ISSN 0970-8669 Review

Ravenshaw is celebrating its sesquicentennial was then affiliated to the Calcutta University. The anniversary during this year from 20th January 2017 Maharaja donated Rs. 20,000/- which practically to 19th January 2018. There was a time when fulfilled all the requirements of the College. On every educated Odia used to take pride the suggestion of the Maharaja, the college was addressing himself a Ravenshawvian. The history named after Commissioner Ravenshaw Sahib, in of Ravenshaw is interlinked with the growth of order to commemorate his services to the cause Renaissance in 19th and 20th century Odisha. of . At that time Mr. Samuel Ager was appointed as the first Principal of It was established in 1868, in the Ravenshaw College with student strength of 19 aftermath of a great famine of Odisha known as only on the rolls. The College was later shifted to ‘NAANKA DURBHIKHYA’. Thomas Edward its present magnificent red mansion within a Ravenshaw, the Commissioner of Odisha, had sprawling campus of 87.4 acres at the outskirt of initiated the establishment of this college with a town in 1921. The foundation stone of view to promoting higher education in Odisha. It the present building was laid by Sir Edward Gate, the Governor of Odisha in 1919. When in 1921

Sesquicentennial Ravenshaw : A Living Movement of Modern Odisha

Prof. Ananta Charan Sahu

the College was housed in the new building. was initially started as an intermediate college Maharaja Purnachandra Bhanj Deo of named Cuttack College’, within the campus of Mayurbhanj donated Rs.1,00,000/- towards the Cuttack Zilla School, with only six students on its expenses of electrification and other equipment roll, now known as Ravenshaw Collegiate School. of science laboratories. Sri Rajendra Narayan In January 1875, Commissioner Ravenshaw Bhanj Deo, the Raja of Kanika, donated Sahib converted it into a full-fledged degree college Rs.55,000/- towards the construction of a library with the recommendation of Mr. H. Woodrow, building known as ‘Kanika Library’. The said the DPI of : as Odisha was at that time a Kanika Library was later merged with the part of Bengal Presidency. centenary Library inaugurated by Hon’ble Triguna Sen, the then Education Minister of Independent With the financial support and patronage . of Sri Krishna Chandra Bhanja Deo, the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj, the intermediate college Some of the celebrated faculty members was converted into a full-fledged degree college, in the teaching staff of this college were Sir bearing the name ‘Cuttack College’, in 1876. It Jadunath Sarcar (1918), Professor of History; R.P.

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Khosla, Professor of Economics; Ross Masood, Ravenshaw had come to the forefront of Acharya Jogesh Chandra Bidyanidhi, the freedom movement when on 26th January Pranakrushna Parija, Balabhadra Prasad, P. 1930, in response to the call of Mahatma Gandhi, Sundaram, Artaballabh Mohanty and Krushna its students celebrated the Independence Day. In Chandra Panigrahi etc; to mention a few. By 1942 in response to the call of Mahatma Gandhi 1922, the sanctioned strength of teaching staff had for ‘Quit India Movement’, many students of reached 31, out of which 13 were from Indian Ravenshaw College left their studies and joined Education Service, 2 were Europeans and the rest the freedom struggle. Banamali Pattnaik, Biren were from Provincial Education Service. Mitra, Banka Bihari Das, Ashok Das, Bibhudendra Mishra, Surajmal Saha and Odisha became a separate province on Mathurananda Sahu, to name a few were among 1st April 1936, but the College continued to remain the freedom fighters, who were arrested under affiliated to the Patna University until the the Defence of India Act and interned within the establishment of in 1943. Berhampur Central Jail of Odisha as security Godavarish Mishra, the first Education Minister prisoners. of Modern Odisha, introduced the Utkal th University Bill and got it passed on 30th June 1943 On 20 July 1937 the Odisha Assembly and the University came into existence on 27th started functioning within the main hall of November 1943. But there was no campus to Ravenshaw College, now known as Heritage Hall. accommodate the new University. Thus the Utkal On the occasion of diamond jubilee celebration University was made to function within the campus of Ravenshaw College, the then Principal Mr. of Ravenshaw College for about two decades, H.R. Batheja observed “We have at last a temple of learning, fair to look on, stately in proportions, until it was shifted to its new campus at Vani Vihar, which compares not unfavourably with the only Bhubaneswar on 2nd January 1963. Never did other temple; the temple of Lord Jagannath, for the Education Minister think of converting which Odisha is known all over India; the two Ravenshaw College into a University, visualising monuments represent Odisha to the outside the importance of its long standing history, heritage world” and are source of justice and pride to and contributions. Some of the illustrious sons of every Odia.". Odisha like Utkalmani , Janakinath Bose (father of Netaji Subhas), In due recognition to the distinguished Biswanath Dash, Pandit Godavarish Mishra, national character of this institution, the Indian Acharya Harihar Das, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Science Congress was held for the first time in Bhubanananda Das, , Odisha within the campus of Ravenshaw College Nabakrushna Choudhury, , Mrs. in 1962. This College was awarded the rare Nandini Satapathy, Janaki Ballabh Patnaik were honour and unique distinction through the issue among the alumni to name a few. Eminent of commemorative postage stamp by the litterateurs like Annada Sankar Ray, Kalandi Government of India in 1978. The College was Charan Panigrahi, , Surendra the first in Odisha to be accorded autonomous Mohanty, Sachi Routray etc. were also illustrious status by the U.G.C. in 1989-90. Dr. Ananta alumni of this institution. Charan Sahu was selected to be appointed as

NOVEMBER - 2018 95 ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review the first Principal of the Autonomous College in autonomous colleges. The quantity has swallowed 1990. At that time the College had 20 teaching up the quality of higher education. departments out of which 12 Departments provided post-graduate teaching. I take pride in associating myself as one of its alumni, a faculty member and a former Head At the time of its birth in 1868, of this institution. On the occasion of its Ravenshaw was the only seat of collegiate higher sesquicentennial anniversary, let us hope and strive education in Odisha. There is a sea-change during to convert this unique citadel of learning into a the span of 150 years. Now in 2017 the statistics centre of excellence. of collegiate education indicate that Odisha has about 26 Universities including the institutes of technical, vocational and medical education. The Prof. Ananta Charan Sahu, Retd. Principal, Ravenshaw State has about 565 degree colleges both in the (Autonomous) College, 569, Netaji Nagar, Shelter private and government sectors including the Chhak, Cuttack-753008

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