Inaugural Address

Professor Rao, Professor Chitre, Mr. Sarangi, Dr. Chahande and friends. I feel a little embarrassed standing here to inaugurate this seminar. I have said this to Professor Chitre and I do not mind and, I trust, he would not mind my telling it to you. I wonder what could have led Professor Chitre to ask me, who has to my mind no particular qualification, to inaugurate the seminar. There are more knowledgeable and informed scholars on the subject present here who would have been more appropriate for the purpose. My major qualification is that I am an old student and employee of this Institute; but I do not know if that is an adequate ground for this invitation. I have of late been editing a journal that has recently brought out a very special number on Scheduled Castes in the states. But, I was not the editor of this particular issue of that journal. We had a very distinguished sociologist of our country who was the guest editor.