• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
DB Banner Logo

Discover BhubaneswarDB Banner Logo

We Bring the City to Your Fingertips

  • News
  • Documentaries
  • Guest Posts
  • Editorials
  • Say Hello

Documentaries

1 year ago

First Days in a New Land: The Story of an American Prof at Utkal University, Cuttack in 1957

Documentaries

1 year ago

To the thousands of Americans settling down amid strange surroundings abroad, the first formidable task is coping with the bewildering mixture of excitement, confusion and homesick regret.

The perplexities of Rufus Hughes on arriving in Cuttack were summed up in the incongruous moment above. His American washing machine was delivered to his new home on an Indian rickshaw and the Indian repairmen who are called “mystery men” were about to have a try at installing it.

Back home, Hughes, a specialist in rural economics, had a comfortable teaching post with the University of Arkansas. But India’s problems in his field were a challenge to him, and he accepted a two-year assignment from the. Ford Foundation to teach at Cuttack’s Utkal University.

The Cuttack to which Hughes brought his wife and four small children in a city of 1,00,000, raddled with dirt, disease and poverty.

Here are some pictures that show what the Hughes family encountered in their early days in Cuttack.

Rufus Hughes Watches Indians Deliver His US Washing Machine in Rickshaw
Rufus Hughes_Utakal University_Cuttack_American Professor
Leslie and Carla ride in separate rickshaws on a shopping expedition conducted by the family’s English speaking bearer Abdul.
Meeting his class of six graduates students for the first time, Hughes outlines the course in rural economics research methods that he plans to teach.
The Hughes Household lines up. From left are Erin (3), Carla (8), Betty Leslie (7), Rufus & Erie (2), bearer Abdul, ayah Rush Mary, Amir and Gopinath.

Rufus Hughes, as he started out on his teaching duties at Utkal University, felt that his students were shyly waiting for great words of wisdom from him right from the start. He first wanted to find out how much they already knew.

His two older daughters at Cuttack English language school where they’d been enrolled, had to face the unabashed curiosity of other pupils. They were also mortified to be put back a grade because some standards of their school in Little Rock were lower than the standards prevailing here.

After a week in Cuttack, Hughes said, ”I think we’re getting over the hump.”

When LIFE Magazine checked several weeks after these pictures were taken, ‘He said that “our household is running as well as it ever has in the US.”

Courtesy: LIFE Magazine (Dec 23, 1957) Pics: GettyImages

Note: Initially, Utkal University was operating from Ravenshaw College, before it came to its own campus at Bhubaneswar, called Vani Vihar. In fact, it was Ravenshaw College that gave birth to the new university, nurtured and sustained it. It operated from Ravenshaw College’s present Zoology Department building premises. Visit this Wikipedia page to learn more about the evolution of Utkal University.

About Discover Bhubaneswar

We aim to connect with Odias from across the globe through our digital presence and empower them with information related to Bhubaneswar in specific and Odisha in general. Connect with Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

← Previous Post
First Tribal Odia Woman to Fly Commercial Plane?

Recommended Articles

"Temple of Kanarug," by James Fergusson, 1847Where’s Remaining Portion of Konark Temple?
The Story Behind Beacon Island in ChilikaThe Story Behind Beacon Island in Chilika
To Odisha from Pakistan

Stay Updated

Get the latest articles and city updates straight into your inbox.

Reader Interactions

What Do You Think? Cancel reply

Popular Posts

English Medium Schools in Bhubaneswar Odisha

The Top 8 English Medium Schools in Bhubaneswar

infosys bhubaneswar

The Best IT Companies to Work for in Bhubaneswar

33 Comments

How Places in Bhubaneswar Got Their Names

How Places in Bhubaneswar Got Their Names

14 Comments

Footer

Stay Updated

Don't miss out. Get the latest articles and city updates straight into your inbox - subscribe to our newsletters.

Popular Topics

Bhubaneswar Chat Culture Editor's Choice Editorials Food Governance People Schools Temples Tourism Videos

Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

© 2022 Discover Bhubaneswar Owned & Managed by Top League Technologies Pvt. Ltd. · Built on Genesis