Overview of the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award

Malcolm Adiseshiah Award is a national honor accolade in India and it celebrates super excellence in the field of development studies. It is an award given to eminent social scientists yearly and their contribution to social change. The award has high academic weight and achievements, and it still inspires new shifts in the studies. It is one of the most revered prizes in social disciplines.

Historical Background

An award in memory of Malcolm Sathiyanathan Adiseshiah was established in 2000 by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust. He was a development thinker, economist and teacher and in 1976 he won the Padma Bhushan. Trust founded this award in order to motivate scholars that carry on his work in research in poverty, inequality and other dimensions of human development.

Purpose and Eligibility

The Malcolm Adiseshiah Award promises to motivate and reward scholars whose works have enlightened developments across the field of studies. To be eligible the applicant must:

• The recipient should be a social scientist in the Indian context.
• Indian citizens as well as foreign scholars living in India can be eligible.
• The recipient must have contributed prudently in the field.

This eligibility guarantees that only well-deserving persons are honored.

Selection Process

The prize, Malcolm Adiseshiah Award is offered through an open selection process contributing to its reliability. It has key features:

• All the nominations are reconsidered by a specially chosen national jury.
• Self-nominations are not acceptable to give way to fairness.
• Proposal of the candidates occurs through academic and research institutions.
• On the evening of the presentation, an agreed number of the recipients have to give the Malcolm Adiseshiah Memorial Lecture.

The event is organized annually in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Award Components

Awardees of the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award are accorded numerous kinds of recognition:

• A formal reference to mention about their contributions.
• An amount of cash prize of 2 lakh rupees (approx. US$2,400).
• The next person to make the memorial lecture.

The Trust also awards the Elizabeth Adiseshiah Award, given to scholars up to the age of 45 and is a citation plus (U) 1 lakh.

Impact and Significance

The prize is very compelling in uplifting development studies in India. It emphasises the relevance of social sciences in policy-making and social-change. The Malcolm Adiseshiah Award has prompted junior researchers to work on some urgent problems of society by awarding high-level scholars. It still makes Indian social sciences gain more credibility in the world and can be called an example of academic support.

FAQs

Q1. Where is the ceremony of Malcolm Adiseshiah Award?

Ans: Traditionally it is held in Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu).

Q2. What oversight is over the award process?

Ans: All processes of the award are monitored by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust.

Q3. Does the main award have an age-limit?

Ans: No, there is a main award that is conferred to senior scholars and the Elizabeth Adiseshiah Award to younger researchers.

Q4. Are foreign scholars to be allowed to receive the award?

Ans: Yes, international scholars residing and carrying out their research in India have eligibilities.