The Utkal Sammillani has thanked the Union Government for allocating funds for holding 200th year of Paika Revolt and, thereby, accepting it (Paika Bidroh) as the country’s first freedom struggle against the British.
“The Utkal Sammilani is very pleased that the Union Government has indirectly accepted the Paika Revolt 1817 as the first freedom struggle of the country by allocating funds for memorising the 200th year of uprising spearheaded by Bakshi Jagabandhu. The Sepoy Mutiny is never the fist first freedom struggle,” said Sammilani’s Mancheswar Industrial Estate Branch president Dillip Dashsharma at a meeting here.
He too demanded that the Centre should make a formal announcement in this regard
The members paid rich tributes to noted theatre artist and painter Asim Basu, who passed away here on Wednesday. The painting on the cover page of the ‘Utkal Sammilani Samachar’ was continuously being done by Basu, said Branch senior member Dr Gopalkrushna Srichandan.
Among others, vice-president Sheetal Chandra Mohanty, joint secretaries Bibhuti Bhushan Swain and Ashok Kumar Palatasingh, Dr Dwarikanath Mohanty and Er Shiba Prasad Mishra were present.