Dr. Benudhar Pradhan Gandhian Par Excellence

Dr. Benudhar Pradhan

Gandhian Par Excellence

By Bikash Choudhury (Julu)

Benu Mamu entered my world from the bed time stories of my mother especially about his passion and devotion for academics. What I distinctly remember even after four decades is about an incident about Dr. Benudhar Pradhan’s school days. Once he got up late and was furious with her adoring mother for not wakening him up in time to catch the boat to reach school in time at the other end of the river “Luna”. Not to be undone, he simply clutched his Dhoti in one hand and Bastani in another and ran for the river embankment to catch the boat screaming at the boat man at the top of his voice. Eventually, he got on the boat to reach school on that day. His immense passion for academics and knowledge was our inspirational anecdote drilled in our head by my mother to follow his footsteps. He remained a very towering figure in our life. I had very close interaction with him while I was staying with him for a year in his C-17 Utkal University Campus residence at Vani Vihar. He was a man of simple habits and unaustentious life style. He was a novelty among his students as I came to know much later from my friends who were his students in Political Science Department at Vani Vihar; he was loved and much admired for his Gandhian way of life. He not only preached Gandhi; but, lived exactly the same way throughout his life. At that time he was the lone professor who wear coarse Khadi trouser and shirt for his classes in the PG department and in other private occasions he would wear simple Khadi Dhoti and Kurta. He used to get up sharp 4 am in the morning in all seasons and weather conditions and while in Bhubaneswar used to walk barefoot up to Baya Baba Matha for his daily Puja; in the Utkal University Campus people seen to adjust their watch in the morning seeing him. I was privy to this as he used to unfailingly give a knock at my door to get up and prepare for my exams. In his life time he never ever owns an automobile and prefers to walk the city with an umbrella or use the public transport. He was the original Aam Admi who never liked flaunt his knowledge or position. His passion for knowledge was infectious and his collection of books & periodicals fit for a state library. I was the only one who loved to use his chamber in his absence as I always felt a charm and serenity in that four walls which I have not discovered anywhere else; and,  used to devour his carefully archived “Illustrated Weekly” & “Mainstream” magazines of older times; as I later inherited his love for books and periodicals. His book collection gives a glimpse of his interest and taste. After retirement from Utkal University he pooled his all the earnings of his life time to start a Gandhi Research Institute at Wardha.in Maharashtra. He dedicated his entire life for a higher cause; which many times family members & ordinary souls fail to comprehend. I have not seen Gandhi Ji walking this earth; but, I have seen a Gandhi in life and blood in Dr. Benudhar Pradhan; who was my maternal uncle and with whom I had many differences as an impetuous young man; but, I always felt his love and affection, which I would fondly cherish throughout my life.