BHUBANESWAR: Eminent scholar, academician, author and former vice-chancellor of Central University of Odisha (CUO) Prof Sachidananda Mohanty passed away on Tuesday. He was 70.
A University Grants Commissioner (UGC) member, Mohanty’s untimely demise came as a shock to the state and academic fraternity across the country.
In a career spanning over three decades, he held different positions, including head of English department at University of Hyderabad, Sri Aurobindo Chair Professor at Panjab University, governing board member of the Auroville Foundation and national fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla. In April 2024, he was appointed as a member of the UGC for a three-year term.
Mohanty was appointed the vice-chancellor of CUO in August 2015 and served for nearly four years before resigning on personal grounds in February 2019.
A distinguished scholar, Mohanty had written 29 books in English and Odia. He made significant contributions to the study of colonial Odisha, women’s writing, gender and cultural identity, literary history and post-colonial thought. His writings brought renewed attention to neglected literary traditions and historical voices, enriching the understanding of Odisha’s intellectual and cultural heritage.
Mohanty’s engagement with Sri Aurobindo, post-colonial thought, cosmopolitanism and the history of ideas extended his scholarship beyond regional boundaries. In three decades, he wrote more than 100 research articles and established a significant presence in national and international intellectual discourse.
Sambalpur MP and former Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan paid rich tributes, describing Mohanty as a distinguished scholar and eminent voice in Indian academia.
“Mohanty’s pioneering efforts had brought Odisha’s rich literary and cultural heritage to wider recognition. His contributions to literature, cultural history and the humanities enriched India’s intellectual landscape, leaving a lasting legacy for future scholars and students,” Pradhan said.