Birendra Kumar Nayak*

The Man Next Door

It was a winter morning.

I was barely out of bed. The telephone rang.

I picked up the receiver.

‘Birendra, I am Rabi Ray speaking.’ –said the voice from the other end.

He continued, “ I talked to Rameswar, ask Gokulananda to meet him. He has agreed to give him audience.”

I was thunder struck! It was not that we were not familiar with each other. But a person of his eminence and seniority (older than me by twenty five years!) would call me at such an early hour of the day and that too on a personal matter that was in my interest!

I was one of the eleven Professors of Utkal University, who were demoted under the orders of the-then Chancellor and Governor, Mr. M.M.Rajendran. It was awarded to us almost as a new year’s gift as this tragedy struck us in the first week of January 2004. It was unprecedented. The pretext was there were adverse entries in our Confidential Character Rolls, which had remained unexpunged at the time of promotion. Such demotion was challenged before the Hon’ble High Court and the Hon’ble High Court quashed the orders of demotion. When this order of the Court came, Mr. Rajendran had demitted his office and Sri Rameswar Thakur had assumed the office as the Governor and Chancellor.

We, the demotees, were anxious at the delay in the implementation of the Court orders. We were hearing that the files were shelved and not brought to the notice of the new Chancellor. It was during those anxious moments that my friend Prafulla Samantra, the noted social activist and an acolyte of Sri Rabi Ray, suggested to me to talk about my problem to Rabi Babu, who could bring this matter to the notice of the new Chancellor, Sri Rameswar Thakur as they were good friends, and Sri. Thakur held Rabi Babu in high esteem.

I nodded at Prafulla Babu’s suggestion but could not bring myself to approach Rabi Babu. But to my surprise Rabi Babu broke the ice. After a seminar on privatization of water, which he graced as the Chief Guest, and where I was one of the speakers, he came to me and asked, “ What has happened to you? Prafulla was telling me that you have been wronged.”

I narrated to him the story of our demotion, how the Hon’ble High Court quashed the orders of demotion and how the Governor-Chancellor’s office was sitting over it without any action; if the new Chancellor could be persuaded to retrieve our files and act on them?

Rabi Babu honestly admitted that the matter was too technical for him to explain to the Chancellor. “ Why don’t you come with me? We both will go to the Governor and you will explain to him the matter.” I expressed my inability, as protocol demands a process to be followed before a teacher of the university could meet the Chancellor. He agreed with me and asked, “Then, who can explain?.” “Professor Gokulananda Das”, I told him. “Because during Professor Das’s tenure as Vice –Chancellor, those promotions were made. He had presided over the process. Further he is the nominee of the Chancellor in the Syndicate. So he will be the right person to explain. ”. He said, “O.K.”

The telephonic call, I mentioned above was the aftermath of this conversation. Professor Das got appointment with the Hon’ble Chancellor Rameswar Thakur. The Chancellor’s office swung into action after this meeting; our files dumped in some corner were retrieved and attended to. After some formal processes, the earlier orders of demotion were revoked and the victims were reposted in their earlier positions.

Before this experience of mine, I had heard from many quarters, particularly the Odias in Delhi, as to how he used to volunteer his help and rescue them from the pit of distress, mental and otherwise. If the beneficiaries of his large heartedness ever record their personal experiences, needless to say they will run into volumes. Essentially, his personality has the natural attribute of reaching out to them who are in distress. As a true socialist, he has always remained accessible to every body in need and made his surrounding down to earth, easy and vibrant where one felt at home. His stature has sat lightly on his shoulders, and his personality has repelled sycophancy, howsoever subtle. He has never succumbed to the enticement of flamboyance, which his ten–year-older colleague Biju Patnaik had in ample measure.

Rabi Ray and Biju Patnaik

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Rabi Ray is one of the two politicians of the post-independent Odisha who are known across the country. The other one is the redoubtable Biju Patnaik. But strangely, when Rabi Ray has been a man of ideology, an ardent follower of Dr. Rammanohar Lohia , Biju Patnaik was without any ideology though a great admirer of Dr. Lohia. Biju Patnaik believed that ‘Charismatic leaders do not need any ideology’. It was at the residence of Dr. Lohia where they both had met for the first time in 1967. For Rabi Babu, Biju Patnaik was a ‘very likable fellow, one with whom your heart may agree, but your ideology could differ’. (‘Former Lok Sabha Rabi Ray salutes Biju Patnaik’as spoken to Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Rediff on the NeT: http://www.rediff.in/news/apr/17biju1.htm). Yet they worked together against Indira Gandhi’s emergency, fought it under the umbrella of Janata Party, and were ministers in the government led by Morarji Desai.

As an Alternative

But their political togetherness began dwindling during Biju Patnaik’s second stint as the Chief Minister, between 1990 and 1995.. Rabi Babu was very much disturbed at the failure of Biju’s government on every front and at the disillusionment of the people, who had voted him to power ousting ‘Janaki Ballabh Patnaik’s corrupt government’. In the matters of corruption Rabi Babu, found, to his dismay, that Biju’s government was no better as ‘his entire cabinet became corrupt.’ He began exploring the possibility of a third front, which could keep the Patnaiks, Biju and Janaki Ballabh, beyond the reach of power and give a corruption free government to the people of Odisha. His exploration had evoked a lot of optimism amongst the right thinking citizenry of the State, who were earnestly looking forward to an alternative. Such optimism and crave for alternative found expression in the open letter (published in the Odia daily Pragativadi, dated 22^nd April 1994) that Sri Kishen Pattnayak, another worthy disciple of Dr. Lohia, wrote to Sri Rabi Ray. While acknowledging the effort of Sri Ray, Kishen Pattnayak wrote, “ the initiatives, you and communists have taken, though belatedly but rightly, to change the political condition in Odisha should be led to a logical end. Unless you and the communists of Odisha, jointly and through unambiguous declarations of programmes, begin action, then it would be so delayed that before your effort reaches the masses, the process for the coming Assembly election would begin, and despite your unwillingness, you may have to take the side of either Congress or Janata Dal.” Alternative seekers were in a hurry and wanted the third front to materialize soon; they were convinced that Sri Ray could be an effective architect of the third front. So, Kishenji, while pledging his support to such effort, at the end of the letter, wrote, “On today’s date and in the context of the coming election, you are more suitable than me to give a new orientation to the politics in Odisha. I do not have means, status and influence as you have. Therefore, I request you…to form soon a center with the communist leaders bringing them together. Then, many groups like us would volunteer their support.” It is another matter that such third front did not materialize despite all sincere efforts of Sri Rabi Ray; the reasons of failure require no mention here.. But Sri Rabi Ray emerged as the source of inspiration for every alternative effort, howsoever small or big. He was perceived as a politician with a difference, the one who would not compromise with principle, but rather would quit the arena of power politics where the rules of the game had lost ethical content. In fact, the 10^th Loksabha election in 1991 was the last election of his political career. He never contested thereafter. Neither did he entertain any desire for any position that run-of-the- mill politicians seek after they are out of power politics.

Outside of the Parliament

He, instead, made himself available to all those, big or small, who were looking for an alternative to the current socio-political environment. He sat with them, advised them, and raised their morale. In their midst he appeared extremely happy as one in the midst of one’s kith and kin. His politics turned truly grassroots. He lent voice to them who cried for their identity; who agitated against the encroachment on their right to life and livelihood; who were fighting for a just human society. He was, therefore, with the agitating villagers against POSCO demanding the exit of POSCO. He was with the Tibetan refugees demanding self-determination and autonomy for Tibet. He was with the citizens taking initiative for peace in the society urging the government to enter into dialogue with the Maoists (‘Intellectuals Ask Government to Respond to Maoist Peace Offer’ Rediff.com India News, 23^rd February 2010). He was with those members of the academic world, who were concerned about commercialization of education. He was with them who were critical of the Government’s pro-rich, corporate friendly economic policies. He exuded more radiance and looked more gratified in the company of such concerned people than with the run- of- the- mill politicians. Despite his advanced age, he is still alert to the events around him, and his counsels on various issues are still sought. The Lohia Academy that he founded has become a rendezvous for alternative seekers and an affordable venue, in the capital city of Bhubaneswar, for seminars and conferences on the topics of public interest.

Concern for Parliament

Rabi Babu, though led a political life, now out of parliament, and unattached to any political party of the day, remains a great votary of parliamentary democracy. His long association with the Indian Parliament both as its member and as Speaker of Loksabha, has made him sensitive to any conduct injurious to the dignity of Parliament. During his brief stint of fifteen and a half months as the Speaker, he brought about many reforms in the working of Parliament, which have been well chronicled by the Office of Speaker of Lokshbha. His concern for common man made him to allow more and more opportunities to the members to raise the issues affecting the common man. Corruption at high level was anathema to him so much so that he had admitted an impeachment motion, first time in the history of Parliament, against a sitting Supreme Court judge. He ensured the effectiveness of the Parliamentary committees. He ensured discipline on the floor of the House. As a great believer in transparency in public life, he laid the foundation of telecasting the proceedings of the Parliament. He through his conduct set an example of impartiality and honesty that Presiding Officers of the Parliament should possess. He in fact rose to the expectations of the Members of the Parliament, who unanimously had chosen him as their Presiding officer. He believed that ‘the Speaker has an independent role in the Parliament and he is not representing any political party’. For him the Speaker ‘should work as a neutral person in Parliament.’ It was with this conviction that he publicly criticized CPM when it demanded that Sri Somnath Chatterjee, its member, should resign from the office of the Speaker, as the party was withdrawing support to UPA government. His attachment to the Parliament was total. It was therefore not surprising that he always insisted that individuals with impeccable honesty and integrity should adorn our Parliament, and the politicians with criminal antecedents should be debarred from entering Parliament (‘Debar Criminals: Rabi Ray’- The Hindu, 8^th December 2005). The recent decision of the Apex Court declaring the convicted MPs and MLAs disqualified must have given him a great satisfaction, while it would have certainly pained him to learn that all political parties have joined hands to use the floor of the Parliament to make the decision of the Apex Court ineffective (‘Centre to Amend Representation of People’s Act’-The New Indian Express, 23^rd August 2013)

Politician to be Emulated

Rabi Ray essentially excelled as a great human being, compassionate, honest, and committed to the cause of the common man. His long, unblemished political life is an ideal in itself. He never lived in the cocoon of political pettiness; he aspired to see an equitable society free from scourge of inequalities, and worked towards it selflessly. He lived with a worldview, and craved for diplomacy that would bring about world peace and camaraderie. He displayed qualities of a statesman, which are becoming rare in the present day politicians. A clean, transparent and corruption free polity requires leaders like Rabi Ray at the helm. More like him in a society will assure the common man of a dignified living. Every right thinking citizen would hope more like Rabi Ray to appear in our society. It, however, remains to be seen as to how many can venture to emulate him ignoring the lure of present-day politics, which offers a vast opportunity for personal aggrandizement. ________________________________________________________________________

*Retired Professor of Mathematics, Utkal Univesrity, Bhubaneswar

64,Saraswati Kunja, Jagmara, Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar