Dr Harekrushna Mahtab was a great freedom fighter, diplomat, politician, administrator, writer, social reformer and to top them all - a great journalist.
He was fondly known as the “Lion of Odisha” or Utkal Keshari by the people. He was extremely influenced by Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Pundit Gopabandhu Das and Kulabruddha Madhusudhan Das. Dr Mahtab was born in a small Vaishya family at Agarpada of Bhadrak district on November 21, 1899.
He could not resist the temptation of listening to the clarion call of the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi; as a result of which, he left the college education halfway to participate in“Padyatra”, as part of the freedom movement in Odisha. When Subash Chandra Bose became the president of the Indian National Congress, Dr Mahtab was the first Odia who became the member of the working committee.
During this time he had actively participated in the freedom struggle, the movement like Salt Satyagraha, but during “Quit India Movement” in 1942 he was imprisoned from 1942 to 1945.
Soon after he was released from prison, he became the Chief Minister of Odisha. He served Odisha in that capacity from 1946 to 1950 and then from 1956 – 1960 and stabilised the political unrest in the state. In 1950 he served as the Cabinet Minister of Industry and Commerce under the Prime Ministership of Jawaharlal Nehru.
He was also appointed as the Governor of the undivided Mumbai State in 1955, but eventually left to become the Chief Minister of Odisha. During his Chief Ministership the Age of Industrialisation started in Odisha and many major irrigation projects were constructed. He established Odisha Textile Mills and Kalinga Tubes at Choudwar with the active efforts and dynamism of Biju Patnaik, another towering personality of Odisha. Dr Mahtab’s contribution towards establishment of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar, High Court of Odisha at Cuttack, Rourkela Steel Plant, Hirakud Dam, Odisha Sahitya Academy, Sangeet Natak Academy, Rabindra Mandap, Nandan Kanan, Barabati Stadium etc are noteworthy. He shifted the capital of Odisha from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar.
He started the “Prajatantra”, a weekly magazine in 1923 and then it became a daily newspaper in Odisha to keep the vigilant eye for the welfare of the people of Odisha. He started the “Jhankar” a magazine in Odia language and children’s magazine called the “Minabajar” which were very popular.
Through the “Prajatantra” he created a platform for the budding writers of Odisha that laid the foundation stone for the development of future Odia literature.
For the inclusive and holistic development of Odisha at large he left no stone unturned with the support of his contemporary leaders that created massive public support for him.
His contribution towards the development of the people of Odisha as a whole is immense and unmatchable. In fact, his deeds and achievements are invincible in nature. For the upbringing and nurturing of renaissance in Odisha he had laid the foundation stone which became instrumental in the development of Odisha.
(The writer is Secretary, Odisha Legislative Assembly)