FOC
The well-known educationist, Ayurveda expert and doyen of Sanskrit literature, Pt Banchanidhi Das of Orissa passed away in his home town, Kendrapara, on August 19. He was 84. In the post-Independence era, Pandit Das was known for propagating and publicising the use of both Sanskrit language and Ayurveda system of medicines in Orissa. He was born in a poor family of Kendrapara on January 7, 1921. He completed his higher studies in Ayurveda and Vedanta from Sadashiv Sanskrit Vidyalaya, Puri. He had served as headmaster in Baldevjew High School for many years and taught a number of students, who carved out a niche for themselves in the field of Sanskrit literature. As a member of Utkal Sanskrita Siksha Samiti, he engaged himself in research work and wrote a number of books on the Ramayana and the Bhagawatgita. As a famous Ayurveda doctor in Kendrapara, he treated a number of patients free of cost. He was tehsil Sanghchalak of RSS and was also district president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Cuttack.
A condolence meeting was organised by the local unit of RSS, in which the Kendrapara Tehsil Sanghchalak, Kunjabihari Nayak, Pundit Hrishikesh Rath, Baidyanath Chatterjee and Pt Harekrishnapati paid tributes to the departed soul. Sankrit Bharati, Kendrapara, also organised a condolence meeting.
