Mohan Naik was born on June 3, 1921 in a family of scavengers in Brahmapur. His father Bijuli Naik and mother Annapurna Naik were sweepers in the municipality. He was prevented from studying in school because of his caste. There was also pressure for earning to run the family kitchen. As a result, Mohan was compelled to join the Brahmapur Municipality in the capacity of a sweeper. Unexpectedly, he came in contact with Iswara Sahoo, a school teacher. Then he got admitted to the Municipality ME School. After finishing ME School, Mohan took admission in Khallikote Collegiate School.
He was a good student, versatile in essay writing, debate competition and poetry composition. He was also an orator. During holidays when other students were busy with playing, he visited the untouchable hamlets and motivated the Dalit communities to get organised. He also encouraged Dalit parents to send their children to school and travelled almost all parts of Ganjam.
He was always contemplative about the untouchability practices of Hindus. Once, in 1937, he was prevented from entering the Kali temple in Brahmapur and from that day onwards he made a vow not to visit any Hindu temple and resolved to fight against the unjust practice of the caste Hindus. He perceived that temple entry is not merely religious but the right of the untouchable and he fought for the temple entry rights of the untouchable.
Mohan came in contact with Master Sanaya Pantulu, a Brahmin social worker, who was running schools in untouchable hamlet for children. But there was no teacher because the caste Hindu educated people did not agree to teach the untouchable students.
Sanaya Pantulu developed intimacy with Mohan like a father to a son and encouraged him for his good work. In 1920 Mohan got introduced to Thakarbapa who was working with the Hind Sevak Sangh founded by Gopalkrishna Gokhale. Harijan Sevak Sangh unit was set up in Ganjam district with Mohan Nayak as its secretary. He was only 17 years old. On December 18, 1938, Mohan formed the Brahmapur Harijan Sangh involving youths to fight against untouchability. He got support from his brother in-law Damodar Naik.
It was the need of the hour to unite all Dalit people to fight against untouchability. An organisation was formed in the name of Brahmapur HarijanSangh in this regard. He started conducting awareness meetings and mobilised the Dalit community. The organisation had done lots of work among Dalit communities in Brahmapur town.
Mohan had strong inclination towards creative writing and literature in general. His fiery writings always provided fuel for eradication of untouchability. He conceived of an idea to publish a magazine in support of his social activism and took the message to the public. He started a magazine under the title Harijan. It was an eight-page hand written fortnightly. He used carbon copy to make about 16 copies of each issue. He was arrested in August 1939 for publishing this magazine without the permission of the British Government. The police seized a half rim of paper, 2/3 dozen carbon copiers, pencils and blades.The police imposed the Press Act and Indian Security Act and filed a case against him.
The SDO, Brahmapur gave his judgment after four months. The order was either pay Rs 25 as fine or to be jailed for 14 days. Mohan was aggrieved and went to jail in protest but his grandmother paid the fine. He came to know of this when he returned back from the jail.
Mohan’s grandmother vehemently opposed the publication of Harijan. Whenever she saw any piece of paper or carbon in the house, she just threw it into the dustbin because of the fear of reprisals. Mohan in his student days was rusticated from the school. The school headmaster suspended him with the fear that his presence in school might disturb and pollute other students. Ganjam District Education Officer Krushna Chandra Mohanty called on Mohan and put in a condition that if he wanted to study he had to leave the Congress party.
But he did not agree to the proposal and was compelled to leave the school when he was in class nine and thereafter devoted full time for social work.In 1939, the Second World War began.
In order to stir up the non-cooperation momentum with the British Government, all the Congress Governments resigned in various States, including Odisha.
He was arrested on August 9 and arraigned on the charges of distributing leaflets against the British as supporter of the Quit India Movement. He got injured in Brahmapur jail on January 26 along with other freedom fighters while they were trying to host the Indian flag in the jail premises. He was in jail up to March 1945.Harijan League was one of the premier organisations of Dalit communities in Odisha in 1942.
The four freedom fighters who laid the foundation of the organisation when they were in Brahmapur Central Jail were Mohan Naik of Ganjam, Kanduri Mallik of Jagatsingpur, Santanu Das of Jajpur and Purnananda Samal of Cuttack.
Eventually, Mohan was awarded with the honour of Padmashree for his outstanding contribution to society in 1969.He got elected from Brahmapur constituency, as a Congress member of the State Assembly in 1951. He was also a district board member in 1945. In 1957 and in 1962 he got elected as Member of Loksabha as a Congress candidate. In 1967, he was also elected as Congress candidate from Gopalpur constituency. He was vice president of Utkal Pradesh Congress. He was a Minister in Nandini Satpathy cabinet in 1976 and also continued as a Minister with Binayak Acharya as Chief Minister.
He was member of the Prof Malkani Committee and was travelling all over India to submit a report on the situation of the scavengers. He was vice-president of Utkal Balaseva Sangh along with Radhanath Rath as president. An orphan center was set up by him at Nimakhandi near Brahmapur town in 1952.
Besides, he also set up a hostel for Dalit children at Dhanamarasahi. The Sevak Bhawan founded by him provided education for Dalit and tribal children. He set up a printing press in 1964 for publishing the Sevak magazine. He died of cancer on September 23, 1983 in Brahmapur.
(manasbbsr15@gmail.com)
