Radhanath Ray

Radhanath Ray (28 September 1848 – 17 April 1908) was an Odia writer of initial modernity era
in Odia poetry during the later part of nineteenth century. He was born in a Zamindar family in
Baleshwar (Bengal Presidency), now in Odisha, and is honoured in Odia literature with the title
Kabibara (transl. Poet Boon).[1][2] In his early life, he composed in both Odia and Bengali
languages, but later he shifted his writings in Odia only. He was born on 28 September 1848, at
Kedarpur village in Baleswar district, Odisha. He has contributed verses and poetry for Odia
literature in the nineteenth century.

Role in the Odia language

Though the medieval Odia literature was rich and distinct literary tradition and history, some of
the Bengali educationalists wanted to abolish Odia language as the medium of teaching from
schools. As Bengal was under by British rule much before Odisha, the Bengalis had the privilege
to motivate the Anglicist scholars to prove Odia as a branch of Bengali language. However, John
Beams, a British officer of East India Company first tried to prove that Odia is more ancient
language than Bengali, and it had a richer literature which Bengali had not. In the Odisha division,
there were only seven Odia School teachers; Bengalis formed the majority of teachers, even in
the remote areas. Consequently, Bengali text books were prescribed for Odia students. At that
time, Radhanath was one of prime figure along with Fakir Mohan Senapati, who fought against
the expansionism of Bengali educationalist to eradicate Odia language from Odisha. He was the
Inspector of Odisha Schools Association and along with Fakir Mohan Senapati and Madhusudan
Rao, he tried to promote text book writings.
Radhanath Ray is a respectable person he
wrote his Odia poetry very light and clean. Kabibara

Radhanath Ray
Major works
Radhanatha Ray's first major work was
Kabitabali, a collection of poems in Bengali
written at the age of eighteen. It featured in
most of the major newspapers and journals in
Kolkatta during that time. His other Bengali
poem was Lekhabali. Later, he switched over
to Odia language, and wrote famous Kavyas
like Kedara Gauri, Nandikeshwari, Chilika,
Mahajatra – Jajatikeshari, Tulasistabaka, Portrait of
Urbashi, Darabara, Dasaratha Biyoga, Savitri
Charita and Mahendra Giri. Additionally, he Radhanath Ray
wrote more than fifteen essays. Apart from
his original works, he is also known for his Born 28
translations and adaptations from the Latin
Literature. They include Usha, Chandrabhaga September
and Parbati.[3][4]
1848
Kedarpur,
Father of Odia Baleswar,
Modernism British
India (now
His writings were inspired by many English Odisha,
Littérateurs like Keats, Scott and Wordsworth.
He has contributed to Odia poetry by India)
introducing new forms. He has penned blank-
verses,[4] satire inspired by writings of Dryden Died 17 April
and Alexander Pope, denunciation of despots,
tyrants and oppressors, concern with social
1908
problems, a spirit of protest against (aged 59)
conventional morality, a disbelief in the power
of gods and goddesses, and patriotic
Occupation Inspecto
sentiments, which finally brought him trouble
from his employers. He was viewed as a of
national poet of the first order in Odisha.[5]
School
Controversy Language Odia
Nationality Indian
Though Radhanatha contributed a lot to Odia
literature, however he was not accepted by the Genre Poet,
contemporary conservative readers of his
time. Soon, he was dragged into a novelist,
controversy. Sudhala Dev, the then king of
Bamanda awarded the poet the title 'Kabibara', short-story
and the gesture made some of the critics and
poets jealous. Some critics wrote that Kabi
writer,
Samrat Upendra Bhanja is more powerful than essayist,
Radhanatha, and these arguments turned into
a serious topic of controversy like modernity playwright,
versus tradition. Two of the literary journals
The Indradhanu and The Bijuli engaged in this
educationist,
controversy, and later all the intellectuals got
cultural
entangled in this discussion. However, this
literary controversy ended with a letter of relativist,
Radhanath.[6]
orator, song-
writer.
 Notable Kedara
See also works Gauri,
Chilika
Odia literature Spouse Parasamani
Odia language

References

1. Mohanty, J. (2009). Encyclopaedia of

Education, Culture and Children's Literature:
v. 3. Indian culture and education (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=3T2Ph_SmjtoC
&pg=PA119) . Deep & Deep Publications.
p. 119. ISBN 978-81-8450-150-6. Retrieved
2019-12-04.

2. "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics,

News, Finance, Sports & Videos" (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20091026212111/htt
 p://www.geocities.com/varnamala/editoria
l.html) . Archived from the original on
October 26, 2009. Retrieved 2007-12-25.,
accessed 25 December 2007

3. "Radhanath Ray in India" (http://www.india

9.com/i9show/Radhanath-Ray-50885.ht
m) . www.india9.com. Retrieved
25 December 2007.

4. Mahapatra, B.P.; Kloss, H.; McConnell, G.D.;

India. Office of the Registrar General
(1989). Constitutional languages (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=yU8nq-C6wno
C&pg=PA391) . The Written Languages of
the World: A Survey of the Degree and
Modes of Use. India. Presses de l'Université
Laval. p. 391. ISBN 978-2-7637-7186-1.
Retrieved 2019-12-04.
 5. Mayadhar, Mansingha :History of Oriya
Literature : Sahitya Akademy, Delhi

6. History of Oriya Literature by Dr. Natabar

Samanta Ray)

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