DU professor to be next head of Nehru Memorial Library

NEW DELHI: Modern India historian Mahesh Rangarajan of Delhi University would be the next director of the prestigious Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. He is slated to take over after the term of present director Mridula Mukherjee ends in August.
With Rangarajan's appointment, the controversy surrounding the change in recruitment rules would also end. NMML executive council had widened the eligibility criteria for the director's post.Earlier it was compulsory to be a historian of modern India that was changed to make social scientists also eligible for the post. "But by appointing a modern India historian all apprehensions have been laid to rest," a senior official said.
Rangarajan's appointment would also end the controversial tenure of Mukherjee that witnessed widespread allegations of mismanagement, illegal appointments on contract and severe indictment from Comptroller & Auditor General. Mukherjee also suspended deputy director N Balakrishnan. The suspension was revoked after a long court battle.
"Rangarajan would have to undertake a serious exercise to restore NMML to its earlier prestige. Staff morale is at all time low. The entire institution is being run by contract employees," one NMML official said.
Hindu College and Oxford alumnus, 47-year-old Rangarajan is a Rhodes scholar and a leading environment historian. A student of Balliol College in Oxford University, Rangarajan did his Ph.D under Tapan Raychaudhuri. Rangarajan, also former NMML fellow, is author of several books on environment like `Fencing the Forest, Conservation and Ecological Change in India's Central Provinces', 'India's Wildlife History: An Introduction', and several others. A popular face on news channels and a newspaper columnist, Rangarajan has also made a name for his insightful work on Indian elections and the political system.