Padma Shri awardee, organic farming pioneer, Radha Mohan passes away

Radha Mohan, who retired as a professor of economics, was suffering from bronchial asthma along with other co-morbidities, and was admitted to hospital a few days ago when his health deteriorated

Updated on: Jun 11, 2021, 13:49:14 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Radha Mohan, a former Odisha information commissioner and retired professor of economics who had turned a barren patch of land into lush forest and popularised organic farming, passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar late Thursday night. He was 78 and is survived by three daughters.

Radha Mohan, who retired as a professor of economics, was suffering from bronchial asthma along with other co-morbidities, and was admitted to hospital a few days ago when his health deteriorated.

Condoling his death, PM Narendra Modi tweeted: “Prof Radha Mohan ji was deeply passionate about agriculture, especially adopting sustainable and organic practices. He was also respected for his knowledge on subjects relating to the economy and ecology. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers.”

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal also condoled his death. ‘He will always be remembered for his unique organic farming techniques,” said Lal.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted, “Deeply saddened to know the passing away of Gandhian and Padma Shri awardee Prof Radha Mohan. An economist turned environmentalist had distinguished contribution to sustainable organic farming. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family members and well-wishers.”

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Last year, Radha Mohan and his conservationist daughter Sabarmatee were awarded Padma Shri in the field of agriculture for their sterling work in organic farming. Three decades ago, the father-daughter duo started Sambhav, a resource centre for farmers where many vanishing food crops such as clove bean, jack bean, black rice and sword bean were grown through organic means.

They began by buying an acre of degraded land in Nayagarh district and started planting trees on it. Over time, that one-acre land transformed into 890 acres of forestation with three rainwater harvesting ponds and 500 varieties of rice. It is also home to nearly 1,000 species of plants including trees such as mango, lichi, jackfruit, chiku, and several timber varieties.

Through Sambhav, they implemented organic farming techniques and used cattle manure, bio-gas slurry, used agro-waste and mulching. They trained local farmers on sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. They also started ‘Adopt a seed’ programme in which interested farmers were given climate resilient indigenous seeds and asked to take oath to preserve them.

Born in 1943 at a small village in Nayagarh district, Radha Mohan graduated in Economics from SCS College in Puri and completed his post-graduation in Applied Economics from Utkal University in 1965.

Radha Mohan was appointed as state information commissioner in 2011 after his retirement as the principal of SCS College. The state government also awarded him with Utkal Seva Samman for his outstanding social service. He also got UNEP’s ‘The Global Roll of Honour’ for his distinguished work for environment. (With Agency Inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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