Barrister Nath Pai was a freedom fighter, a Parliamentarian, a labour leader and an expert on constitutional and foreign affairs.

Born in Vengurla on September 25, 1922, Nath first studied at Shala no 1 in Vengurla before moving to Belgaum with his mother and six older siblings in 1937. In Belgaum, he plunged into the freedom movement, was imprisoned for anti-British activities when he was 21 years old and became a key youth leader of the Rashtra Seva Dal.

After Independence, he studied law at Lincoln’s Inn in London and was influenced by Socialist principles. In 1954, he became the first non-European president of the International Union of Socialist Youth.

As a Barrister, he returned to India to participate in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement and fearlessly led activities of the Goa Liberation Movement, playing a key role in gathering diplomatic support for India.  

As a three-time Parliamentarian from Rajapur (now Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), he tirelessly worked for the region’s development and got the government to conduct a survey for the Konkan Railway. He envisioned the Konkan Railway to connect Konkan to Mumbai and raised the demand in Parliament for several years.

He was recognized as an authoritative voice on defense, foreign affairs and the Constitution and was appreciated for his deeply researched arguments in Parliament. Nath was also hailed for his oratory and was a connoisseur of arts, literature, poetry and music and promoted the Dashavatar throughout his lifetime.

Nath strongly supported the integration of Belgaum and Marathi-speaking border areas into Maharashtra.  

On January 18, 1971, he died of a heart attack after addressing a public meeting in Belgaum.