On April 1, Odisha and the Odia community will commemorate the birth anniversary of the State. Taking this opportunity, RUP NARAYAN DAS introspects the various notions of Odia identity today
Come April 1, Odisha and the Odia community will commemorate the birth anniversary of the State. The occasion calls for an introspection of the changing contour of Odia identity. Odia identity is not much different from the identity of its presiding deity lord Jagannath. The temporal and the spiritual lord is now universally worshiped. Perhaps there is no major city in the world or for that matter no major towns in India where there is no temple of lord Jagannath. Delhi and the NCR itself boast of at least half a dozen temples of the lord. If Jagannath is ubiquitous, so are the Odias. like Jagannath, Odias are a contented lot, not aggressive and pushy. But that docile identity is now slowly, but subtly changing.
If Jagannath is the iconic deity of the State, whose following is now spreading the world over, the intricate and yet expressive Odishi dance is the hallmark of the culture of the State. The exquisite Sambalpuri saree in its various shades of colours is the fashion statement with its niche clientele among the intelligentsia and the intellectuals. The silver filigree works of Odisha is yet another sought after gift items for the guests and visitors from home and abroad. The Odia pride received yet another accolade when the Union Cabinet recognised Odia as one of the chosen six classical languages of India along with Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam in February 2014. This is a vindication of the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the state.
Is it possible to profile them with some common characteristics or attributesIJ The honest answer will be perhaps a subdued ‘no’. Being an Odia, my impression of Odia identity will tend to be biased and prejudiced. Still at the risk of being ridiculed, let me make an attempt to profile the identity of an average Odia. Be that as it may, like any other community the Odias are a heterogeneous group. In Delhi, if you call a plumber, more often than not, you will find him to be an Odia. No one really knows how they have mastered this hydro-engineering. Is it a tradition with them or endemic to the regionIJ Move a step ahead in the social ladder, you will find them as office boy or as an office assistant in corporate houses, small or big, in the entire NCR. As job opportunities are not plenty in Odisha, educated Odias migrate to different parts of the country, and also abroad for a livelihood. Their intelligence, honesty, sincerity and hard work impress owners of companies, who employ them in different capacities. Still one notch higher in the ladder you will find them in the labyrinthine of Delhi’s Krshi Bhavan, Sashtri Bhavan to Rail Bhavan, working as Section officers or under secretaries enjoying the absolute confidence of their IAS officer bosses, many of them by chance could be Odias. Incidentally, currently there are about a dozen Odia secretary level officers either from Odisha cadre of the IAS or from other State cadres of the civil service. At the helm of affairs there is the all powerful Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Modi PK Mishra, who is dubbed as the 33rd most powerful man in the country even above Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaisankar. Powerful and yet humble, humane and modest, Mr Mishra enjoys the full confidence and trust of the PM.
Thus the identity of the State and its people has been evolving in recent times and there has been a churning of socio-economic and political processes of the State and its people which is not very different from other States of the country. They have, it seems woken up from the slumber of the past. Incidentally it may be mentioned that the then BBC correspondent in India Daniel lak on a visit to the State capital Bhubaneswar some years ago described the State as ‘siesta country’, in one of his regular columns in India Today, when he found shops closed in the afternoon in order to enable owners to take a nap. The laidback attitude of the people and their homesickness have now given way to upward mobility particularly in niche service sector both in Government and private sectors vertically and horizontally. While taking up a secured Government job has always been a sought after career opportunity for an average Odia, quite a few have been successful at the elite civil services examinations. Through sheer hard work, honesty and diligence some of them have distinguished themselves and have come to occupy top echelons of Government bureaucracy.
The State in recent past has produced some of finest achievers in diverse fields ranging from politics to poetry. Quite a few well-meaning politicians from Odisha have made their mark in Parliament. While Chief Minister Nabin Pattanaik, the illustrious son the indomitable Biju Pattanaik carved out a niche for himself as a suave and astute politician holding his head high among his peers, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals proved his political mettle winning over the confidence of PM Modi. He navigates the powerful and the resourceful ministry with great efficiency managing India’s energy resources thoughtfully and imaginatively. He has also proved his political acumen. Yet another indomitable figure from Odisha in BJP’s national edifice is its national spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra. His performances as the spokesperson of BJP on the national TV channels have been formidable, to say the least. He is forceful both in English and Hindi, not to mention Odia. His cerebral mind is truly amazing. He carries himself with great conviction. The performance of BJD MPs notably that of its Party leader in lok Sabha, Bharatruhari Mahtab, Jay Pand, Tathagata Satpathy, and Kalikesh Singh Deo can make the State proud in terms of their splendid performances as outstanding parliamentarians upholding the best parliamentary tradition. In fact, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that the BJD has emerged as the principled opposition, if not the principal, opposition party in Parliament.
Odias have done remarkably well outside the State and abroad. While in the IT industry they are now spread all over India in other services, including, in the private sector also. How many, even from Odisha, know that the founder CEO of the Bengaluru based IT major Mind Tree is Subrat Bagchi, a graduate from OdishaIJ Today, he is a management guru whose motivational management books are bestsellers and his lectures are heard with great aplomb in the reputed management institutes. Medical profession seems to be one area where the presence of Odia doctors are pronounced. In Delhi alone, it is estimated that there are a sizeable number of Odia doctors serving in various medical institutions in the country, starting from AIIMS and the private hospitals, to CGHS dispensaries. Odia doctors in Delhi, particularly in AIIMS such as Padmasree Subrat Acharya and Dr RC Rath in the Oncology Department, have earned name and fame internationally. Teaching and Research are yet some other professions which come closer to the natural calling of an average educated Odia. It is not surprising, therefore, that some of the promising students from the State who come to Delhi for higher education end up in the faculties of Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Not only that they have distinguished themselves as professors of eminence, they have also proved their activism as thinking intellectuals.
Though gifted with native intelligence and perseverance, Odias are yet to make their mark in a significant way on the national map. The State and its people do not have an industrial or entrepreneurial culture, and as such it has yet to come out of the paradigm of underdevelopment and backwardness. Perhaps the second generation, after attaining economic security and social positioning can venture into the realm of business, industry and entrepreneurship. Odisha’s belated industrialisation also holds hope for churning of this socio-economic process. Only when there is high degree of economic growth, perhaps the state and it’s people can venture into other challenging and creative areas, like sports, business and entrepreneurship.
The writer is a director in the Research and Information Division of the lok Sabha Secretariat. Views are personal