In a predominantly religious society rarely one comes across a person who is an atheist and whose outlook and world view flows from atheism and whose excellence as a fine human being and a celebrated academic commands attention both at the national and international levels.
Dr Radhanath Rath who passed away in Bhubaneswar on 29th September, 2014 at the age of 97 was such a was such a rare person who distinguished himself as a pioneering researcher and professor of psychology in our country.
Born in a remote village in Ganjam district of Odisha he displayed his brilliance as a student and acquired his post graduate degree in philosophy from Patna University and successfully did his PhD from London University in 1949.
A persuasive and influential figure since the commencement of his academic career in early fifties he founded the first ever Department of Psychology in Odisha when he was teaching in the erstwhile Ravenshaw College.
It was a new and refreshing approach in giving the discipline of psychology a distinct identity in the academic domain of the State and thus taking it out from the discipline of philosophy within the scope of which psychology got merged for quite some time.
He is also hailed as the founding father of the first ever Department of Psychology in Utkal University which was recognized by the UGC in 1978 as the only Centre of Advance Studies and Research in Psychology in India. It constituted his crowning achievement enlisting the participation of numerous internationally acclaimed academics for study and research in psychology.
His manifold accomplishments celebrated atheism and robust humanism. With his critical faculty he evaluated the age-old ritualistic social tradition and looked at the hidebound attitude with skepticism. In spite of his non-acceptance of religious views and principles he was an exponent and practitioner of Yogic practices and Prayanama.
His long and academically fulfilling life could be attributed to his assiduous practice of Prayanama which is now being popularized among masses by so called spiritual Gurus.
Combining atheism and humanism he remained a role model of secularism and persuaded his students to worship books on the occasion of Sarsvati Puja and Ganesh Puja. It was an authentic expression of his secular outlook which is now needed to counter the rising cult of religious fundamentalism endangering our pluralistic heritage.
A versatile genius he displayed his literary skill and talent by authoring numerous Odia novels and making an impact as a much acclaimed litterateur. Conferment of Sahitya Academy Award on him brought out his role as a writer of an eminence.
A peep into his remarkable life reveals his many splendored accomplishments as an institution builder, organizer, voracious reader and above all a celebrated teacher and researcher.
He was the local secretary of the Indian Science Congress which was organized in Odisha in 1950s and which was inaugurated by none other than the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. A photograph of Dr Radhanath Rath with the Prime Minister Nehru occupies a pride of place in his house in Cuttack.
A man who was very passionate about life and lived his life fully and in substantial measure he remained engaged in academic activities and focused attention on social and economic problems of Odisha and applied his insights to address them for removing poverty and ensuring equality and equal opportunity for ordinary people.
It flowed from his humanism and concern for people who remained mired in poverty, illiteracy and backwardness. He edited an Odia journal called 'Samikshya' the sole purpose of which was to sensitize the people, civil society and the Government about problems of people and bring about progressive social change.
He reached out to prominent historians, political scientists, economists and sociologists from across the country and requested them to contribute articles to the Samikshya. It was a rare example of an approach to harness academic insights for the cause of upliftment of people to higher levels of material and educational advancement.
A few weeks back Prof Bipan Chandra, one of the finest historians of our time passed away. Prof. Radhanath Rath was in touch with him for getting articles for Samikshya and translating them to Odia for the benefit of large circle of readers in Odisha. One actually wonders at the vision of such a progressive and forward looking man who shaped his life by imbibing the ideals of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud.
A refreshingly modern man he was deeply influenced by liberal values and philosophy and, therefore, combined his academic excellence with some degree of social activism for removing backwardness of Odia society of that period. Generations to come would cherish his legacy and follow his footsteps.
Prof Manoranjan Mohanty who taught in Delhi University and who was closely associated with Prof. Radhanath Rath said, "Dr Radhanath Rath as Editor of Sammukhya and Rabi Dash the moving spirit, encouraged me to write regularly and collect articles from my Delhi colleagues- Bipin Chandra, Randhir Singh, K B Saxena. I translated their writings. A modern thinker who inspired two generations of Odisha intellectuals to think of transforming Odisha into a happy, egalitarian and prosperous society. Of course his professional achievements as a psychologist with international reputation are well known." Truly he was exceptional in every sense of the term.
In today's world when there is decline of values and some kind of despair in the academic community to address the challenges of an increasingly market driven economy and society we need to have the vision and the vitality so amply and courageously demonstrated by Dr Radhanath Rath during his long and eventful life. In his sad demise the country has lost an outstanding academic, a fine human being and an exemplary social activist. His legacy will endure and inspire generations to come.
# The author was OSD and Press Secretary to the late President of India Shri K.R.Narayanan and served as Director in the Prime Minister's Office. He is currently Joint Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The views expressed by the author are his personal views.
