Profile of Shri R N Dash, a Socio-cultural Activist (compiled and inserted by an admirer)

 Shri Rajendra Narayan Dash, presently a prominent Socio-cultural Activist, is a retired IAS officer, born and educated in Orissa but served and settled down in Bihar. After a brilliant academic career in Orissa, he joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1962, served in Bihar during its most turbulent days, during which he held many important jobs and assignments such as the District Magistrate of Gaya and Patna Districts, Commissioner, Patna Division, Home secretary, Finance Secretary etc, and received many awards and commendations for his distinguished achievements before he retired in 1996 in the rank of a Secretary to Government of India / Chief Secretary . He has all along been taking active interest in all major social issues including Environment, Human Rights, problems of the Consumers, has formed or remained closely associated with most prominent social organisations, has anchored numerous training sessions of senior officers and also of students, and has organized, chaired, presented papers, delivered lectures and participated in a large number of Conferences, Seminars and Workshops in India and abroad on various issues affecting contemporary society such as management of disasters, stress and strain, security and safety etc. He has all along devoted himself to promotion of educational, social and cultural activities individually and also through various institutions, has taken leading role in creating and establishing or helping many organisations in these fields, such as the Bihar Arts Theatre,  The Cine Society, Patna Book Fair, Indira Gandhi Planetarium, The Youth Hostel at Patna, a Film Appreciation Centre, Rang Mati etc and helped development and functioning of many such other institutions such as the Bharatiya Nrityakala Mandir, Rabindra Parishad, Sangeet Natak Academy, Patna Arts College, Navrang Kala Kendra etc. He pioneered the earliest drive in the State for awareness and concern about environment through Save International, created and headed by him, perhaps the first such organisation in our country that organised the earliest large scale public exhibition relating to Environment, gave the “Save Earth” call which became an International slogan, and also took lead in creating awareness of vehicular pollution and need for its control through the Automobile Association of Eastern India, Patna Branch, of which he is continuing as the Chairman; fortunately the matter was later followed up by Government. He has also been providing valuable suggestions for streamlining the unwieldy traffic management in the State capital, through the Automobile Association of Eastern India. It was due to his persistent efforts that dedicated super-fast daily trains were introduced starting from the State capital and connecting the National capital and also to Calcutta, the nearest Metro when there were no such trains starting from the State capital. He is also known as a Consumer Activist and a leading participant in the Human Rights activities. He is associated with diverse categories of educational, social and cultural organisations of the State in managerial or advisory positions, as Chairman, President, Patron, Advisor, Vice-President, Trustee,  Member of Governing Body etc, such as Chairman, State level programme implementation committee on celebration of 150 years of Rabindranath Tagore; Patron, Navrang Kala Kendra; Patron, Dussera Celebration Committee;  Prisident, Rang Mati cultural organisation, President, Cine Society; President, Chitrankan; Vice-President, Patna Book Fair; Vice-President, Bihar Arts Theatre; Trustee, Maharaja Roopnarayan Trust; Trustee, Hardinge Park Fund; Member, Governing Body of the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir and also of Gyan Niketan. He is also a Life-Member of many other socially useful organisations, such as The Indian Institute of Public Administration, Youth Hostels Association of India; Young Mens’ Cultural Association; Samaj Kalyan Samiti; Heart Care Foundation; Human Rights Association;  Rabindra Parishad and many more.     

He has been a most versatile Cultural Activist of the State, with immense knowledge, expertise and interest in almost all Art forms, visual and performing; associated with most of the prominent social and cultural organisations of Patna and elsewhere in various managerial and advisory capacities. He has been an enthusiast in dramatics and other art-forms since his students days, has formed or helped in formation of many groups on the arts, cinema and theatre, and has been a guiding force for the students and young artists for whom he also provides space in his own premises for meetings and rehearsals. He is considered as the most knowledgeable personality of the State relating to Cinematic Art forms, a regular participant in prominent Film Festivals of the country, and is frequently consulted for various purposes by young film makers, film artists, teachers and students of cinema and mass media, journalists and critics, film related organisations, and also by the State Government. He has headed almost all film related Committees and organisations of Government of Bihar, and has been the only unofficial member of the State Film Development Corporation. Almost all Film Festivals and both the Film related exhibitions organised at Patna have been with his initiative and guidance. He has been the pioneer of Film Appreciation activities in the State, conducts workshops and takes classes on the subject, persuaded Government of Bihar to establish a Film Appreciation Centre at Patna, and has been designated as the Chief Coordinator of the Film Appreciation Workshops being organised by the Government.

He is a voracious reader, having a family library of more than 50000 books on various subjects including rare books on Cinema and other Arts. He has contributed many articles on varied subjects many of which have been published in well-known newspapers and magazines of the country, and has also been associated with editorial activities of many magazines. He has established the Oriental Academy of Arts and Letters at Bhubaneswar along with a collection of more than 50,000 books, about 3000 films of all varieties, art-pieces and audio-visual archaics of different categories and with a versatile agenda; he continues as the Founder-Chairman of the Academy. He has been honoured and felicitated from time to time by many organisations inside and outside the State for his social, philanthropic and cultural activities.

His assistance is always available for various activists and organisations working for benefit of the society, and he has always been helping and guiding students and youngsters in preparing them for various examinations or for building their careers,  most of whom have been benefited in the process.  He believes in the motto live and let live, and believes that the only principle common of all religions that must be followed by mankind is the one that preaches humans to help others to the extent possible, which he follows earnestly in real life. He is liked by all for his low profile, simple lifestyle and ever helpful attitude. He is a much sought-after socio-cultural leader in the world of academics, arts and culture.