Bhubaneswar : The Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to change the name of the iconic Ravenshaw University at Cuttack has triggered a war of words between the ruling BJP in Odisha and the Opposition. The controversy erupted following Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s statement that there should be a debate over the need to change the name of the institution named after Thomas Edward Ravenshaw who was the commissioner of the Odisha division in 1868 when the Ravenshaw collegiate school which was later upgraded into a college and then into a full-fledged university a few years ago, was established.
“The people of Odisha as well as intellectuals should ponder upon the fact that, whether we need an institute named after Ravenshaw Saheb during whose tenure the ‘Na’ Anka Durbhikshya (devastating famine in 1866) occurred in Odisha. What did the administrative officials do during the famine in Odisha? Is the person who was helpful in tormenting Odia people a matter of pride for us?” Pradhan had said while making it clear that it was his personal opinion.
However, his remark invited a verbal attack on him and his party from Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the main opposition party, as well as the Congress. Launching a scathing attack on Pradhan over the issue, BJD leader Lenin Mohanty said Ravenshaw University is a pride for each and every Odia.He said that Union Minister Pradhan should have read a little bit of history before linking ‘Na Anka Durbhikhsya’ (1866 Famine) to the university.
The BJP also targeted the BJD, saying that the latter was earlier advocating for non-Odia administrative officers while now it was raising its voice in support of a ‘murderer’ British officer. On the other hand Congress leader Smruti Ranjan Lenka accused Union Minister Pradhan of engaging in cheap politics and said that the BJP government was trying to evade its actual duty and responsibility by highlighting irrelevant issues instead of paying attention to the increase in the qualitative value of the education system.
Ravenshaw University boasts a rich academic legacy with illustrious alums including former Chief Ministers Harekrushna Mahatab, Nandini Satpathy, Biju Patnaik, noted historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar and former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India, Ranganath Mishra. Ravenshaw University was established in 1868 as a collegiate school and later converted to a full-fledged degree College in 1876 due to the efforts of Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, the then commissioner of the Odisha division.
During Ravenshaw’s tenure as the commissioner, the state witnessed a devastating famine in 1866, locally known as ‘Na Anka Durbhikhsya’. More than one-third of Odisha’s population was wiped out due to the dreadful famine of 1865-66.
Several eminent alumni of the state-run Ravenshaw College — which became a university in 2006 and celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2017 — have opposed the renaming one of the oldest and most iconic educational institutions in the country. Others have pointed out that Thomas Edward Ravenshaw made a significant contribution to Odisha by his promotion of higher education, and by advancing the cause of the Odia language.
Former Chief Ministers Harekrushna Mahtab, Biju Patnaik, and Nandini Satpathy, and former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray were students of Ravenshaw College at different times. Besides being the nerve centre of higher education, Ravenshaw College became a driving force in the civic and political life of Orissa. The literary movement of Sabuja Juga was heralded by the writings of young students of the college such as Annadashankar Roy, Kalindicharan Panigrahi, Baikunthanath Patnaik, Saratchandra Mukherjee, and Harihar Mahapatra. Ravenshaw College faculty often spoke at the Utkal Sahitya Samaj.
Sofia Firdous, a legislator from the opposition Congress party, said, “Ravenshaw is an emotion” for the people of Odisha. Instead of focusing on renaming the institution, she said, efforts should be made to enhance its status as a world-class university.
