CAF India exists. An internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development. He founded the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), a voluntary organisation providing support to grassroots initiatives in South Asia, and continues to be its Chief Functionary since 1982. In order to bridge the divide between the world of practice and the world of research, Dr Tandon has undertaken a number of initiatives to promote engagement of institutions of higher education with civil society and local communities to foster knowledge generation and mutual learning. This work found further support when he was appointed in 2012 as UNESCO Co-Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education (www.unsecochair-cbrsr.org). The UNESCO Chair grows out of and supports UNESCO’s global lead to play ‘a key role in assisting countries to build knowledge societies’. Dr Tandon has authored more than 100 articles, a dozen books and numerous training manuals on themes such as democratic governance, civic engagement, civil society, governance and management of NGOs, participatory research and people-centred development. He has authored/co-authored several books, including Community University Research Partnerships: A Global Perspective (2015), Global Governance, Civil Society and Participatory Democracy: A View from Below (2014); Civil Society and Governance (2003), Reviving Democracy (2003), and Voluntary Action, Civil Society and the State (2002); and co-edited Higher Education and Community-Based Research: Creating a Global Vision (2014), Globalising Citizens: New Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion (2010), Participatory Citizenship: Identity, Exclusion, Inclusion (2006) and Participatory Research: Revisiting the Roots (2002).
Articles by Dr. Rajesh Tandon:
How was CAF India born?
Posted on: January 01, 2022
