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This book explores the profound legacy of Chitta Ranjan Das (1923 2011), a pioneering Indian thinker, educator, and writer who left an indelible mark on philosophy, literature, and education. As the founder of Jeevana Vidyalaya (School of Life) in 1950s Odisha and a devoted nurturer of integral education movement in Odisha, Das redefined education through integral learning, deeply influenced by the visionary ideals of Tagore, Gandhi, Kristen Kold, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
This volume brings together a diverse group of international scholars to engage with Das s ideas, placing his work within the broader context of global intellectual discourse. His contributions ranging from philosophy and culture to literature continue to inspire fresh perspectives on education and social transformation. Das s translation efforts introduced Odia readers to world literature, including works by Tolstoy, Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, and Boris Pasternak, bridging cultures and ideas across linguistic boundaries.
In an era of increasing interest in diverse global philosophies, this book offers a timely and essential exploration of Das s work, linking his thoughts to the contemporary movement of planetary thinking. With its transdisciplinary approach interweaving literature, philosophy, and history this volume is a must-read for scholars, educators, and anyone interested in the evolution of thought beyond conventional borders.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Introdcution:Chitta Ranjan and Our Creative Planetary Futures.- Part 1.- Chapter 2 : Chitta Ranjan Das and the Quest for Freedom : Creative Traditionalism and Cultural Citizenship in Educational Futures.- Chapter 3 :The Organic Intellectual as Universalist :Transcending the Boundaries of Conventional Social Science.- Chapter 4 : Chitta Ranjan Das, Albert Camus, and Rebellion.- Chapter 5 : Chitta Ranjan Das as a Threshold Person : Relating the Significance of Positionality in the Bodhgaya Land Movement to Das s Critical Turn to Nature and the Poor.- Part 2.- Chapter 6 : Ethical Living for Today : Chitta Ranjan s Meditation with Jesus Christ and Dialogue with Pope Francis for Self-Realisation and Social Transformation.-Chapter 7:Chitta Ranjan: Faith Reconfigured.- Part 3.- Chapter 8 : Creative Education and Cultural Works for Freedom, Social Change and Transformation of Consciousness: Chitta Ranjan Das, Paulo Freire and Alternative Planetary Futures.- Chapter 9 : Socrates in the Classroom : Chitta Ranjan Das s Examination of Mainstream Education.-Chapter 10:Challenging Cultural Racism in Tribal Schooling.- Chapter 11 : Folk Schools, Highlander, and the Calling of Transformative Leadership in Education : Chitta Ranjan Das, the Odia Socrates, and the Pluriverse.- Chapter 12 : From Deschooling Society to New Visions and Pathways of Planetary Co-Learning : Hope, Conviviality, Critique, Creativity, and Social Transformations in the Works of Ivan Illich and Chitta Ranjan Das.- Part 4.- Chapter 13 : From Performative Hierarchization towards Transformative Hierarchization.- Chapter 14 : Dialogues in Words and Images:India and Israel from Chitta Ranjan Das to Siona Benjamin.
About the author
Ananta Kumar Giri is the Founding Executive Trustee of Vishwaneedam Center for Asian Blossoming and a former Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai. Professor Giri is the author, editor, co-editor and translator of more than six dozen books in English and Odia.
