Ram Prakash

{{Short description|Indian politician (1939–2023)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Use Indian English|date=January 2018}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Ram Prakash

| honorific_prefix =

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|10|5|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tangore, Kurukshetra district, Punjab Province, British India

| residence = Kurukshetra, Haryana, India

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|12|13|1939|10|5|df=y}}

| death_place = Kurukshetra, Haryana, India

| office = Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

| constituency = Haryana

| term_start = 2007

| term_end = 2014

| party = Indian National Congress

| spouse = Vijay Kumari

| alma_mater = Panjab University
Charles University, Prague

| profession = Vedic Scholar, Author, Editor, Educationist, Politician

| Personal website =

| website =

| footnotes =

| source =

}}

Ram Prakash (5 October 1939 – 13 December 2023) was a Vedic scholar, author, educationist and a member of the Parliament of India representing Haryana in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament from 2007 to 2014.

He authored and edited books on Vedic philosophy and was the second Chairperson of the 'Centre for Studies in Civilizations'. He was a professor of Chemistry, a Fulbright scholar, and the Chancellor of Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar.http://gkv.ac.in/fwd/notification%20scan%20english.jpg. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823093408/http://gkv.ac.in/fwd/notification%20scan%20english.jpg |date=23 August 2013 }}

Early life

Ram Prakash, son of Sh. Prabhu Dayal, was born on 5 October 1939, in the village of Tangore, Kurukshetra district of Haryana (formerly Punjab), India, of OBC (Other Backward Castes).{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051013/haryana.htm|title = The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Haryana}} Prakash gained his MSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry from the Punjab University, Chandigarh, and subsequently taught at the institution.[http://164.100.24.167:8080/members/website/Mainweb.asp?mpcode=2041 Profile on Rajya Sabha website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181545/http://164.100.24.167:8080/members/website/Mainweb.asp?mpcode=2041 |date=30 September 2007 }} Later, he joined the new Kurukshetra University as the Pro-Vice Chancellor for a while.

Politics

Prakash entered politics in 1990–1991 and in 1999 won the local elections on an Indian National Congress (INC) party ticket. Being close to the Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he eventually rose to be Working President of the INC party in Haryana and was elevated to the Rajya Sabha in 2007.

Personal life and death

In 1966 Prakash married SM. Vijay Kumari, and had two sons by his marriage. He lived mostly in Kurukshetra, Haryana, and also at New Delhi.

Ram Prakash died on 13 December 2023, at the age of 84.[https://www.ptinews.com/news/national/former-haryana-congress-chief-ram-prakash-passes-away/706048.html Former Haryana Congress chief Ram Prakash passes away]

Positions held

class="wikitable"
YearPositionParty/Organisation
1991–1996M.L.A, ThanesarINC
1991–1993State Minister for Science, Technology and ElectronicsINC
2005Working President, Haryana Pradesh Congress CommitteeINC
2007–2008Member of Parliament, Rajya SabhaINC
2007 – presentMember, Committee on Rural DevelopmentINC
2008Member, Committee on External Affairs MemberINC
2008 – 2014Re-Elected as M.P., Rajya SabhaINC
2010Member, Committee on Official LanguageINC

References