BARGARH: Ashish Sahu was born blind. But as an academician, he chose to explore the majestic Mahanadi, one of Odisha’s most culturally and geographically layered rivers, for his research.
For a man who could not see its flow, its banks, or its changing hues, studying ‘Odia Sahitya o Sanskruti re Mahanadi’ (The Mahanadi in Odia Literature and Culture) was more of an act of faith in imagination and perseverance than an academic pursuit.
Born in Katapali village of Bargarh district on January 21, 1988, Sahu grew up in a modest household that valued education deeply. His father, Gopinath Sahu, taught at the Durga Government School for the Blind, where Ashish and his elder brother Debasish, who is also blind since birth, completed their schooling. “My father never allowed blindness to be an excuse,” he said. “At home and at school, we were taught to compete, not to complain.”
After completing his matriculation in 2005, he went on to study at NAC College, Burla, and later at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, where he found his calling in Odia literature. In 2013, he joined Ravenshaw University as a faculty, and the following year, he embarked on his PhD journey, one that tested every ounce of his patience and resolve.
When the time came to choose a topic for his doctoral research, Ashish decided to explore Mahanadi. His guide was hesitant. The topic was vast, and studying the cultural and social essence of the Mahanadi, from its origin to its meeting with the sea, required extensive travel and fieldwork, something seemingly impossible for a visually impaired researcher.
But Ashish was resolute. “If the river can find its way through mountains and plains, I too will find mine,” he said. That he did.
Traversing the course of the Mahanadi meant understanding its people, rituals, and landscapes, all of which required visual observation. “Fieldwork was a different kind of challenge,” he recalled. “I had to depend on volunteers to describe the places and situations, and often their interpretations differed from what I wanted to grasp. So, I would keep asking questions, make them describe again and again, and then give clear instructions on what to photograph or collect. I had to build the river in my mind, layer by layer, word by word.”
It was this mental mapping that became the essence of his research. “The world assumes that blindness narrows your perspective,” he said with a smile, “but sometimes it helps you look deeper, to imagine beyond what eyes can see.”
Dr Sahu completed his PhD in 2019, earning respect for his depth of interpretation and meticulous documentation. Today, as an assistant professor in the department of Odia at Ravenshaw University, he continues to teach, write, and guide research scholars with the same determination that defined his journey. His essays and poems reflect his deep engagement with Odisha’s culture and traditions, while his students describe him as calm, exacting, and endlessly patient. His critical writings on authors like Ramachandra Behera and Kahnu Charan Mohanty reveal his deep sensitivity to nature and human emotion.
“Every person has limitations. Mine are just more visible,” he says with a smile. “But the real challenge is internal. If you can stay consistent, if you love what you do, there’s no barrier that lasts.”
