Phulbani: Noted scholar of tribal studies Raghunath Rath passed away at his residence in Baliguda in Kandhamal district on Monday. He was 77.
The final rites of the tribal activist were performed at the Swargadwar, Puri.
He was a Kui researcher and his passion was the study of the history, culture and traditions of the Kandhs.
He spent many years of his life with the Kandhs tribals.
He had travelled the length and breadth, or rather the hills, forests and hamlets of Kandhamal.
Rath had written many books. His book “The Kandhs and Kandhamal” is an important study in the history and culture of the region. He was the first scholar to translate and decipher the unique Kui riddles.
Rath had guided many scholars from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Sambalpur and Utkal Universities besides researchers from Oxford and Cambridge.
He had received many awards during his lifetime including the Sahitya Akademi and the Itihas Sankalan Samity Award.
In a noble gesture, Rath has willed his entire library comprising more than 5,000 rare books and journals to the National Archives of India.
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