Odia Writer & Poet Radhanath Ray. He is considered as legendary writer of initial modernity era in Odia poetry during the later part of nineteenth century and is honoured in Oriya literature with the title Kabibara. He composed in both Odia and Bengali languages, but later he shifted his writings in Odia only. He has contributed verses and poetry for Oriya literature in the nineteenth century.
His writings were inspired by many English Littérateurs like Keats, Scott and Wordsworth. He has contributed to Odia poetry by introducing new forms. He has penned blank-verses, satire inspired by writings of Dryden and Alexander Pope, denunciation of despots, tyrants and oppressors, concern with social problems, a spirit of protest against conventional morality, a disbelief in the power of gods and goddesses, and patriotic sentiments, which finally brought him trouble from his employers. He was viewed as a national poet of the first order in Odisha.
At Radhanath’s time, in Orissa, the Oriya language movement was active. Though the medieval Oriya literature was richer in comparison to that of Bengali literature, however some of the Bengali educationalists wanted to abolish Oriya language as the medium of teaching from schools. As Bengal was gripped by British Colonialism much before Orissa, the Bengalis had the privilege to motivate the Anglicist scholars to prove Oriya as a branch of Bengali language. John Beams, a British Officer of East India Company first tried to prove that Oriya is more ancient language than Bengali, and it had a richer literature which Bengali had not.
In the Orissa division, there were only seven Oriya School teachers; Bengalis formed the majority of teachers, even in the remote areas. Consequently, Bengali text books were prescribed for Oriya students. At that time, Radhanatha was one of prime figure along with Fakir Mohan Senapati, who fought against the expansionism of Bengali educationalist to eradicate Oriya language from Orissa. He was the Inspector of Orissa Schools Association and along with Fakir Mohan Senapati and Madhusudan Rao, he tried to promote text book writings.
