Cuttack: “Mukam Karoti Vachalam, Pangum Langhayate Girim; Yat Krupa Tamaham Vande Paramananda Madhavam” : This Sanskrit verse describes the life of noted educationist Bijay Kumar Rath from Odisha’s Berhampur. Despite being visually impaired, he has dedicated his entire life to the cause of education for the blind.
In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the field of education for the visually challenged, President Droupadi Murmu conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate at the 13th Convocation of Ravenshaw University in Cuttack on Tuesday.
Though visually impaired, Rath has been a guiding light for blind students in Odisha. Defying all odds, he emerged as a remarkable personality, inspired by the ideals of his father, Brundaban Rath, who was a freedom fighter.
During his childhood, there were no school for the blind in Odisha. Determined to study, Bijay enrolled himself in the Behala Blind School in Kolkata in 1957-58 with his father’s permission. After a few years, he returned to Odisha. On September 1, 1960, a school for the blind was established in Bhubaneswar on nearly 10 acres of land through the efforts of then-Governor Yeshwantrao Narayan Sukthankar, with Dr. N. Ratna of Mysore as its first head. Initially, it had classes only up to the 5th standard, leaving students without opportunities for higher studies.
When the government decided to close the school due to various reasons, Bijay personally met the then President V V Giri, and Union Social Welfare Minister R. Jagannath Rao at Berhampur Circuit House, urging them to reopen it. Taking note of his plea, the President directed the Odisha Government to keep the school functional. Eventually, classes were extended up to the 11th standard, and the first batch of six students successfully passed their examinations.
Later, under his leadership, blind students petitioned the Governor to allow them to pursue higher education in colleges. Acting upon this request, Governor’s advisor K.T. Satarawala issued orders permitting blind students to study in four colleges —Khalikote, Ravenshaw, BJB, and Kendrapara.
After completing higher education at BJB and Khalikote College, Bijay played a pivotal role in the establishment of a Blind School in Berhampur, where he initially served as the only teacher. He traveled to England and other countries to study global education systems for the visually impaired and introduced similar frameworks in Odisha.
He played a key role in establishing a school for the deaf and mute at Ambapua, alongside the blind school. His lifelong mission was to ensure that blind individuals did not resort to begging but instead became part of mainstream society. At Ambapua in Berhampur, he also set up a vocational training center where visually impaired persons learned to make chairs, ropes, candles, and other handicrafts.
Due to his relentless efforts, Odisha’s first Braille Press was established in Berhampur on 19th November 1986. It supplies books to 35 schools and institutions across Odisha and also prints Braille calendars, the science magazine Bigyana Diganta, and since 2014, dummy ballot papers for blind voters during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Bijay founded the Odisha Blind Foundation and the Odia Blind Association (OBA) in Bhubaneswar to further the welfare of the visually impaired. His brothers, senior journalist Rabi Rath and Braille Press Director Prakash Narayan Rath, have been his perennial associates in this mission. Under his guidance, many blind students from Odisha now hold significant positions across India.
In view of his lifelong dedication and humanitarian service, Ravenshaw University, at its 13th Convocation, honoured Bijay Kumar Rath with an Honorary Doctorate, conferred by President Droupadi Murmu.
