Sarangadhar Das: The ‘Gadajat Gandhi’ Whose Life Holds More Stories Than History Records

Cuttack: A letter advising a young man to meet freedom fighter Nabakrushna Chaudhury, nearly 50 acres of land set aside for a dairy farm to support poor mothers, and a failed attempt to establish a sugar industry in Odisha are among the lesser-known fragments of the life of Sarangadhar Das, the socialist leader popularly remembered as the ‘Gadajat Gandhi’.

These accounts, preserved in archival records and recollections, offer glimpses into a personality whose public life extended from scientific education abroad to social reform, the Prajamandal movement and national politics.

Born on October 17, 1886, at Harekrushnapur in Dhenkanal, Das received his early higher education at Ravenshaw College before travelling to Japan and the United States. He studied at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and later specialised in sugar technology at the University of California, Berkeley.

He returned to Odisha with plans to apply his technical knowledge to the state’s agrarian economy. His effort to establish a sugar industry, however, met repeated resistance from the feudal rulers of the princely states. The experience became a turning point, drawing him into the struggle against the exploitative system prevailing in the Gadajat areas.

Das subsequently emerged as a prominent figure in the Prajamandal Movement, which challenged the rule of the princely-state authorities and sought greater rights for their subjects. His political journey later took him to the Constituent Assembly and Parliament, while he also remained associated with the Socialist Party.

Yet, several aspects of his life remain relatively unfamiliar outside historical and research circles. His marriage to American-born Frieda and their adoption of Manohar Khanna form part of this lesser-known personal history.

Prof Jatindra Kumar Nayak, former Head of the Department of English at Utkal University, recalled one such episode during a discussion in 2015. According to him, a letter written by Frieda to Manohar advised him to meet Nabakrushna Chaudhury, who was then a young freedom fighter, and seek inspiration from him.

Another archival document pointed to Das’s efforts in social welfare. Prof Nayak had cited records showing that Das donated around 50 acres of land in a remote Dhenkanal village for setting up a dairy farm intended to provide food to poor lactating and pregnant women.

Such records, while seemingly small pieces of history, can help researchers understand the social concerns and networks that shaped Das’s life beyond his better-known political role.

Das died on September 18, 1957. On his death anniversary, members of Dhenkanal Heritage Walks (DHW) paid floral tribute at his crematorium in Satichowra, Cuttack.

DHW convenor Suresh Mishra and member Badreenath Jena said the organisation plans to bring out a book on Das, documenting his life and contributions. Jena also repainted the lettering on his gravestone after finding the inscription difficult to read.

Biswaranjan Dehury, convenor of Odisha Heritage Walks, said district chapters would undertake initiatives to explore the lives of more such lesser-known figures from Odisha’s history.

The tribute also renewed the call for greater preservation of archival material. DHW members said the National Archives of India should accelerate the digitisation of valuable historical documents, which would help protect them from deterioration while making them easier for researchers, historians and the wider public to access.

For Sarangadhar Das, whose life moved between laboratories abroad, the agrarian landscape of Odisha, the resistance against princely rule and the political institutions of independent India, these scattered records could help fill in the gaps between the better-known chapters of his story.