Ved Prakash Nanda Explained

Ved Prakash Nanda
Birth Date:20 November 1934

Ved Prakash Nanda (November 20, 1934 – January 1, 2024) was an Indian-American academic who received the Padma Bhushan award on 20 March 2018 in the field of literature and education.[1] [2]

Early Life

He was born in 1934 in Gujranwala in undivided India, now in Pakistan. During the patition, he and his family migrated to the Punjab state in India.[3] He obtained an M.A. in Economics from Punjab University, a Law degree from Delhi University,and then an LLM from Northwestern University in USA with postgraduate fellowship work at the Yale University.

Professional Career

Nanda was a professor of International Law at the University of Denver, Colorado, where he served for 50 years. He was Past President of the World Jurist Association and later its Honorary President, honorary Vice President of the American Society of International Law and later its counselor, and a member of the advisory council of the United States Institute of Human Rights. In 2006 Professor Nanda was honored with a $1 million founding gift from DU alumni Doug and Mary Scrivner to launch the Ved Nanda Center for International and Comparative Law. The Center began its programming in 2007, hosting programs for the lawyers, students, and community participants as well as promoting scholarship in the field of international law. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Hindu University of America. He was widely published, having authored or co-authored 24 books in various fields of international law. Prof. Ved Nanda also received a number of awards including the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award for Community Peace Building. His writing addressed self-determination,[4] International Law regarded interventions,[5] and environmental policies.

He was the Sanghachalak (President) of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA, Chairman of the Board of Hindu University of America [6] and a founder of the Hindu Temple of Denver.[7]

Lagacy

Nanda died on 1 January 2024 following a fall at his home.[8] [9]

He married his wife Katherine Kunz, JD, in 1982, who passed away on August 28, 2023.[10] They are survived by their daughter Anjali and granddaughters, Sena and Gigi.

Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state for President George W. Bush, was a former student of Prof. Nanda. She had kept in touch with him.[11] In the U.S. Congress in 2017, Rep. Mike Coffman commented that his work has inspired a countless number of students to become a part of the conversation on Human Rights and International issues.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Padma Bhushan Awardees 2018 . padmaawards.gov.in . 3 January 2024.
  2. Web site: Legal Scholar Prof. Ved Prakash Nanda Gets Padma Bhushan . 25 January 2018 . livelaw.in . 3 January 2024.
  3. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/07/ved-nanda-death-peace-university-of-denver-post/ After more than 30 years, Ved Nanda’s voice in The Post falls silent, The DEnver Post, June 29th 2024
  4. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/abs/selfdetermination-in-international-law-the-tragic-tale-of-two-citiesislamabad-west-pakistan-and-dacca-east-pakistan/CB116A9A39F623763967E4016A214168 Nanda VP. Self–Determination in International Law: The Tragic Tale of Two Cities–Islamabad (West Pakistan) and Dacca (East Pakistan). American Journal of International Law. 1972;66(2):321-336. doi:10.2307/2199032
  5. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/denilp20&div=23&id=&page= Tragedies in Northern Iraq, Liberia, Yugoslavia, and Haiti - Revisiting the Validity of Humanitarian Intervention under International Law - Part I, 1991
  6. https://www.hssus.org/2024/01/02/hss-mourns-passing-of-prof-ved-nanda/ HSS mourns passing of Prof. Ved Nanda, Vikas Deshpande January 2, 2024
  7. https://denverite.com/2021/11/04/members-of-the-hindu-temple-of-the-rockies-finally-get-to-celebrate-diwali-together-again/ Members of the Hindu Temple of the Rockies finally get to celebrate Diwali together again, Denverite, Nov. 04, 2021
  8. News: Prof Ved Prakash Nanda passes away in US, PM offers condolences . 2 January 2024 . . 2 January 2024.
  9. Web site: Ved Prakash Nanda Passes Away . Kalyan . Viswanathan . 2 January 2024 . indiawest.com . 3 January 2024.
  10. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/denverpost/name/katharine-nanda-obituary?id=53005719 Katharine Nanda Obituary
  11. https://www.denverpost.com/2010/08/27/rice-receives-outstanding-alumna-award-from-du-school-of-international-studies/ Rice receives outstanding alumna award from DU school of international studies, Denver Post,JOEY BUNCH, August 27, 2010
  12. https://americankahani.com/community/remembering-human-rights-champion-and-legal-scholar-ved-nanda-who-passed-away-on-new-year-day/ Remembering Human Rights Champion and Legal Scholar Ved Nanda Who Passed Away on New Year’s Day, Anil Kothari, American Kahani, JANUARY 4, 202