Nabakrushna Choudhuri - Ravenshaw College To Shantiniketan

Ravenshaw College To Shantiniketan

In 1917, Nabakrushna Choudhuri took admission in the Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. At about this time his brother Gopabandhu Choudhury resigned from government service to serve the people of Odisha. That year the people of Russia had achieved victory by fighting against the oppressive king. This had a deep influence on Nabakrushna Choudhuri. One thought repeatedly came to his mind. When the people in the country are facing innumerable problems in dependent India, what is the use of studying in the college to get a good job? He left the Ravenshaw College along with Nityananda Kanungo, Loknath Patnaik, Jadumani Mangaraj and Harekrushna Mahtab. At this point of time he lost his father. His elder brother Gopabandhu Choudhury became his guardian. Many others followed them. This was in 1921. Gandhiji was organizing the people for taking up some constructive programmes, the most important of which was attaining self-sufficiency in clothes through spinning and weaving. Unfortunately, spinning and weaving had been completely stopped in Odisha. In 1922, Nabakrushna Choudhuri went to Sabarmati in Gujarat to learn all about Khadi – the principles and philosophy of spinning and weaving. Gandhiji was living in an Ashram in Sabarmati. Within ten months Nabakrushna learnt all about Khadi.

On return from Sabarmati, Nabakrushna tried to organize Gandhian constructive programmes in Odisha despite opposition from his own family and others in his society. In the same year a new type of school was established by Gopabandhu Choudhury at Alakashram, now in Jagatsinghpur District in Odisha. Both the brothers taught there. Correlation between head and hands was the hallmark of Alakashram. In 1925, Nabakrushna went to Shantiniketan to study at the feet of Rabindranath Tagore. During his ten-month stay there, he came in contact with Malati Choudhury (née Sen), whom he married later.