Centenary of Manmath Nath Das Celebrated at FMU Campus by Fakir Mohan University and Sahitya Akademi
Balasore, 15/5 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty) — Fakir Mohan University, in collaboration with the Sahitya Akademi, commemorated the birth centenary of the internationally acclaimed historian, litterateur, and distinguished educationist Manmath Nath Das at the FMU campus.
The event was inaugurated by Professor Santosh Kumar Tripathy, Vice-Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University. On this special occasion, Ranjita Das, daughter-in-law of Manmath Nath Das, attended as the Guest of Honour. In an emotional address, she expressed heartfelt gratitude to the university and the Akademi for jointly organizing such a respectful tribute to her late father-in-law, and acknowledged the significance of this commemorative gathering.
Dr. Gourahari Das, Convener of the Odia Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi, presided over the function and offered reflections on Das’s literary contributions. He highlighted the historical and philosophical essence of Das’s life, drawing attention to his body of work and personal insights through a scholarly address.
The keynote address was delivered by eminent historian Kharavela Mohanty, who presented many rare and valuable perspectives on the life and legacy of Manmath Nath Das. He described Das as a consummate teacher, humanist, historian, and literary figure—asserting that high-quality history cannot be written without the foundation of great literature. Mohanty elaborated on Das’s deep contributions to world history with philosophical clarity.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tripathy, in his address, described Manmath Nath Das as a towering figure—“a cosmic personality of the state, nation, and the world.” He referred to Das as a sunrise in the academic horizon and paid tribute to him as a man of unwavering dignity, fearlessness, and idealism.
The centenary celebration featured two thematic sessions. Scholars including Dash Benhur, Abhiram Biswal, Rudrani Mohanty, Sahadev Sahu, Ashok Pattnaik, Krushnachandra Pradhan, Laxmikant Tripathy, and Prahlad Singh participated and shared critical perspectives on the life, works, and multidimensional legacy of Manmath Nath Das.
In the inaugural session, Kshetrabasi Nayak, senior officer of Sahitya Akademi (Kolkata), delivered the welcome address. Professor Debashis Patra, Head of the Department of Language and Literature, conducted the session and offered the concluding vote of thanks.
In parallel with the celebration, a book exhibition and sale was organized at the FMU campus, featuring numerous publications by the Sahitya Akademi. At the close of the two academic sessions, Assistant Professors Dr. Jayanta Kumar Das and Dr. Prahlad Khila jointly extended their vote of thanks.
The centenary event, enriched with literary, historical, and academic insights, stood as a fitting homage to one of Odisha’s and India’s most illustrious intellectuals.
