Bibhuti Bhusan Mohanty

Professor Bibhuti Bhusan Mohanty (25 March 1931 - 22 November 2014), was an International Consultant (Education and Communication) and Adviser to the Executive Committee of the Bajirout Chhatrabas, Angul, who had possessed in-depth cross-cultural experience of more than four decades in the fields of Education, Communication and Development.
== Childhood ==
He hails from a small and picturesque village named ‘Kesole’ in the Kendrapara District of Odisha (then Orissa). He had his colourful childhood spent here.
== Academics & Career ==
An electronic engineer by training, he switched over to social engineering, and specialized in the application of communication for education and development, by participating in the academic programmes offered by the University of London Institute of Education, International Agricultural Study Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, and the International Folk High School, Elsinore, Denmark, under a Ford Foundation#Major grants and initiatives|Ford Foundation Fellowship; and the Case-Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio State, USA, under a Fulbright Scholarship.
He was involved in Functional Literacy, Adult Education, Nonformal Education, Health Education and Communication activities since 1954. He had initiated many innovative programmes relating to Training, Extension, Adult Education, Health Education, Agricultural Communication and Distance Education, both in India and abroad. His original contributions had been in the area of rural communication, particularly in the art and craft of writing for neo-literates.
Bibhuti Bhusan Mohanty was the founder-director of the State Resource Centre for Adult Education at Angul in Orissa, during 1978 and 1984, during which period he had created an environment conducive for the growth of adult education and literacy throughout the State of Orissa.
During his UNESCO mission in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, during 1970 and 1973, he had organized the literacy and adult education programme in the province from scratch, both in the coastal areas and Central Highlands, inhabited by some of the most primitive tribes like the Danis and Asmats. He can read, write and speak Bahasa Indonesia very fluently. 
As the UNICEF Consultant in Educational Radio and TV at Kabul, Afghanistan (1981), Professor Mohanty made the mothers aware about maternity and child welfare through the utilization of Radio and TV. He was the UNESCO Resource Person in Mass Media for Adult Education in Vietnam in 1982; and a Rotary Foundation Consultant in Community Development in the Blue Mountain Hills, Jamaica. 
As a trainer in community development training centers, professor and head of the department of audio-visual communication at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, and the Resident Director of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Orissa, Professor Mohanty had introduced many innovative teaching methods and techniques, both for the classroom and the rural areas. As a Literacy Consultant to the National Literacy Mission, he was actively involved in the Total Literacy Campaigns. 
Professor Mohanty was a Life Member of the Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi; and used to edit the quarterly journal – Indian Journal of Adult Education – published by the Association. He was also a Life Member of the Indian Institute of Public Adminstration, New Delhi. He was a Vice President of the Worldview International Foundation, Colombo. 
Professor Mohanty was the President of the Rotary Club of Angul for two consecutive years.
== Training in India ==
Training in Social Education, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu, July-Dec. ’55. 
Training in Teaching Methods and Training Techniques, NICD, Rajpur, Dehradun, May-July ’61. 
Training in Audio-Visual Education, NIAVE, New Delhi, Feb-Mar. ’62. 
Training in Communication Techniques, NICD, Rajpur, Dehradun, Jan-Feb. ’65. 
Training in Training Methodology, Govt. of India, New Delhi, April ’86. 
Training in Computer Applications, CMC, New Delhi, 1988.
== Training Abroad ==
Training in Rural Extension at the International Agricultural Study Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, (on a Ford Foundation Fellowship) in July-August, 1964. 
Training in Adult Education and Youth Programmes at the International Peoples College, Eisinore, and the Agricultural Folk High School, Ronde, Denmark (on a Ford Foundation Fellowship) in August-September, 1964. 
Training in Community Organisation and Development at the School of Applied Social Sciences, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA (on a Fulbright Scholarship) in April-September, 1966.
== Membership in Professional Societies ==
== Membership in Organizations/Committees/Boards ==
An author of many books and articles, he had also been a very popular broadcaster. 
He has received the Nehru Literacy Award in 1992, and the Sardar Patel Literacy Award in 2000. 
He visited many countries in the world, and has his former students in all the important newspapers and media organizations all over the world. 
His hobbies were Photography, Writing, Public Speaking and Collection and Singing of Folk Songs and Mass Songs in different languages. 
His autobiography in Odia titled ‘Baladagaadiru Boeing Bimaana’, (From Bullock Cart to Boeing) has been published recently. 
He was married to Smt. Krishna Mohanty, who was the Secretary of the Bajirout Chhatrabas, Angul.
== Hobbies ==
Professor Bibhuti Bhusan Mohanty’s multifaceted personality was reflected in his hobbies. He had a deep interest in photography and has made many short Documentary film|documentary films in Super 8 film|Super 8 during his foreign visits especially during his stay at Irian Jaya, Indonesia. His passion for writing, public speaking, and singing Folk-songs|folk songs and Mass song|mass songs, and acting and directing dramas related to social and cultural significance had made him very popular among the masses.
== Foreign Travel ==
For Studies : The UK, USA, The Netherlands and Denmark.
For Work : Indonesia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Jamaica. 
For Conferences : China, Tanzania, The Philippines, Singapore, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
For Sight Seeing : Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Ethiopia and UAR.
== Positions Held ==
Professor Emeritus and Director, Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, Mangalayatan University, Aligarh; 22 August 2007 to 19 April 2008.
Resident Director, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Orissa; 3 August 1993 to 30.9.1996.
Professor and Head, Department of Audio-Visual Communication, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi; 20.12.1984 to 2.8.1993.
Director, State Resource Centre for Adult Education, Angul, Orissa ; 11.8.78 to 17.12.84.
Manager, Indian Express, Chandigarh; 15.12.77 to 7.8.78.
UNESCO Expert in Community Development, West Irian, Indonesia; 30.3.70 to 31.12.73.
Information Specialist, Agricultural Finance Corporation, Bombay; 2.10.68 to 29.3.70. 
Audio-Visual Aids Specialist, IARI, New Delhi; 3.7.67 to 30.9.68.
Extension Officer (Farmer’s Training), Directorate of Extension, Govt. of India; 7.4.67 to 3.7.67.
Vice Principal, Tribal Orientation & Study Centre, Bhubaneswar, Govt. of India; 2.3.67 to 31.3.67.
Instructor (Extension & Social Education), Tribal Orientation & Study Centre, Mysore/Bhubaneswar, Govt. of India; 7.6.60 to 1.3.67.
District Social Organiser, Orissa Educational Service; 10.2.56 to 1.6.60.
Chief Social Education Organiser, Community Project, Junagarh, Kalahandi, Orissa; 4.3.55 to 10.2.56.
Audio-Visual Education Officer, Community Project, Junagarh, Kalahandi, Orissa; 25.7.54 to 4.3.55.
Category:1931 births
Category:2014 deaths