Baliguda: Raghunath Rath, a Kui researcher and an eminent scholar of tribal studies, passed away in his residence here in Kandhamal district Monday. He was 77. The Sahitya Akademi and Itihas Sankalan Samity awardee, Rath was laid to rest at Swargadwar in Puri.
Convener of INTACH Odisha, Amiya Bhusan Tripathy, condoled Rath’s death. Tripathy called him a true scholar who, during his lifetime, did not get the recognition that he deserved.
Historian Anil Dhir also condoled Rath’s death. He called him as the present day Verrier Elwin and sought all his works to be published. Dhir said Raghunath Rath has willed his entire library comprising more than 5,000 books and journals to the National Archives of India.
Rath was a down to earth man who spent his entire life working for the uplift of the Kondhs. A self-trained anthropologist and tribal activist, his passion was to study history, culture and traditions of Kondh tribals (locally called as Kandha) of Kandhamal district. He spent many years with the Kondh tribals and had mastered the Kui language.
He visited every possible hamlet of Kandhamal and produced many original works. Most of his writings are empirical and path-breaking. His research and studies were based on firsthand experience.
Rath has written more than a dozen 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 Kui riddles.
During his lifetime, Rath guided many scholars from Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Sambalpur and Utkal Universities besides researchers from Oxford and Cambridge universities.
PNN