Sarangadhar Das

Sarangadhar Das (1887—1957) was an Indian nationalist revolutionary and Orissa politician.[1] Das fought against the feudal chiefs in Orissa (present day Odisha) and, post-independence, was a member of India's Constituent Assembly, a Member of Parliament, and a leader of the Socialist Party.

Sarangadhar Das
Born	October 1887 Dhenkanal princely state, British India
Died	19 September 1957 (aged 69) Cuttack, Odisha, India
Alma mater	Ravenshaw College Tokyo Institute of Technology University of California, Berkeley
Known for	Indian freedom movement
Spouse(s)	Frieda Hauswirth

Biography

Sarangadhar Das was born in Dhenkanal in 1887. He studied at the Ravenshaw College in Cuttack. In 1907, he traveled to Japan to study at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, with financial support from the King of Dhenkanal. In 1909, he travelled to the United States where he studied sugar technology at the University of California, Berkeley. He then worked as a chief chemist at a sugar factory in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 1911, while in Berkeley, he published an informational document called "Information for Indian Students Intending to Come to the Pacific Coast of the United States", that contained practical information and advice about student life for Indians in the United States.

After returning to India, Sarangadhar tried establishing a sugar factory in Orissa, but failed. He then worked as an activist against the feudal chiefs who held power at the time. Das later joined the Constituent Assembly of India charged with framing newly independent India's constitution. He joined the socialist party of India with which he remained till his death in 1957.[2]

References

1. Nayak, Jatin Kumar (7 March 2011). "Orissa Whispers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
2. "Echoes of Freedom: South Asian Pioneers in California, 1899-1965". The Library, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 21 September 2013.