Professor Chengiah Rogers Ragaven: a life dedicated to social justice and academic excellence

PROFESSOR Chengiah Rogers Ragaven was born into a family in Reunion in South Durban in 1933.

- HARRIKRISHNA ANANDHA NARISMULU

THE UN Black SRC (UNB SRC 1966-67) committee. The UNNE has changed to UNB (black replacing non-European). Back, from left, are: N Soni, DP (Paul) David, Bantu Steve Biko, SM (Sada) Naidoo, RP Juggath and KS Govender. Front from left, are: VS Ramasuvha, Ben Ngubane, Chengiah Rogers Ragaven, Rajes Pillay and L Mosendane.

He was an energetic activist, a lifelong scholar, and a multiand trans-disciplinary academic extraordinaire.

After initially starting out his adult life as a teacher including stints at Louisiana Primary in Port Shepstone, Illovo Primary and Clairwood Boys, he embarked on study at the then University of Natal which had a separate campus (an old warehouse in Lancers Road) so named the University of Natal Non-European (UNNE) section.

Here he became involved in student politics, and soon became part of the segregated Student Representative Council (SRC).

Ragaven was a committee member in 1961 (under the leadership of Judge Thumba Pillay) and eventually became SRC president in 1966. The committee included a young Steve Biko, Ben Ngubane, Paul David, Rajes Pillay and Sada Naidoo.

He also served as a vice-president of the National Union of South African Students (Nusas) in 1966 and interacted with then USA presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy who visited South Africa in June 1966 to meet the banned ANC president Chief Albert Luthuli, and to speak at the UCT and Wits campuses.

Post this event, simmering differences over strategy to achieve a just society led to the break away from Nusas to form the SA Students Organisation (Saso) under the leadership of Biko.