Prananath Patnaik

Prananath Patnaik (16 November 1905 – 5 October 1970) was an Indian politician and leader of Communist Party of India. He was Member at Orissa Legislative Assembly.

Biography Early life and education Patnaik completed his primary schooling at Kanas Primary School and later attended Puri Zilla School. In 1926, he joined Ravenshaw College in Cuttack as a science student. While studying there, he became heavily influenced by nationalist ideologies and actively joined the Indian national movement in 1930. He subsequently moved to Banaras, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Shastri) degree from the Kashi Vidyapith.

He was also an instrumental architect of agrarian resistance in the region. He helped form the Utkal Provincial Krushak Sangha in 1935, which subsequently functioned as the state branch of the All India Kisan Sabha upon its inception in 1936. Patnaik spearheaded the Praja Mandal movement against feudal rulers in the ex-princely states of Ranpur, Khandapara, and Nayagarh. Following India's independence, his political activism resulted in further incarcerations in 1949 and 1964, during which he undertook a 43-day hunger strike inside prison. Following a prolonged illness brought on by decades of political hardship, Patnaik died on 5 October 1970.