M.S. Rajan

Prof. M.S. Rajan
Indian School of International Studies, Director
In office 1965–1971
Professor of International Organisation, JNU
In office 1971–1984
Personal details
Born	1920 Madanapalle, Madras Presidency
Died	17 February 2010, 89 New Delhi
Citizenship	Indian
Alma mater	University of Mysore
Occupation	Academician

Mannaraswamighala Sreeranga Rajan usually referred to as M.S. Rajan was an Indian academic who is widely acknowledged as the doyen of International Relations and Area Studies in India. Professor Rajan set up the Indian School of International Studies along with Pandit Hriday Nath Kunzru and Professor A. Appadorai in 1955.

Born near Madanapalle on the Andhra-Karnataka border in 1920, his early schooling was in Karnataka and he went on to complete his post-graduation from the University of Mysore in 1943. He received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1956 and enrolled at the Columbia University, New York. Even though he enrolled for a PhD under the guidance of Leland M. Goodrich, he could not complete it since he was called back to India to oversee the construction of Sapru House, the headquarters of the Indian Council of World Affairs, in 1952. He was subsequently awarded a D.Litt by the University of Mysore in 1963 for his book, United Nations and Domestic Jurisdiction.

Rajan came to Delhi in July 1947 when he was 27 years old, and joined the Asian Relations Organisation as Assistant Secretary. He played a key role in organising the Asian Relations Conference in 1947. He joined the Indian Council of World Affairs in 1949 as its Administrative Secretary. He was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the construction of its iconic office, Sapru House, on Barakhamba Road, which was completed in 1955.

Shortly after the ISIS was set up under the auspices of the ICWA in 1955, he took up position in 1959, first as Special Fellow, and subsequently as Professor of Commonwealth Studies. He became the second Director of the ISIS after Professor Appadorai demitted the office in 1965 and served for six years. He continued the rigorous standards set by Prof. Appadorai with the intention of making it one of the leading institutes of learning in the field of International Relations and Area Studies. Students were selected following an all-India exam and interview process, and had to exhibit an aptitude for research. Among Professor Rajan's initiatives was the establishment of State Government scholarships for PhD students.

Prof. Rajan oversaw the merger of the ISIS with the Jawaharlal Nehru University after the latter was established in 1969. The JNU Vice-Chancellor G Parthasarathi acceded to his insistence that the faculty should be appointed on tenure rather than through contract. However, he was unable to prevent the bifurcation of the Sapru House Library based on ownership of books, journals and documents. Rajan was the very first professor on the rolls of JNU as also the first to be made Professor Emeritus. He remained Director of the School till 1971 and continued as Professor of International Organisation till 1984.

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