Lokesh Chandra appointed as Chairman of India Council for Cultural Relations

Lokesh Chandra was appointed as chairman of India Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on 27 October 2014. He was appointed by the President Pranab Mukherjee for a term of three years.

Chandra replaced Congress leader Karan Singh who resigned from office on 18 August 2014.  Before this appointment, he was the Honorary Director of the International Academy of Indian Culture, a premier research institution for Asian cultures.

About Lokesh Chandra
• Chandra was born in Ambala in Haryana in 1927.
• He pursued his Master's Degree (MA) from the Punjab University in 1947.
• He is a polyglot and is fluent in 16 languages (Pali, Avesta, Old Persian, Japanese, Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Indonesian, Greek, Latin, German, French and Russian besides Hindi, Sanskrit and English).
• Earlier, he served as Chairman of Indian Council for Historical Research and Vice President of ICCR.
• He was a Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha for two terms (1974 and 1980).     
• His major work is the study of cultural interflow between India and other countries.
• He has written on a variety of areas including on arts, histories and literatures of the Buryatia in Siberia, Mongolia, Central Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia and Indonesia.    
• His major works are Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary, Materials for a History of Tibetan Literature.
• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2006 in recognition to his contributions to academic life and public discourse.     
• Chandra's major work is the study of cultural interflow between India and other countries.        
• He has written on a variety of areas including on arts, histories and literatures of the Buryatia in Siberia, Mongolia, Central Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia and Indonesia.    

About India Council for Cultural Relations
The India Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was founded in 1950.
Objectives
• To participate actively in formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India's external cultural relations
• To foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries
• To promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people
• To develop relations with national and international organizations in the field of culture