Maddela Abel

Maddela Abel (30 December 1923 – 27 November 2012) was an Indian political scientist. He was a prominent educationist, well known among University circles[7] for his administration[8] and served as Principal of Madras Christian College (1978–1981) and Vice Chancellor of Sri Krishnadevaraya University (1981–87).

Professor

Maddela Abel

Ph. D. (California)
Prof. Abel in 2006, Hyderabad, India
Born(1923-12-30)30 December 1923[1]
Pedda Vangali, Chagalamarri Mandal, Kurnool district (Andhra Pradesh)[1]
Died27 November 2012(2012-11-27) (aged 88)
NationalityIndian
Other namesAbel Ayyagaru
OccupationTeaching
Years active1950-2012
Known forPolitical Science[1]
TitleProfessor
Board member of
Children
  • Dharmaraj Abel,[3]
  • Kalavathy Abel-Rajkumar,[3]
  • Deepthi Abel-Sukumar,[3]
  • Rekha Abel[3]
Academic background
Education
Alma mater
ThesisAmerican Economic and Technical Aid Programs in India, 1950-1961 (1963[4])
Doctoral advisorH. Arthur Steiner[4]
Academic work
Institutions
Notable ideasRevival of University administration[6]

Early life and education

Abel was born in Pedda Vangali, a village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh (AP). He studied BA in Andhra Christian College (1945–48), and MA in Madras Christian College (1948–50). After teaching for several years at Madras Christian College (MCC), he went to University of California, Los Angeles on a Fulbright/Smith-Mundt Scholarship, earning a PhD in international relations in 1963.[9] A member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, he received the Danforth Foundation Fellowship in 1960 and was also named "best foreign student."

Career

Abel was Professor of Political Science in MCC from 1950, and Principal of MCC, 1978-81. The Government of AP then invited him to be the first Vice-Chancellor of Sri Krishnadevaraya University (1981–87). Thereafter, he served as the first Vice-Chairman of AP State Council of Higher Education (1987–88).

He was an Executive Member of National Council of Churches in India, Executive Member of the Church of South India (CSI) Synod, and the President of the Christian Literature Society (CLS). CSI commissioned Abel to study the life, service and witness of the church. The outcome was the report, The Church of South India after Thirty Years. Report of the Abel Commission (CLS, 1978). It spoke of several reforms the Church in India needed to undertake.[10]

Abel was awarded DLitt by Sri Krishnadevaraya University in 2005.

Writings

Apart from several Endowment Lectures, Abel also published numerous articles and several books. His articles deal with the areas of political administration, ideologies, economic development, subaltern studies, Dalit concerns, Christian higher education, and church administration.

In books
  • Abel, M. (1957). March to Freedom. Royal and Co.
  • Abel, M. (1969). My Country, My People. National Council of Churches in India and Christian Literature Society.
  • Abel, M. (1970). Intelligent Citizens Handbook of Government and Politics of India. Christian Literature Society.
  • Abel, M. (1978). The Church of South India after Thirty Years. Christian Literature Society.
  • Abel, M. (1993). Liberation in Christ. Christian Literature Society.
  • Abel, M. (1994). Amrutha Vani. Christian Literature Society.
  • Abel, M. (2000). Peace and Value Education for Schools: A Teacher's Manual. Dharma Bharathi.
  • Abel, M. (2004). A Handbook on College Administration. Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Institute of Public Affairs.
  • Abel, M. (2005). Glimpses Of Indian National Movement. ICFAI Books. ISBN 81-7881-420-X.
  • Abel, M. (2006). Remade in India: Political Modernization in the Indian Context. ICFAI Books. ISBN 81-314-0478-1.
  • Abel, M. (2013). God and Government: Sermons on Society and Spirituality. Chennai: The Christian Literature Society.

In journals

See also

References
  1. Andy Silveira on Abel, Maddela in Anand Amaladass (Edited), Indian Christian Thinkers, Volume 2, Satya Nilayam Publications, Chennai, 2006, pp.1-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=I9JAAQAAIAAJ&q=pedda+vangali
  2. National Council of Churches Review, Volume 103, 1983, p.458. https://books.google.com/books?id=6_3YAAAAMAAJ&q=abel
  3. M. Abel, Glimpses Of Indian National Movement, ICFAI Books, Hyderabad, 2005. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ox3WE2GCbNAC&lpg=PA301&q=icfai+books+abel+rekha
  4. Dissertation Abstracts, Volume 24, 1964, p.5508. https://books.google.com/books?id=I0scAQAAMAAJ&q=maddela+abel+california
  5. T. Craig, E. A. Archer (Compiled), Commonwealth Universities Handbook 1987, Association of Commonwealth Universities, 1987, p.vi. https://books.google.com/books?id=fkolAQAAIAAJ&q=sri+krishnadevaraya+university+abel
  6. Bulletin of Madras Institute of Development Studies, Volume 4, 1974, p.51. https://books.google.com/books?id=YrcxAAAAMAAJ&q=abel+committee+university+india
  7. Economic and Political Weekly, Volume 23, Issue 3, 1988, p.1615. https://books.google.com/books?id=ebIXAQAAMAAJ&q=abel
  8. Report of the UGC Committee Towards New Educational Management, 1990.
  9. Winston W. Crouch (Compiled), A History of the Department of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 1920-1987, The Department of Political Science, Los Angeles, June 1987, p.76.
  10. K. C. Abraham, CSI after sixty years

Further reading


  1. Ravi Bhushan (Compiled), Reference India, Volume 2, 1993, p.537
  2. Joshua Kalapati, Ambrose Jeyasekaran T., Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College 1837-1978, Self-published by the Authors, Chennai, 2010, p.337.
  3. Commonwealth Universities Yearbook, Association of Commonwealth Universities, London, 1985, p.1752.
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