T. K. Nair
Professor T.K.Nair (T.Krishnan Nair) is a prominent social work educator and researcher. An active gerontologist, he pioneered community-based elder care services in India. A social activist, he was actively involved in working with the urban poor in Chennai. Human rights, transparent corporate social responsibility and sustainability are among his other interests. A popular teacher and mentor of many young persons, Nair has authored many books.
Early years and education
Born in 1936 at Tiruvattar village in the erstwhile Travancore state, Nair had his early education in his native village. He completed his bachelor's degree in Mathematics and master's degree in Statistics from Kerala University. But he opted Social Work as his career option and enrolled for the Postgraduate Course in Social Work at the Madras School of Social Work. His doctoral research in social work was on Community Care of the Elderly under the research guidance of Prof. K.V.Ramana at Andhra University. His dissertation for PhD was adjudged the best in humanities and social sciences including social work for the previous 27 months, and he was awarded the Gold Medal in recognition of that by the Andhra University.
Employment history
Unlike his classmates, who were keen to get into positions as Personnel Management executives in companies, Nair was keen to be a social work teacher. His first assignment was in the Indian Institute of Population Studies at Madras. In March 1964, he moved over to the Department of Anthropology and Social Work, Karnataka University, at Dharwar as Research Officer of a study on Social Welfare Activities in Hubli-Dharwar .Prof. L.K. Mahapatra and Prof. H.M.Marulasiddaiah were the Honorary Directors of the study. Nair drafted the Report which was published as a book " Contours of Social Welfare " by Karnataka University. In September 1967, he joined his alma mater Madras School of Social Work first as Principal Investigator of a major research project and subsequently as a member of the Faculty. He retired from the service of MSSW in August 1994. He was a Professor of social work and Principal at the MSSW. He taught Social Research Methodology, Community Organization, and Human Resources & Industrial Relations. He made teaching-learning a process of fun .The tough subjects of Research Methodology and Statistics were "made musical "( in the words of one of his students) by Nair. He was also Head of the Research Unit at the Madras School of Social Work for many years.
Research and consultancy
Nair conducted many studies and offered consultancy to many research scholars, organizations, and international agencies.Notable among his studies are three studies on ageing. The first study was on Old People in Madras city sponsored by the U.S. Govt. This was followed by another major study of older people in rural Tamil Nadu covering 200 villages spread across the state. This study was the first such effort in India (observed Late Dr.Malcolm Adiseshaiah, former Deputy Director General of UNESCO) and it was also funded by the US Govt.The third study was again on the elderly in Chennai city sponsored by the International Sandoz Foundation for Gerontological Research.
The other major studies conducted by Nair are Peasant Organizations in Pondicherry (sponsored by Food and Agricultural Organisation), Development of an Integrated Plan of Action for Children and Youth in Madras based on a city-level survey of the urban poor (sponsored by UNICEF), Social Welfare Manpower in Tamil Nadu AND Level of Development of Social Welfare in Tamil Nadu ( both sponsored by the Govt of India), Bonded Labour in Kalrayan Hills (sponsored by the Govt of Tamil Nadu), and Field Instruction in Schools of Social Work (sponsored by ASSWI).
Nair was invited by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1969 to study the services for the elderly in the different cities in the USA under the Interchange of Experts and Scientists Programme. Subsequently he visited many countries to participate in international seminars on ageing or social work. In 1988, he was invited to be a part of a small inter-country panel on " Coming of Age " to discuss different issues related to ageing at London which was telecast by Channel 4 for the global audience. He provided critical consultancy to many international development agencies. He was also a part of the doctoral committees of US Universities.
Contribution to profession
Nair's contribution to social work profession in India has been immense. Elected General Secretary of the Association of Schools of Social Work in India (ASSWI) in 1977, Nair, along with Prof.K.V.Ramana (President), made ASSWI a vibrant organization of social work education. The period from 1978 January to April 1982 was rated the finest period of ASSWI. During this period a permanent office was set up for the ASSWI, an Executive Secretary was appointed, govt of India funding was ensured on an increasing scale,many faculty & curriculum development workshops on poverty and development issues were organized, and various publications were brought out including a quarterly Social Work Educator. Mahatma Gandhi Award for creative literature in social work was introduced. In collaboration with the UNSWDCAP, a national workshop and a sub-regional workshop (India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) for social work teachers on development of indigenous teaching materials were organised with funding support from the UN body; Nair and Dr.Frances Yasas of UN were the co-ordinators.
Pioneering community-based elder care
At a time when homes for the aged were the only form of care for the elderly in India, Nair pioneered community-based elder care services under the auspices of the Centre for the Welfare of the Aged (CEWA) founded by him in 1979. In collaboration with Helpage India, CEWA initiated day centres for the elderly, skill development and self-employment, financial support for family care, geriatric social work in Govt hospital, and family counselling to help improve the quality of life of the elderly and their independence. CEWA has also been functioning as a centre for elder care training, training of elder care volunteers, organising workshops for NGOs, studies and evaluation, and publications. It has been active in advocacy for the cause of the elderly. CEWA has published the First National Directory of Organizations caring for the elderly in 1982, which was revised in 1989 and 1995. CEWA was invited by the UNESCAP for two international consultations on ageing.
Other major contributions
Nair was a co-founder of the Centre for Development, Madras (CEDMA) which worked actively for organising people living in low income families in the slums of Chennai. He is also a founder trustee of the highly active and popular human rights group Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation (HRF). He founded the Institute of Social Work and Research (ISWAR) in 1995 which has been offering CSR and Development consultancy to corporate bodies and NGOs, besides bringing out books. Nair has been extending his service to young social entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations in many ways as a mentor. Nair has been invited to be the Research Consultant and Mentor of the Global Centre for the Study of Sustainable Futures and Spirituality (GCSSFS).
Publications
Nair is a prolific writer and his major books are as follows
1.Social Work Profession in India:An Uncertain Future (Niruta Publications)
2.Social Welfare Manpower :A Study in Tamil Nadu (Concept Publishing)
3.Social Work Education and Social Work Practice in India (ASSWI)
4.Social Work Education and Development of Weaker Sections (ASSWI)
5.Training Social Workers for Rural Development (ASSWI)
6.Old People in Madras City (MSSW)
7.Older People in Rural Tamil Nadu (Niruta Publications)
8.Ageing and Welfare of the Elderly in India (CEWA)
9.Ageing in an Indian City (Eeswaar books)
10. Old Age in an Indifferent Society (Niruta Publications)
He has contributed many articles on different subjects. The most widely read articles: Silent Killer of Minds, The Hindu, September 21, 2008 which is available online
Social Work in India:A Semi-profession in Social Work Foot Prints www.socialworkfootprints.org
T.K.Nair is on :Library of Congress Authority File (English) Virtual International Authority File