Bhartruhari backs Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s proposal for Ravenshaw University name change
BHUBANESWAR: Bhartruhari Mahtab, the BJP Lok Sabha from Cuttack, on Friday expressed support for Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s proposal to rename the 156-year-old Ravenshaw University, located in Cuttack, Odisha.
Participating in a seminar on “Na’Anka Durbiksha and Thomas Edward Ravenshaw,” the veteran parliamentarian argued that it was time to reconsider the institution’s name, which currently honours British administrator Thomas Edward Ravenshaw.
Ravenshaw served as the Revenue Commissioner of Orissa Division (modern Odisha) from 1865 to 1878 and was in office during the catastrophic Na’ Anka Famine of 1866 (also known as the Great Orissa Famine 1866) , in which around three million people perished. The famine is widely attributed to British administrative failures, including those of Ravenshaw.
Mahtab recalled that demands to rename Ravenshaw College (now a university) date back to 1949, following the merger of princely states to form the greater Odisha province. He pointed out that numerous student organisations had previously staged protests advocating for the name change and that the issue had even been raised in the Odisha Legislative Assembly during the tenure of then-Education Minister Pandit Lingaraj Mishra.
“Why should an institution, funded by the people of Odisha, bear the name of a British officer?” Mahtab questioned, further asking whether any educational institutions abroad have been named after an Odia figure.
“It has been 77 years since India gained independence. Yet the demand to rename this institution, first raised in 1949, persists. Discussions were held in the Odisha Legislative Assembly when Pandit Lingaraj Mishra was education minister, and students and political leaders alike supported the call for change,” Mahtab said.
Reflecting on recent debates surrounding the name change, Mahtab expressed frustration over the direction of the discussion. “The Union minister invited us to deliberate on this issue. But instead of engaging in thoughtful discourse, we are witnessing personal attacks. Have we lost our capacity for intellectual debate?”
Eminent litterateur Haraprasad Das also voiced his support for the renaming of the university, proposing that it be named after Gajapati Kapilendra Deba, a ruler who is celebrated for shaping the identity of Odias and Odisha. "The renaming can happen if the Odisha government wills it," Das remarked.
BJD leader Sudhir Samal weighed in, acknowledging the significance of the current name but suggesting that the debate be allowed to continue. “For those who have passed from Ravenshaw or are studying there now, the name Ravenshaw is their identity. The Union minister initiated this discussion, so let it proceed.”
On the other hand, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati criticised both the BJP and BJD for politicising the name change issue. “We should be discussing unemployment, development, and corruption, but instead, we’re stuck debating the name of Ravenshaw. Those who have studied at Ravenshaw will never accept this,” Bahinipati said.
The proposal to rename Ravenshaw University continues to spark debate across political and academic circles, with the conversation touching on broader themes of history, identity, and legacy in post-colonial India.
