Odisha became a full-fledged State on April 1 in 1936 only because Madhusudan Das, Parala King Krushnachandra Gajapati, Fakirmohan Senapati and a few others who worked hard to make the Odia-speaking region a political entity. Odisha and Bihar had remained for long under the Bengal Presidency and became one unit on April 1, 1922. Madhusudan Das, whose love and sacrifice for Odisha have never been respectfully told by historians, was the greatest brain behind making Odisha a State.
The first Odia graduate and lawyer, he was a stupendous genius in every field who sacrificed everything to make the Odias proud as a race by setting up industrial units to train and employ Odias with a view of eradicating poverty in those days. Madhubabu was also an unparalleled social reformer who had saved the race from disintegrating into oblivion by removing superstitions and shameful social practices.
As a Minister, he represented Odisha like a formidable political figure and advocated special Statehood for Odisha for the first time in london at the Round Table Conference on November 16, 1930. He earned millions as a leading lawyer but spent the last paisa on projects that would uplift the poor. British masters could not dismiss his proposal of a State and started working on the idea with seriousness.
This saint of a son of Odisha died a pauper on February 4, 1934 at an age of 85 without seeing Odias basking in the glory of being recognised arace with a State of their own. The Odias have nearly forgotten him today.
Maharaja Krushnachandra Gajapati was also a unique nationalist. He donated most part of his wealth to make India independent and Odisha a State. There were many others like Gopabandhu Das, Gaurishankar and Radhanath Ray who too did their best to keep up the Odia pride. Utkalmani Gopabandhu is too well-known and rightly so, but Utkalgaurab Madhubabu has been grossly underrated.
He remains one of the greatest literary masters of the time with superb essays and poems that are invaluable. No big enterprise or institution has been named after him, except a law college and a few nondescript lanes and by-lanes of some towns.
Sir John Austin Habback was the Governor of Bengal Presidency who played a major role in formalising the process making Odisha a State. Maharaja Krushnachandra was made the first Prime Minister of Odisha on April 1, 1937. After independence in 1947, the provincial political heads were named Chief Minister instead of Prime Minister.
Successively, fourteen Chief Ministers have ruled Odisha from four political parties, Congress, Janata Party, Swatantra Party and the Biju Janata Dal, the last one being a strange outfit with a Chief Minister considered a magician. Nandini Satpathy has been the only woman CM. Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo is the second ‘monarch’ head of the State after Krushnachandra Gajapati.
Janaki Balalv Patnaik is the first career journalist to become CM who created history by ruling for a full term for the first time. Biju Patnaik around the Emergency period had become a legend. He lived from thereon in the hearts of Odias as a messiah and continues to do so eighteen years after his death.
The BJD was formed by the Biju followers who knew too well that the ‘Biju’ expression would sell forever. Naveen is the modern-day Kapilendra Dev, a poor village boy who became king by a stroke of luck. Naveen is any day cleverer than his iconic father, who was liberal in matters of human relationship. He forgave bitterest enemies and the most dangerous detractors with a single verbal appeal. But Naveen is known for his ruthless political decisions and conduct.
He ensures dissent and rebellion are crushed instantly to sleep and eat well. Naveen uses only the two trademark sentences “We are looking into the matter” and “The law will take its own course”. The masses trust him, mainly for the material sops he doles out from time to time. No wonder, he keeps winning all elections.
A mindboggling fourth term with a record number of victors has turned the BJD a monopoly outfit with unforgivable arrogance. The party is condemned by intellectuals as one with more bureaucratic bosses than political, mainly because the CM does not trust the semiliterate elected representatives.
Odisha attained Statehood on a day celebrated over pranks and practical jokes played on friends in the Western world. Perhaps, the jokes have stuck to Odisha as a mark of respect for the long gone colonial masters from the West. lately, Naveen has launched a Rs 5-meal scheme in five cities with promised support from public sector undertakings. But all the potential benefactors, Nalco, MCl and RSP, said ‘No’ to Aahaar because it did not serve any worthy social purpose.
Similarly, people have not liked the Rs 1-rice scheme for it is believed that the youths have been rendered lazy and unproductive. That populist schemes have retrograde effects on human development initiatives is probably not known to BJD leaders. However, the State-controlled PSUs including OMC have been coerced to cough out funds for making the Aahaar scheme a reality. Financial implications will be anlysed sòon as the money from these organisations belongs to the people, not to the BJD.
The Government of India finally dumped the Bharat Ratna on a great statesman and a forgotten late educationist-freedom fighter, only after the previous UPA regime made a mockery of the highest civilian award by forcibly making it available for an entertaining cricketer. The whole civilised world had raised concerns over the devaluing of the ‘Ratna’ by the Government then.
Hundreds of sensitive citizens had protested against Tendulkar getting it. But the UPA strategists believed that’s how young votes would flow in their favour. Billionaire Sachin became a Ratna by a time when he was already a defaulting Parliamentarian and a senior Air Force officer. Bharat Ratna is bestowed on truly great people who have lived a life of exemplary austerity, integrity and contribution to society with a deep sense of selfless service and sacrifice particularly in the fields of art, music, science and, above all, public service.
Sports never figured there because, for that category, the country has kept away scores of prizes and awards with laurels mostly and handsome monetary benefits. Malaviya is in heaven and Vajpayee is so ill that he perhaps does not know what is happening to him or the immediate surroundings. So, the Ratna will not matter at all to the recipients.
Only the people suffer witnessing humiliating things happening. Dhyanchand for whom the world appealed to the selectors has been totally forgotten. People now say that the famous world chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and world badminton topper Saina Nehwal are prides of India; so they must take the Ratna home. They make much less money and are believably humbler.
The Modi-lead NDA Government should have first upgraded the Ratna and then bestowed it on the great sons of the soil. Entertainers have a right to rewards but certainly not to the Ratna grade of decorations. Saif Ali Khan was given a Padmashri.
But he became sane and has decided to give it back because there was a big outcry against him. But the selectors need to be punished rather than the undeserving recipients. There is still time to have things amended. The givers and the takers have only to wake up.
lastly, on this day years ago, historic things had happened that at least the young people must know for getting inspired. On April 2, 1800, German pianist and composer Beethoven performed his first symphony publicly. He has been immortalised for his magnificent compositions. American entrepreneur Joseph Dixon started manufacturing the ‘lead pencil’ (actually graphite) on this day in 1827.
The first movie theatre in the world named the ‘Electric Theatre’ opened for public in los Angeles in 1902 on this day. More interestingly, Mary Hirsch of Texas in the US was the first woman to be recognised as a professional horse trainer in 1935 on April 2.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)