Passing of American Prof who assisted in struggle for Free and Fair Elections

Jan 20, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

Dr. Ved Prakash Nanda, who worked with Guyanese to expose human right violations during the 1980s and early 1990s, and supported struggle for FFE passed away earlier this month following a fall. He worked with Ravi Dev, Ramesh Kalicharran of Essequibo, and myself through GOPIO to focus attention to the US Congress, the UN, and the global community on rights violations and rigged elections. We introduced him to Dr Cheddi Jagan who attended the GOPIO convention in August 1989, and Dr Jagan appealed to him to assist with the struggle for free and fair elections. He, like several other academics and activists, called for the restoration of democratic governance in Guyana. We accompanied him to the UN in August 1989 where he presented a petition calling for FFE in Guyana. Democratic elections were first held in Guyana in 2992.

Nanda did his undergraduate studies in Punjab and M.A. in Economics from Punjab University, a Law degree from Delhi University in India, LLM from Northwestern University, and subsequently postgraduate fellowship work from Yale University. Then he was appointed a full Professor in Denver. Prof Nanda taught American law, international law, and human rights for some five decades at the University of Denver before retiring. He became Chairman of the board of Hindu University America, a position he held for last six five years till his passing. He was recipient of India’s Padma Bhushan award, the highest civilian honour, in 2018 for his contributions to the Indian community in America, human rights in girmitya countries (where indentured laborers were sent), and to India.

I first met Prof. Ved Nanda Ji in 1987 when he came to New York for a meeting to help plan and organize the first global convention of people of Indian origin and sought his assistance on matters pertaining to human rights abuses in Guyana. He was very supportive. We met at several meetings and functions thereafter, and he was a feature speaker at the convention held at the Sheraton Center in August that year. He also chaired a plenary session where I spoke about human rights violations in Guyana. Ravi Dev also chaired a session and met Ved Nanda at the GOPIO convention and at subsequent conferences. We all became better acquainted. With our request and assistance, we supplied and he collated reports on human rights violations in Guyana. He was well connected with Members of Congress, and through his intervention some of them helped us in the struggle for free and fair elections in Guyana.

Essequibian born Kalicharran also met Nanda at the convention and follow up conferences interacting on Guyana. Both Ravi and I had the opportunity to work with Nanda on GOPIO conferences and human rights issues. His experience as a senior academic and his skills and reputation as a human rights advocate were invaluable to GOPIO and to our (and the diaspora) struggle for free and fair elections in Guyana and Fiji. Ravi and I collaborated with him in presenting information to write a report on human rights violations in Guyana and Fiji during the 1980s and early 1990s. That report was sent to the UN and to Members of Congress to apply pressure on the dictatorships of Guyana and Fiji to restore democratic rule. Democracy was restored in Guyana in October 1992 and in Fiji later that decade.

Nanda ji was tireless in pursuing justice and peace. He received several awards including the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award for Community Peace Building and the Hiroshima Peace Prize. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded his contributions to society. “It is impossible to capture in a few short paragraphs, the multi-dimensional contributions of Prof. Ved Nanda as a Professor of Law, a Champion of Human rights around the world”.

The Guyanese and Fijian diasporas in America are grateful for his attention and contributions to the struggle for free and fair elections in Guyana. Nanda’s voice for peace and advocacy for human rights will be dearly missed.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram

American, Free and Fair Elections, Ramesh Kalicharran of Essequibo, Ravi Dev, Vishnu Bisram

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