Raktakamal Barman Chandra PhD
Bio
Dr. Raktakamal Barman Chandra's life was the embodiment of hard work, self-sacrifice and progress oriented thinking. Coming from the small town of Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura, she charted a course for her life in the hustle bustle of India's capital, New Delhi and rose to become the Member Secretary of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), the premier national social science research body in India.
Education
Dr. Raktakamal Barman Chandra, (Reena to the people who knew her), did her schooling in Maharani Tulsibati Balika Vidyalaya in Agartala, Tripura, India.
She then completed her Masters in International Relations from Jadavpur University, Calcutta. Having completed her Masters, she went on to do her PhD. from the School of International Studies in New Delhi, located at Sapru House. This school was later affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Career
The ICSSR was created by Dr. J. P. Naik, an eminent educationist in 1969. Dr. Barman Chandra played a key role in the establishment of this national body for social science research. She was associated with this organisation since its inception and devoted her entire career to building this organisation, nurturing and growing it and leaving behind a legacy of competence, hard-work, fairness and progress.
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During her long and distinguished career at the ICSSR, she led the creation of the IC (International Collaboration) Division, which led to the creation of various cross country social science programs like the Indo Dutch Programme for Alternatives in Development (IDPAD).
She represented India at the second Biennial General Conferences of the Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils (AASSREC) in Bangkok, Thailand in 1977 and in the tenth conference of the same forum in Kawasaki City, Japan in 1993.
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Her enduring legacy at the ICSSR is fondly remembered by all those who worked with her and had the pleasure of interacting with her during her official years.
