India, Feb. 13 -- The conferment of Bharat Ratna to Nanaji Deshmukh is a great gift to academicians, professionals and students of social work discipline in India who have been celebrating his birth anniversary on October 11 as Indian Social Work Day or Bharatiya Samaj Karya Diwas and are dedicated to decolonising social work education in Indian universities.

Since time immemorial, Indian academicians have been working for the integrated and holistic development of society. Although termed in different typology, the ancient Indian academicians have developed various methodologies and models to engage with and address the concerns of society, from individual to family, community to nation and the whole world. They were the first to presen...