In Honour of Prof Rabindra Nath Ojha - Raghaw Sharan Pandey IAS

In Honour of Prof R.N.Ojha (Rabindra Nath Ojha)  

By Raghaw Sharan Pandey IAS

Prof. Rabindra Nath Ojha
Image (C) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

When I was told,  some time back,  that the children   of     Prof 

R.N.Ojha are planning to bring out a publication to mark his 75th Birthday this year, I was delighted for two reasons. Firstly, such a gesture of the children towards the father in a fast changing world is matter of appreciation and could be an inspiration to others. Secondly, Prof. Ojha, for his exceptional teaching calibre and having a multi-splendoured  personality, richly deserves to be honoured and remembered by a wide number of friends, admirers and students.

M. J. K. College Bettiah
Image (C) Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

I recall with nostalgia that four decades back, in mid-sixties, I joined M.J.K. College, Bettiah as a pre-university student. I recall Prof. R.N.Ojha, who was the Head of the Department of English, as a tough administrator, a widely read teacher with a flair for literature, a warm individual and at the same time a stickler for discipline and a man with the courage of his convictions. The Department of English under his leadership had two more of his extremely dedicated and competent colleagues, viz., Prof. Rathin Banerjee (who I heard passed away a few years back) and Prof. Zubair Ahmed. Although I was a student of science, I have always had the pleasant memories of learning English under them.

Teaching profession is said to be laying foundation for all other professionals and a teacher deserves to be remembered for the contribution made to the classrooms and to the life of students. Prof. Ojha revels in successes of his students, who are spread far and wide in a variety of positions in different places. He was seen to be passionate about his students' prosperity. I remember that he was particularly nice and kind to me and has given me his best through formal and informal teachings. He would indulge in repeated counselings about how to excel in studies and in life. He always promoted omnivorous curiosity.

Besides teaching, an equally admirable part of his personality has been his strength of character. He used to sit in 'Dharnas' sometimes for social causes which he held dear to his heart. His personal traits of sticking to his guns even though it means physical discomfort and mental anguish will always be a matter to cherish.

He also made occasional forays into poetry and yet remained a man of logic and down-to-earth pragmatism which underpins social issues. The prolific author, G.K. Chesterton wrote:

" The poet only asks to get his head into heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head."

Prof. Ojha has nursed apparently contradictory traits and carried on with the life's tasks to the satisfaction and well-being of those  around him in diverse ways.

"This article has been taken from the book Viprah Bahudha Vadanti published in 2000."