Renaming game: True decolonization in Odisha education 'would require' rejection of Hindutva

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak

The Union Minister for Higher Education in India started a political debate by suggesting the renaming of Ravenshaw College and University in Cuttack, Odisha, due to the controversial role of its founder, Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, in the Odisha famine, which claimed millions of lives. Renaming universities and educational institutions is not a new phenomenon in the state.

The previous government, led by the BJD, changed the name of Kalahandi University to Maa Manikeshwari University, succumbing to the demands of Hindutva politics in the state. However, did this name change lead to any kind of radical educational transformation in the material conditions of educational infrastructure and address the existing educational deprivation at the university?

Colleges, universities, and higher education institutions in Odisha suffer from a severe lack of skilled and qualified teachers, research-led teaching, research centers for training, infrastructure, and funding for teaching, research and development. Libraries, toilets, classrooms, and accommodations for students and staff are in deplorable condition.

Successive governments in the state have neglected higher education for decades, leading to its current devastating state. Without investing in the expansion and improvement of higher education in the state, engaging in debates over the branding or rebranding of Ravenshaw or any other institution is meaningless.

However, name changes can be seen as a branding or rebranding exercise, a practice that occurs frequently worldwide. This is not inherently problematic if it serves a meaningful purpose for the greater common good.

Before imposing any renaming of educational institutions, it would be more democratic to hold a referendum, taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders and the people into consideration. There are two ways of looking at branding and name changing exercise of educational institutions.

Firstly, the branding and rebranding of educational institutions, colleges, and universities can be seen as an extension of corporate strategy, reflecting the encroachment of corporate culture into higher education. In Odisha, this practice serves as a political strategy for the two mainstream parties, the BJP and BJD, allowing them to evade responsibility and public accountability for the current state of higher education in the state.

Changing a name does not address the material and non-material conditions of the deteriorating higher education system in Odisha, which has suffered from the apathy of both the previous BJD government and the current BJP government.

By focusing on the renaming debate of the historic Ravenshaw College and Ravenshaw University in Cuttack, these ruling parties are diverting public attention from their failures in defending and promoting higher education in Odisha.

Without investing in improving higher education, engaging in debates over branding or rebranding of Ravenshaw is meaningless

Secondly, renaming can also be viewed as part of a decolonisation process, where rebranding an educational institution is essential to reflect local ethos and address local needs. This process involves transforming the current curriculum, which often continues to reflect Eurocentric worldviews and undermines local knowledge traditions.

Hindutva, as a dominant political and ideological narrative, can neither serve the cause of decolonisation nor effectively lead a decolonisation project, as it is itself a product of Eurocentric knowledge traditions and legacies of British colonialism in India.

The Hindutva-driven renaming exercise is part of a corporate diversionary strategy and has nothing to do with the decolonization of educational institutions in terms of their names, legacies, or curriculum. The Eurocentric nature of Hindutva ideology is not organic to the multicultural ethos of Odisha or India.

Therefore, true decolonization of the curriculum requires the rejection of Hindutva ideology within educational frameworks. Simply changing the names of places, railway stations, cities, and educational institutions is insufficient to end colonial legacies. Decolonisation must involve the rejection of all forms of colonial knowledge traditions and feudal practices in education, society, culture, and politics.

By all means, change the name of Ravenshaw College and University if it genuinely serves the larger project of decolonisation. However, name changes without corresponding progressive changes in educational policies and funding to expand secular, scientific, and regional knowledge traditions is a dubious and reactionary debate.

Such a debate serves no one but the ruling elites, upholding the status quo and using diversionary strategies to hide their failures and evade political accountability. One hopes that the state and government will provide the necessary funding and create an academic research, teaching and learning environment that can restore the past glories of higher educational institutions in Odisha.

Comments

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog