Facets of Odishan History (A Felicitation Volume in Honour of Professor Ram Chandro Misro)

About the Book History is "the record of what one age finds worthy of note in another", said Burckhardt. Present has always preponderance over the past. Change and continuity shape the history of any land. Keeping these cardinal principles in view, the present volume in honour of a great scholar in History, Professor Ram Chandro Misro, has been designed. This book, Facets of Odishan History contains twenty one articles which deal with a wide spectrum of subjects - political, social, economic, religious, etc. This work is a splendid collection of research articles contributed by distinguished scholars having bearings on Odishan history and culture. A novel attempt has been made by them to retook into various facets of Odishan history. This work will open new horizons in Odishan historiography. It will be a great help to the students and scholars who are pursuing research on Odishan history and culture. This work is, in fact, a befitting tribute to Professor Ram Chandro Misro, an erudite scholar par excellence in History.

About the Authors A distinguished scholar and Historian Prof. Harihar Panda has published 33 books, 152 articles (both research and popular), attended 06 International, 92 UGC & ICHR sponsored National & 28 State Level Seminars and acted as Resource Person in many such seminars including Refresher Courses organized by different Universities. He has served in SM Govt. Women's College, Ravenshaw Morning &Autonomous College (Later on University) & GM (Autonomous) College in Odisha. He has retired as Professor & Head, Dept. of History, National Defence Academy, Pune on 31.12.2021.

Dr. Susanta Kumar Bag is working as Associate Professor, Dept. of History, Sri Aurobindo College (Eve), University of Delhi. He has completed 02 UGC Minor Projects. His well known books are Colonial State, Agrarian Transition and Popular Protest in Orissa (2015), Dynamics of Politics in Orissa: 1947-1967 (2018) and Princes, Raj and Swaraj in Odisha c.1930's- c.1940's (2020). He has published several scholarly research articles in reputed journals.

Foreword It gives me great pleasure to know that a Felicitation Volume in honour of Professor (Dr.) Ram Chandro Misro, a retired Professor of History from the Berhampur University, is being brought out as a token of love and appreciation by his students, admirers and scholars of various fields of research. The endeavour of the organisers is praise-worthy as it is a befitting tribute to felicitate a renowned scholar-teacher and an academic administrator like Professor Misro who has earned reputation not only as a benevolent teacher but also as a good human being with full of civic virtues, purity of character and public morality. Throughout his long teaching and research career of 36 years, he has contributed immensely to the fields of Socio-Economic History as well as Cultural History of Odisha. Undoubtedly, Prof. Misro is a competent scholar who wrote very interestingly and captivatingly research articles which bear the stamp of sound scholarship. Prof. Misro's lucid, forceful, and felicitous style always helped him to contribute research articles with obvious authority based on an in-depth study.

Professor Misro was a brilliant student who was awarded gold medal both for his Graduate and Post-Graduate studies in Berhampur University, Odisha. Later he has enhanced his knowledge by attending many training programmes like "Summer Institute in History" held in Berhampur University, National Course on "Research Methodology in Tribal Development Administration" organized in Bhubaneswar, Course on "American Culture and Civilisation" held at Hyderabad, etc. He has successfully guided three D.Litt. students as well as eight Ph.D. students and twenty-three M.Phil. students in research fields like Folk-Culture, Religion and Philosophy, and socio-cultural studies on different regions of Odisha. His recognition as a historian of Odisha is amply documented by a large number of works published to his credit in the fields of Socio-Economy and Historical studies. His academic leadership is proved beyond doubt just by a glance over his curriculum vitae through his participation as President, Vice-President or an Executive Committee member in several learned bodies of various national and international importance viz.

Preface The present felicitation volume titled "Facets of Odishan History" is envisioned to honour Professor Ram Chandro Misro (Retired), Department of History, Berhampur University, Ganjam, Odisha,with wham I have a close acquaintance from my post-graduate study from 11995-9r- being his student. I am highly spellbound with his intellectual dignms and scholarly accomplishments. Indeed it is my pleasure and peinlegie to atria book in his honour.

Professor Ram Chandra Misro was born on 29th September 1954, in a tiny village Sreeyakhandi Sasna near Patapatanam in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, very dose to the Paralakhemundi town of Gajapati district of South Odisha. From his childhood he was a popular and meritorious student known amongst teachers and students. Since he had a very dazzling and illustrious academic career, he was awarded with many distinctions including Gold Medals on two occasions for maintaining academic brilliance in the Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate levels. After completion of his Master's degree he enriched his further knowledge on the subject by attending training programmes; such as "Summer Institute in History" conducted at Berhampur University, National Course on "Research Methodology in Tribal Development Administration" organized at Bhubaneswar and did a course on 'American Culture and Civilization" held at Hyderabad. His professional journey as an academician began in 1978 and he taught history in few leading colleges of Odisha. In 1983 he joined as faculty in the Department of History, Berhampur University, Odisha, became Reader in 1987 and Professor in 1999.His glorious and illuminating teaching career as a regular faculty member ended on 31s` July 2014, when he retired from the service as Professor. I have a strong belief that no one might have been replaced or filled the vacuum that was created by his departure as a regular teacher.

Professor Ram Chandro Misro being a benevolent academician, researcher and administrator is loved and honoured by students and in academic circles. He has inspired and motivated many students and researchers. In his research guidance; M.Phil. (23), Ph.D. (8) and D.Litt. (3) Research scholars have successfully completed their research on wide range of topics. His teaching pedagogy is incredible, brilliant and thought provoking.

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