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ODISHA REVIEW

E-mail : [email protected] : http://odisha.gov.inContact : 9937057528(M)

VOL. LXXVII NO.1 AUGUST - 2020

SANJAY KUMAR SINGH, I.A.S.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary

KRUPASINDHU MISHRA, O.A.S (SAG)

Director

DR. LENIN MOHANTYEditor

The Odisha Review aims at disseminating knowledge and information concerning Odisha’ssocio-economic development, art and culture. Views, records, statistics and informationpublished in the Odisha Review are not necessarily those of the Government of Odisha.

Published by Information & Public Relations Department, Government of Odisha,Bhubaneswar - 751001 and Printed at Odisha Government Press, Cuttack - 753010.

For subscription and trade inquiry, please contact : Manager, Publications, Information& Public Relations Department, Loksampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar - 751001.

Rs.5/- Five Rupees / Copy

Editorial AssistanceBikram Maharana

Production AssistanceDebasis PattnaikSadhana Mishra

Cover Design & IllustrationManas Ranjan Nayak

D.T.P. & DesignHemanta Kumar Sahoo

PhotoRaju Singh

Manoranjan MohantyNiranjan Baral

Associate EditorBIBHU CHANDRA MISHRA

CONTENTS

AUGUST - 2020

Relevance of Gandhian Ideas andPolitical Philosophy in Contemporary World Dr. Naresh Rout ... 1

Corona : A mid Summer Nightmare Sangram Keshari Kar ... 5

India’s Freedom Movement andthe Role of Tribes in Odisha Dr. S. N. Tripathy ... 6

Independence Day - A Day of Tribute Er. Raghunath Patra ... 11

Press, Nationalism andIndia’s Freedom Struggle Prof. Pritish Acharya ... 12

Making of National Flag andRole of National Congress Dr. Janmejay Choudhury ... 20

Exploring Pushpagiri University ofAncient Odisha : Going Beyond theEurocentric Knowledge System Kamalakanta Roul ... 23

In Odisha for the First Time Sarpanchesgot Collectors' Power for COVID-19Management Dr. S. Kumar Swami ... 28

Present Day Global Ecology Dr. Pramoda Ch. Pattanayak ... 30

Gandhiji, Swadeshi Spirit and Handloom Dr. Anita Sabat ... 33

Conservation of Temple Architectureof Odisha Gopal Krishna Das ... 35

Lord Ganesha :An Ocean Of Divinity and Grace Prabhudutt Dash ... 40

Reworking Sanitation Management inBackdrop of Covid-19 Dr. Pramodini Jena ... 41

Promoting Women Participation in India forGood Governance Dr. Bharati Mohanty ... 43

Government’s Rules, Incentives and Er.(Dr.) Suresh Chandra DalaiSkilled Migrant Workers Dr. Braja Kishor Padhi ... 46

Gandhiji’s Visit to Odisha : Its Impact Dr. Sudarsan Pradhan ... 51

Bapu : The Preacher of Peace Uma Shankar Prasad ... 56

Rare Solar Eclipse of the Year Nikunja Bihari Sahu ... 58

Odisha Gram Panchayats : Containments,Management and Prevention of Covid 19 Dr. Priyanath Pattayat ... 60

Sri Aurobindo and Indian Nationalism Laxmi Narayan Mallik ... 62

Odisha ReviewISSN 0970-8669

iv AUGUST - 2020

National Flag

The national flag is a horizontal tricolour ofdeep saffron (kesari) at the top, white in themiddle and dark green at the bottom in equalproportion. The ratio of width of the flag to itslength is two to three. In the centre of the whiteband is a navy blue charkha or the wheel. Itsdiameter approximates to the width of thewhite band and it has 24 spokes. The design ofthe national f lag was adopted by theConstituent Assembly of India on July 22, 1947.Its use and display are regulated by the IndianFlag Code.

Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669

vAUGUST - 2020

National Song

Vande Mataram !

Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,

Shasyashyamalam, Mataram !

Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim,

Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,

Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,

Sukhadam varadam, Mataram !

The song, Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by

Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the

people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status

with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was

sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.


vi AUGUST - 2020

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he,

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Punjab-Sindhu-Gujarat-Maratha,

Dravida-Utkala-Banga,

Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.

Tava shubha name jage, Tava shubha asisa mage,

Gahe tava jaya gatha,

Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

The playing time of the full version of the National Anthem is approximately52 seconds. A short version consisting of first and last lines of the stanza(playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions.

The song, Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali byRabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the ConstituentAssembly as the National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950. It was firstsung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian NationalCongress. The complete song consists of five stanzas.

National Anthem


viiAUGUST - 2020

'THE FATHER OF THE NATION' MAHATMA GANDHI


viii AUGUST - 2020

MARTYRS OF ODISHA

Jayee Rajguru(1739-1805)

Veer Surendra Sai(23.01.1809 - 28.02.1884)

Birsa Munda(Died in Ranchi jail in June 1900)

Baji Rout(Shot dead on 11.10.1938)


ixAUGUST - 2020

MARTYRS OF ODISHA

Raghunath Mohanty(18.07.1910 - 04.04.1941 hanged)

Dibakara Parida(30.11.1911 - 04.04.1941 hanged)

Laxman Naik(22.11.1899-29.03.1943 hanged)


x AUGUST - 2020

On this auspicious occasion of the Independence Day celebration, I extend my heartiest greetingsand good wishes to all of you, dear sisters and brothers of Utkal Pradesh. Today on this historic day, letus recall the invaluable contribution and sacrifices of the great Nationalist leaders of our FreedomMovement. In 1947 on this day, we attained freedom from the British rule following the path of ‘Ahimsa’shown by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhiji.

Let us pay our respectful homage to the great patriots of our country like Mahatma Gandhiji,Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel, Maulana Abul KalamAzad, great revolutionaries like Saheed Bhagat Singh, Chandra Sekhar Azad and great patriots of ourown soil like Jayee Rajguru, Buxi Jagabandhu, Chakhi Khuntia, Saheed Laxman Naik, Birsa Munda,Raghu Dibakar, Veer Surendra Sai and many others who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of ourCountry. Freedom Fighters like Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das,Pandit Nilakantha Das, Acharya Harihar, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, MaaRamadevi, Malati Choudhury, Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab, Biswanath Das, Parbati Giri, legendary BijuPatnaik and many others whose selfless contribution will be remembered for ages. Today, we must payour sincere and humble tributes to our valiant martyrs, our brave soldiers, numerous Freedom Fighters,scores of patriots and many unsung heroes who have all sacrificed their lives for the freedom of ourbeloved Motherland and for the country’s peace and security. We will remain indebted forever to thebrave Martyrs, Jawans and officers in uniform who have laid down their lives while defending theborders of our country and preserving its territorial integrity.

COVID-19 pandemic has now become a global challenge and Odisha is fighting this in abefitting manner. The dedication of our Covid warriors and COVID frontliners, cooperation of thepublic and the State Government is laudable. The State Government is leaving no stone unturned tofight this pandemic and protect the lives of the people. Odisha has set global benchmarks in disasterpreparedness and its management. Past expertise and experience in tackling the disaster effectively hasbeen the State's Hallmark. In the present pandemic scenario, the State's response has been dynamicand holistic with foresighted preparation and a long term vision of eradication.

Plasma therapy has been termed as a ray of hope as it would help in recovery of critical cases.Keeping this in view, Convalescent Plasma therapy for serious COVID patients has already beenimplemented in the State. State Government has opened 5 Plasma Banks and eligible Plasma donors

Message ofProf. Ganeshi Lal,

Hon'ble Governor of Odisha,on the occasion of the

Independence Day -2020


xiAUGUST - 2020

are coming forward to donate Plasma voluntarily. Odisha has encouraged community participation,effective use of technology and de-centralised decision making to effectively contain spread of thepandemic.

State Government has issued guidelines and also appealed to the public to abide by the COVID-19 guidelines. The State Government has emphasized that it is solemn commitment that no person willbe deprived of advanced medical treatment. Odisha has achieved milestones in the recovery of recordnumber of COVID patients and priority is being given to testing of more number of suspected cases.

The State Government has also stressed upon generation of employment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and has taken up manifold steps to augment livelihood options in different sectors.

Odisha is now among the few States who have introduced advanced medical procedures fortreatment of serious COVID patients. It has already achieved a milestone of 25 thousand COVIDrecovery cases which was only possible due to the commitment and dedication of thousands of frontlineCOVID warriors working incessantly to save the lives of the people. Some COVID Warriors havealso sacrificed their lives in this deadly fight. I salute the supreme sacrifice rendered by the doctors,police personnel, health workers, Asha, ANM. PRIs and also the sanitation workers engaged in thiswar against the Global Pandemic. With the sincere and co-ordinated efforts of the State Governmentand the people of Odisha, we can effectively combat and overcome any crisis. I would encourage theCOVID-19 survivors to come forward and donate Plasma and inspire many others also towards thisnoble deed.

Let us join hands and work together for saving the lives of our people, let's take a pledge toface this pandemic together in a brave and courageous manner. Let's all abide by the State Government'sCOVID guidelines and keep ourselves, our family and friends safe from the virus. By strictly adheringto the COVID protocol, we will be able to fight the pandemic more effectively, protect many peopleand save more lives.

Jai Hind.


xii AUGUST - 2020

On the auspicious occasion of Independence Day, I convey my heartiest greetings to all

of you. I also offer my deep homage to the great freedom fighters like the Father of the NationMahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Netajee Subhas Bose, Sardar Patel, Moulana Azad,Dr. Ambedkar, Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Utkalgourab Madhusudan Das, Veer SurendraSai, Saheed Laxman Naik, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Maa Rama Devi,Malati Choudhury, Parbati Giri, Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab and Biju Patnaik on this august occasion.

I pay my sincere tributes to the martyr Jawans, who have laid down their lives for theunity and security of the country.

You all know that the entire country is struggling against the deadly Corona virus for thelast 5 months. I express my deep gratitude to those COVID warriors who have sacrificed theirlives in the fight against this pandemic.

Today, the Corona virus has become a great challenge not only for India but for the entirehuman race. It has deep impact upon Education, Health, Economy, Tourism, Transportation aswell as the society as a whole. Crores of people in the world are losing their livelihoods. However,Corona can be restrained after the availability of the Vaccine. But we have to act bravely tocompensate the economic and societal loss caused by the Corona virus.

You know that the Odisha Government has opened COVID Hospitals in different areasof the State to combat the Corona virus effectively. Now Plasma therapy has been introduced forthe treatment of the patients. 5 Plasma Banks have been established. Due to the want of money,nobody in Odisha will be deprived of availing medical treatment. For this purpose, OdishaGovernment is providing all the facilities to the COVID patients free of cost. Every life is preciousto us. We are working with this mission. We are also making consistent efforts to facilitate thepatients with the best medical treatments.

Message ofShri Naveen Patnaik,

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odishaon the occasion of

Independence Day- 2020


xiiiAUGUST - 2020

During lockdown period, we have taken various steps to continue the Economic Activity.

Agricultural activities, construction work and schemes for employment generation are continuing.

Poor people and labourers are being provided with various facilities. During this period, investment

proposal worth Rs. 12,000 crore has come to Odisha. 18 % of the total investment in the

country has come to Odisha. In the field of investment, Odisha has topped the country by

surpassing Maharashtra. While the country has recorded 2.80 % growth rate in the field of

agriculture, our State witnessed a growth rate of 7.61% in this sector.

In our fight against Corona virus, the way the COVID warriors are working is

unparalleled. In India, our State has experienced a high recovery rate for the selfless service and

sacrifice of these COVID warriors. In comparison to the entire country, the death rate in Odisha

is very low. The whole Odia race is indebted for the sacrifice and service of COVID warriors.

The sacrifice, determination and service of COVID warriors along with our cooperation will

make possible the victory of Odisha, India and the entire human race.

Odia race has faced many challenges. It has created history by facing these challenges

bravely. I have a strong belief that Corona will be defeated soon. Once again the bells of the

schools will start ringing and the victorious march of the human race will go on.

Jay Hind.


xiv AUGUST - 2020

I convey my greetings to all of you on the auspicious occasion of 74th Independence Day,

2020.

15th August is a day of pride, glory and happiness for all of us. Our country achieved

Independence from British rule due to the freedom struggle led by our forefathers. The sacrifices

made by our Freedom Fighters are archived in the annals of history. After 73 years of Independence,

the bravery and patriotism shown by our numerous freedom fighters keeping aside their self interest

has a vivid impact in the minds of the people of our country. Starting from Jayee Rajguru and Veer

Surendra Sai to Birsa Munda, we are greatly inspired when we recall their role in the freedom

struggle. They have gone through a lot of pain and hurdles to achieve this Independence. The supreme

sacrifices of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhas

Chandra Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Saheed Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, Aruna Asaf

Ali, Prafulla Chaki and great patriots like Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Utkal Gourab

Madhusudan Das, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Acharya Harihar, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Nabakrushna

Choudhury, Maa Rama Devi, Malati Choudhury, Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab, Parbati Giri and

Legendary Biju Patnaik and many others will be remembered forever in the history of our country.

I pay my deep tributes to the patriots on the occasion of this Independence Day.

We are trying our best to fulfill the dream that our great Freedom Fighters had dreamt about

an Independent India. Though we have achieved success in many fields, we still have miles to go

further.

We have to work with consistent effort stepping forward to combat the obstacles on the

path of development. Now the world is passing through the Corona virus pandemic. Our country as

Message ofShri Raghunandan Das,

Hon’ble Minister, Water Resources,Information & Public Relations

on the occasion ofIndependence Day- 2020


xvAUGUST - 2020

well as our State has not been debarred from this grave situation. But from our past experience of

management of disasters in our State, we have successfully managed to contain the spread of

Covid-19. Keeping in view the safety of the lives of the people, our State Government has left no

stone unturned to manage it. Focussing on effective adherence to Covid-19 Protocols, Quarantine

Centres, Special Covid Hospitals, Covid Care Homes, Plasma therapy have helped to contain this

pandemic. Our recovery rate is high and death rate is low in comparison to National average. This

has been possible due to untiring effort of our Covid warriors and frontliners who are working

round the clock and above all with the cooperation of all. We have to be patient enough and obey

Covid-19 guidelines to combat this pandemic so that we will win and Corona will be defeated.

Our beloved Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik is committed for a transformational citizen-

centric governance starting from grassroot level to the apex stage of our administration. The State

has achieved its distinction in implementation of various Social Welfare measures and schemes.

On the 74th Independence Day, let us all take pledge to take our State to a new height in all

spheres in the coming days.

Jai Hind.

Vande Utkal Janani.


xvi AUGUST - 2020

Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri


xviiAUGUST - 2020

Shree Jagannath in the Chariot "Nandighosha "

The Chariots Waiting for the Chaturddhamurtti


xviii AUGUST - 2020

Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik paying his reverence to Lord Shree Jagannath

Amid COVID-19 restrictions Chariots being pulled by the Sevayats


xixAUGUST - 2020

Suna Besha of Lord Balabhadra


xx AUGUST - 2020

Devi Subhadra in Golden Attire


xxiAUGUST - 2020

Suna Besha of Lord Shree Jagannath


xxii AUGUST - 2020

On March 13th I had stated “Very few times in the history of the world have human beings as a racefaced challenges beyond their comprehension”. Almost into 5 months the pandemic has affected everycountry of the world. Even countries that did well have again come in the grip. Every state of India isaffected and nearly one lakh cases are being added every second day. India is now 3rd in the world.

Odisha on its part has been boldly facing this challenge. I would like to present a deep sense ofgratitude to all covid warriors who have been in the frontline fighting the invisible enemy. It isbecause of their hard work, dedication and sacrifice that more than eighteen thousand peoplehave been cured and Odisha has saved more people than most states of the country. It’s not aneasy task to work continuously in an environment of uncertainty, but our covid warriors in spiteof getting infected, inspite of their lives been lost have put up a valiant front for the last 150 days.

I can proudly say that my Odia brothers and sisters as covid warriors are not just doing workfor salary but working for a mission to save every Odia possible. Let me as the Leader of theHouse humbly say that the dedication and sacrifice of our covid warriors is an inspiration for entireOdisha. I see a Gopabandhu Das, a Madhubabu, a Maa Rama Devi, a Parvati Giri in each oneof your sacrifices. I have been talking personally to some of our Covid warriors.

"I am sure, the Odisha that will evolve postpandemic will be much stronger and

prosperous."- Naveen Patnaik

Chief Minister


xxiiiAUGUST - 2020

I appeal to people of Odisha to respect our warriors, to treat them with dignity and co-operatewholeheartedly. I assure all the Hon’ble Members that the State will put every resource in its commandto fight this pandemic and save peoples’ lives. Funds will never be a constraint when it involves protectingour people.

From travel to Quarantine to testing to tracing and treatment, food, accommodation,everything has been provided free of cost. When in many States hospitals are charging lakhs ofrupees for treatment, our Govt. is providing everything free of cost. Whatever best treatment isavailable in any part of the world, Odisha will implement the same and make it accessible to ourpeople free of cost. We recently started Plasma therapy and we are seeing encouraging results.

Further, I also spoke to the CEO of Serum Institute regarding vaccines. This pandemic has had a hugeeconomic impact globally, nationally and locally. Every family in the world has been affected. OurState through a series of livelihood interventions and industrial sector initiatives is trying to kickstart theeconomy.

I am hopeful that our efforts will bear fruit. Odisha has seen so many calamities in the past and itis in our blood to fight with our might and come back stronger. I am sure, the Odisha that willevolve post pandemic will be much stronger and prosperous.

I appeal to all the Hon’ble Members to take personal care of themselves and also provide inspiringleadership in your constituencies. Three of our Hon’ble Members were affected and I am happy tonote that all of them have recovered.

Please take care of the Covid Warriors in your areas, encourage plasma donation and educatepeople at large to follow social distancing, wear masks and practice hand washing. Whether it isa natural disaster or a pandemic, my primary objective is to save every human life and I appealto my family of four and half crores to follow all the guidelines of Government.

Government cannot be there in every house or street to enforce rules. It is the individualresponsibility of each one of us to jointly fight this pandemic.

The entire Assembly and all Hon'ble members are in this together.

Bande Utkal Janani.

(Address of Hon’ble Chief Minister to MLAs at the Sensitization Workshop on COVID-19)


xxiv AUGUST - 2020

Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik launched 8 technology driven solutions under 5T initiativesfor Home and GA & PG Departments through video conferencing.

The 5T Initiative (Technology,Transparency, Teamwork and Time,Leading to Transformation) model ofgovernance, launched in August 2019,requires each department of the StateGovernment to draw up an annual work-plan for faster, better public service deliverysystems leading to achieve transformationalgoals.

Launching the services, Chief MinisterShri Naveen Patnaik said that the 5T modelof governance along with Mo Sarkar hasbrought about a perceptible improvementin the quality of governance and has easedthe delivery of public services.

The Chief Minister expressed happiness thatOdisha is the first state in the country tohave put in place an advanced systemwhich uses space technology and artificialintelligence to safeguard precious Govt. lands in Bhubaneswar and ensure planned development.Shri Patnaik hoped that it will bring in greater efficiency in overall management of Govt. assets andenhance the accountability along with easier access to Govt. resources by the citizens.

Speaking on his vision for the state the Chief Minister said that we must ensure that all public servicesare delivered online and no citizen needs to visit a Govt. office for this purpose. Since the earlier

"Odisha first state to use space technology tosafeguard government lands in Bhubaneswar."

- Naveen PatnaikChief Minister


xxvAUGUST - 2020

deadline of 15th August 2020 has been delayed for Covid, the Chief Minister extended the new datelineto 2nd October 2020, and asked all the departments to ensure online delivery of all public services bythen.

Speaking on the occasion Chief Secretary Shri Asit Tripathy said our 5T initiative has made Odisha amodel state in governance in the entire country. and 105 types of services are being provided online. Healso appreciated the efforts of Home and GA departments in this regard.

Principal Secretary, Home gave the introductory remarks. Among others Skill Development AuthorityChairman, Chief Adviser to CMO, DC, Secretary to Chief Minister (5T) and senior officers werepresent. The technology solutions for public service launched today are :

1. BLUIS - BHUBANESWAR LAND USE INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM

BLUIS is the flagship development of GA & PG Dept under which a web and mobile-based solutionhas been developed to monitor changes in all government lands in Bhubaneswar by leveraging highresolution satellite imagery, thus making Odisha the first state in the country to tap space technologyand Artificial Intelligence for safeguarding government lands.

BLUIS is a geo-tagged repository of all the government lands in Bhubaneswar, created through highresolution satellite imagery to detect all changes taking place on government lands. The mobile app alsoenables crowd sourcing cases of unauthorised land use and can also be used by citizens to report anyunauthorised development taking place over geo-tagged government lands.

2. E-Pravesh - VISITOR PASS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(www.epasscitizen.odisha.gov.in)

e-Pravesh is a web and mobile based application with facial recognition technology to ease andauthenticate entry for visitors to LokSeva, Rajiv Bhawan and Kharavel Bhawan. QR Code feature hasbeen provided as an alternate verification tool for the security personnel.

3. E-Bhawan - ODISHA BHAWAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(www.bhawan.homeodisha.gov.in)

e-Bhawan is an online system designed to provide government officials, public representatives andcitizens easier access to booking rooms and other facilities provided by Bhawans located in otherstates. It provides online reservation and allotment, real time status tracking and multiple paymentoptions for settlement of bills (cash/card/e-Banking/POS).

4. E-Atithi - STATE GUEST HOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Comprehensive intranet solutions for management of State Guest House, Bhubaneswar, developed forefficient management of the operations of the Guest House. e-Atithi will streamline processes andenhance the guest experience.


xxvi AUGUST - 2020

5. HRMS 2.0

Human Resources Management System www.hrmsodisha.gov.in

HRMS 2.0 is a web and mobile based application that serves as a single window platform for allpersonnel related transactions for employees. It includes G2E services such as online leave application,online loan and advance application, e-Service Book, etc.

6. HRMS Mobile App

An HRMS mobile app has been developed with a leave application interface and provision for payslipgeneration.

7. LMS 2.0

Litigation Management System www.orissalms.in

LMS 2.0 is an online application to record information of legal cases and enable end-to-endcommunication between government officials and advocates during different stages of a case. It providesa smart technology solution to monitor court cases from initiation, online appointment scheduling andallotment of case to government advocate for preparation and submission of counter affidavit.

8. ORTPSA

ONLINE MODULE www.central.ortpsa.in

The ORTPSA Online Module is a dynamic dashboard for monitoring delivery of notified public servicesincluding integration of online services with a central monitoring system. 105 online services have beenmapped on the dashboard developed under Central Monitoring System. An online Appeal and RevisionFiling Module has also been developed to redress the grievances of citizens regarding delay in servicedelivery.


xxviiAUGUST - 2020

Odisha has been putting up a brave fight againstCOVID-19 in last five months and have seengood successes. This has been possible forthe untiring efforts of all our frontline COVIDwarriors and people’s representatives.

We have been dynamically assessing thesituation and preparing advance plan forcreating adequate infrastructure, procuringadequate testing kits and consumables. In themeanwhile, in a span of three weeks, we couldestablish five Plasma Therapy units fromscratch. I appreciate the efforts theadministration and doctors and all connectedmedical professionals of those Hospitals.Hon’ble Ministers have been assignedresponsibilities to motivate people on PlasmaDonation. The concept of Plasma Donationmust be popularised at all levels. To take our

fight against COVID-19 to the next level, we have decided to substantiallyenhance the testing during the coming weeks. Happy to note that yesterdaywe have done about 32 thousand tests. The Collectors are advised tolead the programme to conduct tests at sub-divisional hospitals andcommunity health centres. BDOs and PRIs should play an active role inmotivating people to voluntarily come forward for testing and furtherlaunch a campaign at local levels to destigmatize the COVID-19 positivepersons.

Considering Global experiences as well as experiences from differentstates that home isolation provides better and early healing forasymptomatic and persons with mild symptoms, our Government has allowed home isolation as the

"For us every life is precious"

- Naveen PatnaikChief Minister, Odisha

We have ramped of testing. Wehave one of the highestrecovery rates in the countryand we have one of the lowestfatality rates in the country.We are one of the few states inthe country who is providinguniversal care for Covidpatients completely free ofcost.


xxviii AUGUST - 2020

preferred mode, both in urban and rural areas. Wherever, such persons who have no such facilities athome, they will be taken care of in the COVID Care Centre and Covid Care Homes.

Home Isolation must be promoted as a good practice. The fear for the disease and stigma around itmust be removed from the minds of the people and communities so that more and more people wouldopt for home isolation.

A home isolation kit comprising dos and don’ts, few basic medicines and a list of telephone numbers ofDoctors, Counsellors/ Tele-medicine professionals and Government officials may be distributed amongall such persons to enable them to call appropriate numbers regarding medical, psycho-social and otherassistance if and when required.

An appealing and convincing IEC campaigns may be launched to prevent stigmatisation of the Covidpositive persons in the community. I urge the Public Representatives and members of Panchayati RajInstitutions to carry the message to the people against such stigmatisation.

Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur and Sundargarh Districts need focus. With efforts of Covid warriors and ourstrategies, we are putting a good fight against the speed of the Pandemic.

We have ramped of testing. We have one of the highest recovery rates in the country and we have oneof the lowest fatality rates in the country. We are one of the few states in the country, providing universalcare for Covid patients completely free of cost. From testing to treatment to food, transport,accommodation, everything is provided free of cost, and the objective is because of financial problem,nobody should suffer without being able to get treatment in Odisha.

For me and my Government every life is precious and we should work towards saving more lives.

Bande Utkal Janani.

(Hon'ble Chief Minister's Observation at COVID Review on 12.08.2020.)

1AUGUST - 2020


Today, the path and means used by MahatmaGandhi have become more relevant not just inIndia, but elsewhere too where people have beensuppressed or injustice has been institutionalized.Over many centuries, world civilization haswitnessed countless instances of warfare, battles,and conflicts. Gandhi’s concepts and definitionsof truth and non-violence as absolutes are valuesto be aspired for not just the better co-existencebut enhanced quality of life for all and a strife-free world. Gandhi may not have the wholeanswer to today’s world but it can becomplemented with other ideas to great success.Mahatma Gandhi’s principles have become moresignificant for today’s society which is sufferingfrom social evils, political corruption, terrorismand communal violence. His thought-provokingquotes : “An eye for an eye will only make thewhole world blind.” The main pillars of hisphilosophy were non-violence, tolerance ofothers, respect for all religions and a simple life.Gandhi is relevant to the country as a subject ofstudy.

Today, peace has predominantly becomepolitical work towards settlement of issuesbetween the nations through military involvement,cessation of arms and weapons and dialogue onless-violent, civilian matters. In many parts of the

Relevance of Gandhian Ideas andPolitical Philosophy in Contemporary World

Dr. Naresh Rout

world, violence is being used as a means to endthe settlements and political vengeance. Every timepeace is ignored and peaceful talks have beendisregarded, a plot for violence is seeded. It growson and on to spread a larger network of terrorand violence and finally it empowers the wholenation. More talks and less action stimulate thesame effect and become complex with it.Collectively, the force of terror and violencebecomes the superior power, and the peacefulmissions and strategies become futile. Yet, the trueobjective of the entire episode of violence anddisharmony will never be met by violent means.Peace and non-violence are the two pillars of anypeace process that upholds the very livelihood ofhuman race. These two are in-separable. Peacemust be the fruit of any non-violent action orprotest to settle a dispute. Only such a resolvedstate of dispute will be full of peace and harmony.

Global peace has been hindered by manychallenges that include both natural and human-made causes. The rationale behind achievingpeace is in the positive understanding of “give andtake”, humanity, forgiveness and nonviolence. Theright understanding will take the world in the rightpath. As an exemplary figure in politics, spiritualityand nation building, Gandhi must also beunderstood rightly. Mahatma Gandhi can be

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looked upon as one of the greatest visionaries. Itwas the unique non-violent movement under hisleadership that earned for India freedom from thecolonial rule. In spearheading the campaign againstthe alien rule, Gandhiji adopted the innovativemethod of civil disobedience and socialtransformation, which had several exemplaryfeatures. He never resorted to violence in hisresistance. This implies the rejection of war,espionage and crooked diplomacy, even whenthey are adopted for the so-called noble ends ofdefending the country, religion or humanity. Todaywe do not have respect and tolerance for eachother, giving rise to regional, racial and religiousconflicts among various sectors of our societies.We have become so impatient with each otherthat we are trying to solve our differences by usingviolence rather than through peaceful dialogue orlogic. We do not respect others’ views or feelings;it is either “my way or the highway”. Violencebecomes an instrument of solving our differences,whether racial, religious or any other kind.Therefore more than ever before, Gandhiji’steachings are valid today.

Gandhi is rightly called the Father of theNation because he single-handedly stood upagainst the mighty British Empire, without anyarms, and brought her independence. However,today, Gandhi is mostly forgotten and his relevancequestioned even by his ardent devotees. TodayGandhi is remembered in India mostly on hisbirthday which is celebrated as a national holidayrather as a ritual.

As a matter of fact, India is not followingany of Gandhi’s teachings which are mostlyconfined to text books. In fact, sinceindependence, the country has witnessed manyviolent communal riots in this multi communalcountry. Gandhi’s message of ‘swabalambi’, self-sufficiency with home spun ‘khadi’ cloth is not

used now a days even as a social slogan. Statisticsshow that the country is definitely not following‘sarvodaya’, a broad Gandhian term meaning‘universal upliftment’ or ‘progress of all’ reachingthe masses and the downtrodden. On the contrary,India today has the unique distinction of being theonly country in the world which has the richestman in the world while at the same time morethan 30 per cent of its population lives in direpoverty.

This shows that today, Gandhism is avery confused ‘ism’ in India. Today manypoliticians in India use the term merely as a sloganand the common man make Gandhi almost out ofreach of the younger groups by making Gandhian unwilling ‘avatara’. That may be one reasonwhy the only photo we see of Gandhi in India isalways that of an old man which brings the imageof a very simple and pious man who was meekand mild like Jesus Christ. While Gandhi was nota simple man to say the least, the above does notgive the right image of Gandhi and does not bringany inspiration to the younger group, the groupmost relevant for Gandhi.

In real world, Gandhi was a politician, ashrewd politician, who was trying to bring peaceand harmony to India on one hand while trying tobring her independence at the same time. ForGandhi, the process of change was very importantwhich must be ethical, nonviolent and democraticgiving rights to all minorities. In this respect, heresembles the Buddha for whom the nobleeightfold path (of right wisdom, right conductand right effort), itself is the goal and essence oflife. Once we realize this, we realize the essenceof Gandhism and realize that it would be wrongto premise that Gandhism is dead in the world.Like Buddhism, which is mostly prevalent now-a-days outside India, the country of its

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birth, Gandhism today is alive and active outsideIndia. In fact, today there is hardly any country inthe world where some activities are not going onalong Gandhian lines. There are very fewcountries in the world where something or theother is not being done, achieved or organized inthe name of Gandhi. In short, there is a globalnon-violent awakening and awareness afterGandhi. The name of Mahatma Gandhitranscends the bounds of race, religion and nation-states, and has emerged as the prophetic voiceof the twenty-first century. Today, Gandhi isremembered for his passionate adherence to thepractice of non-violence and his supremehumanism, in every corner of the world.

One would wonder, what may be therelevance of Gandhi in this all-pervadingmaterialistic, agnostic and consumerist culture?What is the significance of Gandhi to the modernworld and what is the secret of his success?Gandhi has been a great light for the Tibetan leaderDalai Lama who puts Gandhi’s success in rightperspective. He said, “Many ancient Indianmasters have preached ahimsa, non-violenceas a philosophy. That was mere philosophicalunderstanding. But Mahatma Gandhi, in thistwentieth century, produced a verysophisticated approach because heimplemented that very noble philosophy ofahimsa in modern politics, and he succeeded.That is a very great thing.”

And that is precisely the greatness ofGandhi and that is the message of Gandhi to themodern world. In the past century many placesin the world have been drastically changedthrough the use of brute force, by the power ofguns - the Soviet Union, China, Tibet, Burma,many Communist countries in Africa and South

America. But eventually the power of guns willhave to be changed by the will of the ordinarypeople. As Dalai Lama said, “We have big wargoing on today between world peace and worldwar, between the force of mind and force ofmaterialism, between democracy andtotalitarism.” To fight these big wars thecommon ordinary people in this modern ageneed Gandhism. If we try to analyze the secretsof Gandhi’s success, we would probably find Faithand Action and Populism, the three most importantaspects of his life. Gandhi’s extraordinarycommunion with the masses of ordinary peoplewas another secret. In contrast to many of ourpresent day leaders of this highly democraticworld, Gandhi was a true leader and friend of thepeople. Daisaku Ikeda, the Japanese Buddhistleader who takes great inspiration from Gandhihas this to say about him. “His activism is notmere action but contains many aspects of aspiritual ‘practice’ that is inspired by the innerurging of the conscience”.

The phenomenal success Gandhiregistered in far-away South Africa fighting forhuman rights and civil liberties has greatsignificance when we find that later his teachingswere adopted not only by Nelson Mandela, theSouth African freedom fighter, but it was alsosubsequently revealed that the former SouthAfrican president De Klerk was greatly influencedby Gandhi’s principles. In fact, from Dalai Lamato Desmond Tutu and from Martin Luther Kingto Nelson Mandela, many world leaders wereinspired by Mahatma Gandhi, all in their owndifferent ways.

Dr. Martin Luther King was very muchinspired by Gandhi. Like Gandhi, King likedThoreau’s idea - ‘that men should not obey evil

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or unjust laws’; and he found that Gandhi hadwon freedom for his country from British ruleacting on that very principle. Like Thoreau,Gandhi believed that men should gladly go to jailwhen they break such laws. He told the peopleof India to resist the British by peaceful meansonly. They would march, they would sit down orlie down in the streets, they would strike, theywould boycott (refuse to buy) British goods, butthey would not resort to violence. There is greatresonance of the historic Salt March at Dandiwith the courageous Montgomery BusBoycott against racial segregation in UnitedStates. Dr. King said, “...If humanity is toprogress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived,thought, acted and inspired by the vision ofhumanity evolving toward a world of peaceand harmony.”

Barack Obama, the Ex-US President,sees Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration and has aportrait of the apostle of peace in his office. Hecommented, “In my life, I have always lookedto Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, becausehe embodies the kind of transformationalchange that can be made when ordinary peoplecome together to do extraordinary things.”

And so Gandhism is alive and active inthe modern world. Gandhi has inspired and willcontinue to inspire many political, social andreligious leaders all over the world. Whether isJoan Baez, the American folk singer and humanrights activist, or Cesar Chavez, the Americansocial activist, or Joanna Macy, the environmentalactivist, or Mubarak Awad, the non-violentPalestine leader and many others get differentinspirations from Gandhi in their fight.

Gandhi left many valuable sayings for themodern man to fight for goodness in society in a

non-violent way. “Good” Gandhi said “travelsat a snail’s pace.” “Non-violence” Gandhi said“is a tree of slow growth. It growsimperceptibly but surely.” And then “Meregoodness is not of much use,” Gandhi stated.“Goodness must be joined with knowledge,courage and conviction. One must cultivatethe fine discriminating quality which goes withspiritual courage and character.” The modernman can also take great wisdom from whatGandhi said the seven social sins: Politics withoutprinciples; Wealth without work; Commercewithout morality; Education without character;Pleasure without conscience; Science withouthumanity; Worship without sacrifice.

Was Gandhi a Saint? Gandhi objectedwhen people called him “a saint trying to be apolitician.” He said he would rather be “apolitician trying to be a saint.” Gandhi was nota Saint. He was a common man, but a commonman in modern world in the footsteps of Buddhaand Jesus. He said, “I have nothing new to teachthe world. Truth and Non-violence are as oldas the hills”. It may be said that, after the greatBuddha and Jesus, Gandhi once againdemonstrated that non-violence could also be aneffective instrument of social change in moderntimes. Gandhi successfully demonstrated to aworld, weary with wars and continuingdestruction that adherence to Truth and Non-violence is not meant for individual behaviour alonebut can be applied in global affairs too.

If we say that the twenty-first century isthe century of the common man, then we seethat Gandhism has even more relevance in thisage, and Gandhi will inspire generations ofindividuals fighting for goodness of the society. Iftoday we find that Gandhism is in severe test in

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countries like India, it is not because there iscertain inherent weakness in Gandhism, but it isbecause we have not seen in India strong leaderswith the required courage and conviction to fightthe evils in society. We may borrow Gandhi’s ownwords on Ahimsa, and say that Gandhism is onlyfor the courageous people.

References :

Bhatia H.L., History of Economic Thought, VikasPublishing House, 1986.

Dasgupta Ajit K., Gandhi’s Economic Thought, Taylor& Francis Ltd, Routledge Publication, 2009.

Lokanathan V., A History of Economic Thought, S.Chand Publishing, 2018.

Maharajan M., Fundamentals of Gandhian Thought,Discovery Publishing House Pvt. Ltd, 2014.

Mazumdar Sukhendu, Politico-Economic Ideas ofMahatma Gandhi, Concept Publishing Co., 2015.

Singh A.K., Gandhian thoughts of Economics, AadiPublications. 2011.

Dr. Naresh Rout, Lecturer in History, BrahmaniCollege, Dandisahi, Dist- Kendrapara, Email:[email protected]

CORONAA !!!

How fearful ! How dreadful !!People fear thee like Children seeingdarkness and shrillListening to the unravelled story of"Grandmaa" on Canibals.

Thou trespassed through Eastand devastated the WestEverybody scared of mortal combatResearchers and Scientists went on quest.

Thou Ubiquitous and formidableSpread thine pandemic tentacles inevery nook and cranyBefore an inferal holocaust(you) proved "the Science" a "Fallacy"and funny.

Corona : A Mid Summer NightmareSangram Keshari Kar

Caused a heavy genocide across the GlobeAnd menaced to shatter the human culture"Death" laid its icy touch all overAnd pushed the world in to a Crucial Juncture.

The only Panacea to maintain Social DistanceAnd the rules of Govt. to strictly adhereOne recipe of Doctors to "Rest at home"and with MaskIf not "Rest in peace" with king of Terror.

Sangram Keshari Kar, Chahapara, Mahanga, Cuttack.

6 AUGUST - 2020


Tribal Resistance Movement in Odisha:

The Scheduled Tribe populationrepresents one of the most economicallyimpoverished and marginalized groups in India.Article 366 (25) of the Constitution of India refersto Scheduled Tribes as those communities, whoare scheduled in accordance with Article 342 ofthe Constitution. Tribes constitute 23 percent ofthe total population of Odisha, represent one ofthe most economically impoverished andmarginalized groups in India. History of Odishais replete with scores of instances of such unequalbattles that became inexorable when imperialistforces came out with their mad craze for acquiringother’s territories through the use of brute force,destroying the sovereignty and freedom of freepeople and bringing in the process a holocaust to

the lives of Indian populace (Gomango, 1994,Padhi, 2001).

An extraordinary aspect of freedommovement in Odisha was the involvement of tribalpeople which provided the backbone of theresistance movement against British authority inOdisha as well as in other parts of India. Tribalresistance movement was an integral part ofFreedom Movement of Odisha against the BritishImperialism. In this historic struggle, the heroicroles played by some distinguished tribal leaderswere Laxman Naik of Koraput, Ratan Naik ofKeonjhar, Dora Bisoyee and Chakra Bisoyee ofGhumsur and Veer Surendra Sai of Sambalpur.Indeed, nothing could be more inspiring andedifying than saga of heroic struggle and sacrifice

India’s Freedom Movement andthe Role of Tribes in Odisha

Dr. S. N. Tripathy

Abstract

Almost 8.6 per cent of the total population of India (2011 census), known as ScheduledTribes is in the grip of numerous catastrophes owning to the prevalence of vicious circle ofpoverty and unemployment with rapid deteriorating common property resources. The Statesof Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat havemore than half of the total tribal population of our country. In the above backdrop, withthe help of secondary sources of data, an attempt has been made in this paper to portraythe factors which contributed for the emergence of tribal movements in the colonial Odisha.

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of galaxy of tribal personalities as mentionedabove (Panigrahi, 2011).

The most dominant representative of thetribal resistance movement was that it wasfundamentally an uprising against the foreign rulersand in that sense could be constructed to be thepredecessor of the national freedom movementwhich congregated momentum in the later stageunder the motivating leadership of MahatmaGandhi. Alienation of land ownership of tribaluprisings and eviction of tribal tenants was thedirect and inevitable outcome of this process ofinvasion of shrewd and unscrupulous traders andmoney lenders and prosperous peasants from theplains into tribal areas and enforced induction ofthe tribes into their ways.

Tribes performed as harbinger in theirstruggle for independence of our mother land. Inthe context of the Khonds of Ghumsur; who gaveclarion call against the Britishers; protested theBritish, as the latter interfered to stop the heinouspractices by the formers. The unique fact remainsthat tribes could no longer modestly succumb tothe intervention of the foreign rulers in their habitat,age old customs, rituals and cultural moors. TheKhonds killed a group of British troops, as thefarmers were misbehaved and troubled by thelatter. The British could not dare to enter into theremote hilly areas of the Khonds, because, thelatter launched guerilla warfare. The Khond ChiefDora Bisoyee was the main target of the Englishsoldiers (Report of J.A.R. Sterension, 1835). TheBritish announced handsome reward to arrest theChief. The Khond Chief Dora Bisoyee was themain target of the English soldiers (Chaudhuri,1992). Chakra Bisoyee another tribal leader ofGhumsur dared to fight against the British troops.Although the British offered him pardon, if hewould surrender but there was no positiveresponse. The British could not capture Chakra,as he escaped from place to place such as Angul

to Ghumsur, then Sonepur, Kandhmal, Ganjamand Parlakhemundi.

The British historian Hunter has remarkedthat in the annals of rural Bengal the Santhalrebellions; “what we (British army) fought wasnot a war. So long their (Santals’) drum wentbeating; they went on fighting to the last man.”About 20,000 Santals died and Hunterconcludes, “There was not a single sepoy (soldier)in the British army who did not feel ashamed.”The war of the Kondhs against British dominationhas also been extensively documented by theBritish administrators. The British sought to putan end to the rituals of human sacrifice of theKondhs.

Felix Padel* aptly mentioned that theBritish in fact exaggerated the ritual and itsviolence in order to put gloss on their efforts tosuppress this almost indomitable tribal community.Needless to mention, the British did not justsacrifice Kondh lives, they massacred them inthousands. Beginning at the middle of the 19th

century, which also corresponded with the endof the stage of direct plunder, the British policy inIndia significantly became one of support forlandlords through whom the officialdom of empiresought to protect their dominations. Every nowand then there was a deviation from this policy toaccommodate the pressure generated by anunequal agrarian society which under the impactof the market, produced peasant movements,….over the century; the peasants’ ability to resistthe landlord control of rent and the structure oflandlordism stood considerably weakened by theend of the British rule (Speech presented by MajidSiddiqi, JNU, 23rd May, 1997 cited in Das, Vidya2005).

There exists a long and illustrious list oftribal resistance movement that took place indifferent parts of Odisha. But nothing could be

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more inspiring and edifying than the saga of heroicstruggle and sacrifice of one single tribal leader ofKoraput whose feats and exploits till today arewithout a parallel. This great tribal leader is noother than Laxman Naik of Koraput(N.P.Panigrahi, 2007).

Belonged to a Bhuyan tribe, LaxmanNaik the illustrious tribal leader was born on 22ndNovember, 1899 in Tentuligumma of Malkanagiri.He occupied an eminent position and was amongthe few tribal leaders in the country to organisethe tribal people for the revolt against the BiritishRaj. He fought single-handed vehemently againstthe oppressive foreign rulers with consummateskill and rare passion of a fighter. He was the veryfountain of grit, courage and strength to countlessfollowers and co-workers and shone by rarebrilliance. He sacrificed all worldly comforts anddid not bow down before the pressure of theBritish Imperialism. This tribal hero was not welleducated, hitherto completely aware about thenational movement. He was desperate for thefreedom of this country. He became more active,when Gandhi’s message reached Koraput. Hebecame an active member of the Congress inenrolling as four “anna” or “charanna” memberof the Indian National Congress. He played acrucial role in popularizing Congress programmein Koraput. The people of Koraput and itssurrounding areas like Malkanagiri, Tentulipada,accepted him as the real hero and sacrificedthemselves for the cause of national Freedom. Hepromoted Khadi and made people aware of theCongress plan of action and took the charge ofPresident of the Congress Primary Committee atMathili in Koraput in 1942. He managed tomobilize the tribal people for various developmentworks like constructing roads, building bridgesand establishing schools. He asked the villagersnot to pay the taxes to the British Government.

During the Quit India Movement 1942, LaxmanNaik was nominated to represent Mathili. He alsooffered individual Satyagraha with other sevenfriends in 1941 in Mathili Police Station area andused non-violence as a main weapon againstcolonial power. The tribal people called him“Gandhi of Malkanagiri” (B.Devi, 1972). TheBonda tribes of this region were violent andaggressive and seized Mathili Police Station underthe leadership of Laxman Naik. The angrydemonstrators voiced patriotic slogans and asretaliation measure, the police lathi-charged onthe innocent tribal people of this area.

On 21 August 1942, Laxman Naik tookthe leadership to hoist the Tricolour atop theMathili Police Station. The police lathicharged themob and Laxman Naik was hit by a police on hisface and was lying in a small drain in front of PoliceStation. Subsequently, since Laxman Nayak wastheir leader he was deceptively implicated in amurder case of a forest guard and as a result,along with his sons and Congress workers weresent to Koraput Jail. His trial was taken by theAdditional Sessions Judge of Koraput SessionCourt and he was sentenced to death underSection 302 of I.P.C. Later on, he was then sentto Berhampur Jail for execution. At the break ofdawn on March 29, 1943, by 5.30 a.m. LaxmanNaik gallantly marched towards the gallows (S.M. Ali, 1988). In this way, this great tribal leaderstruggled against the British imperialism and at lastsacrificed his life for the motherland.

Birsa Munda and his movement

Birsa Munda (1875-1900) was an Indiantribal freedom fighter, religious leader and folk herowho belonged to the Munda tribe. Hecommanded an Indian tribal indigenous religiousmillenarian movement that rose in the tribal beltof modern day Bihar and Jharkhand** in the late19th century, during the British Raj, thereby

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making him a significant personality in the historyof the Indian independence movement. Hisachievements were even more remarkable forhaving been accomplished before the age of 25.He was born on 15 November 1875 at Ulihatu,Ranchi District, in what was then Bihar, and hencewas named after the day of his birth according tothe then prevalent Munda custom. The folk songsreflect popular confusion and refer to both Ulihatuand Chalkad as his birthplace. Ulihatu was thebirthplace of Sugana Munda, father of Birsa. Theclaim of Ulihatu rests on Birsa’s elder brotherKomta Munda living in the village and on his housewhich still exists albeit in a dilapidated condition.Birsa’s father, mother Karmi Hatu, and youngerbrother, Pasna Munda, left Ulihatu and proceededto Kurumbda near Birbanki in search ofemployment as labourers or crop-sharers(saajhedaar) or riots. At Kurmbda Birsa’s elderbrother, Komta, and his sister, Daskir, were born.From there the family moved to Bamba whereBirsa’s elder sister Champa was born followedby himself. His call against the British Raj, “Abuaraj stejana, maharani raj tandujana” (Let thekingdom of queen be ended and our kingdom beestablished.) is remembered currently in tribalareas of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengaland Bihar.

As the tribes with their primitivetechnology could not generate a surplus, non-tribalpeasantry were invited by the chiefs inChhotanagpur to settle on and cultivate the land.This led to the alienation of the lands held by thetribes. The new class of Thikadars was of a morerapacious kind and anxious to make most of theirpossessions. In 1856 the number of the Jagirdarsstood at about 600, and they held from a portionof village to 150 villages. By 1874, the influenceof the old Munda or Oraon chiefs had been almostcompletely effaced by that of the farmers,

introduced by the superior landlord. In somevillages the aborigines had absolutely lost theirproprietary rights, and had been reduced to theposition of farm labourers. During this critical timethere emerged a dedicated tribal leader, BirsaMunda a great freedom fighter. Birsa Mundaalong with the Oraon chiefs reacted vehementlyagainst the twin challenges of agrarian breakdownand culture change, through a series of revoltsand uprisings (Tripathy, 2016).

The new class of Thikadars was of a morerapacious kind and eager to make most of theirpossessions. In 1856 Jagirdars stood at about600, and they held from a village to 150 villages.By 1874, the authority of the old Munda or Oraon chiefs had been almost entirely effaced by thatof the farmers, introduced by the superiorlandlord. In some villages the aborigines hadcompletely lost their proprietary rights and hadbeen reduced to the position of farm labourers.To the twin challenges of agrarian breakdown andculture change, he along with the Mundaresponded through a series of revolts anduprisings under his leadership. The movementsought to assert rights of the Mundas as the realproprietors of the soil, and the expulsion ofmiddlemen and the British. He was treacherouslycaught on 3 February 1900 and died in mysteriousconditions on 9 June 1900 in Ranchi Jail. ThoughBirsa Munda lived for a very short span of 25years, he awakened the mindset of the tribes andmobilised them in a small town of Chhotanagpurand was a terror to the British rulers.

Nature of tribal movements in colonial India:

It is inferred from the above analysis thattribal communities have had an extensive historyof struggle against the British during the colonialperiod. It is also apparent from the aforesaidanalysis that pre-independence tribal movements

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were revolts between the evil designs ofexpansionism and the powerful instinct of self-presentation of our population (K.Gomango,1994).

Some of the tribal uprisings were directedagainst the mal-administration of the numerousfeudal chiefs, the so-called Rajas, Maharajaswho held ownership of large estates and lived ona policy of extortion and oppression. Theyrepresented as the entertainers of the imperialpower and all their action and conduct weretargeted at strengthening the foundations of theBritish rule (Tripathy, 2016).

A remarkable aspect of the resistancemovement could be attributed to immigration ofa chain of resourceful peasants, money-lendersand scribes from the coastal plains to the tribalhinterland and the process of forced assimilationof the tribes with the economic policies pursuedby the immigrants such as improvement of land,introduction of improved agricultural practices inplaces of the primitive agricultural system pursuedby tribes.

Indeed, the land revenue policy of theBritish Govt. grounded on frequent settlement andrevision of rent provided an impetus to the processof tribal land alienation, pauperization of the tribalpeasantry, the exploitation of tribes, andinterference in their customary rights, had resultedin unrest and violence in the tribal society whichculminated in to revolts against the Britishers whichmust be recognized as forerunner to the freedommovement.

Notes and References:

*For anthropological studies of the Dongaria and KutiaKondh, see: Felix Padel, 1995, The Sacrifice of HumanBeing: British Rule and the Kondhs of Orissa. Delhi:Oxford University Press; Anon., 2006, The Kandha ofOrissa, Bhubaneswar: SC and ST Research and TrainingInstitute; A.B. Ota and A. C. Sahoo, 2010, Kutia Kandha,

Bhubaneswar: SC and ST Research and TrainingInstitute; Mihir Jena et al., 2006, Forest Tribes of Orissa,volume 2: Kutia Kondh, New Delhi: DK Print World;P.S. Daspattanaik, 1984, ‘Ownership Pattern, LandSurvey and Settlement and Its Impact on the DongariaKondhas of Orissa’, Adibasi, 23 (4): 26.

**Odisha became a separate province on 1st April 1936.Prior to that part of Odisha was under Bihar.

B. Devi (1972): “Se – EK – Sphulinga” (in Odia) Cuttack,P.164.

Chaudhuri B (1992): Tribal transformation in India, Inter-India Publications, New Delhi.

Das, Vidya (2005): PESA: A reality, National consultationon PESA Act, Agragamee, Kashipur, Rayagada, Orissa.

General Report of J.A.R. Sterension to the Board ofRevenue 1835.

K. Gomango (1999): Life Style of Tribals and SocialHabits, Bhubaneswar, P.103.

N. P .Panigrahi (2007): “Tribal Leader Laxman Naik ofKoraput and His Uprising” in; The Quarterly Journal ofthe Mythic Society, Bangalore, Jan –March, Vol. XCVIII,no.1, P.84.

N. P. Panigrahi (2011) ‘Tribal Resistance Movement inOrissa: Some Reflections’, August, Orissa Review.

S. C. Padhy (2001): “Tribal Resistance to Imperialism”in Freedom Movement Prelude to sequel, Bhubaneswar,P.33.

S. K. Bhuyan (2003), Tribal Economy and New Projects,Kolkata, P.93.

S.M.Ali (1988): “Biplabi Saheed Laxman Naik” (In Odia)Souvenir, Bhubaneswar, Dec.

Tripathy, S N (2016): An analysis of tribal movements incontemporary Odisha, in Chaudhury, S.N edited booktitled, “Social Movements in Tribal India”, RawatPublication, Jaipur.

Dr. S. N. Tripathy, Former Professor of Economics,Gokhle Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune,Currently at 4th Bijoy Bihar, Berhampur, Odisha-760004,[email protected]

11AUGUST - 2020


Our humble tributes to leadersfor selfless sacrifice, contributionin valiant struggle and endless challengesin this auspicious occasion.

Our humble tributes to Martyrs,soldiers who defended borders,and for cause of our motherlandwho have laid down their lives.

Before 'Sepoy Mutiny' of 1857Our Odisha was at fore frontOf struggle laid by Buxi JagabandhuIn 1817, historic 'Paika Revolt'.

State Government had recommended todeclare 'Paika Revolt' as 'first warof Independence' to Union Govt.Instead of Sepoy Mutiny as before.

In disaster management, our StateSecured global benchmarksPlays major role in agricultureand food security, road networks.

Odisha, now known for industrial growth,anti corruption measures, governancetechnology, transparency, teamwork etc.run in progressive importance.

In education, health, women empowermenthistoric achievements noticed everElectrification, drinking water supplyto rural and urban areas developed more.

Praiseworthy decisions taken by statesto accord land rights to slum dwellerstransforming Odisha to global sportshub through successful organisations.

Through various programmes of the Statepoverty has been unthinkably reducedskill development, employment opportunityhas come to limelight, admired.

On the eve of our Independence Daypoet extends warmest greetings to allfor celebrating this auspicious occasionmay Lord Jagannath bless them all !!

Er. Raghunath Patra, Brundaban Dham, Lokanath Road,Patanahat Sahi Chhak, Puri-752001.

Independence Day - A Day of Tribute

Er. Raghunath Patra

12 AUGUST - 2020


As the title of the topic suggests the discussionwill focus on the evolution of the Press in Indiaand its relations with nationalism and freedomstruggle. This is planned to have two parts: theevolution of Press in the first part and its relationswith nationalism and freedom struggle in thesecond part. As the nationalism and the freedomstruggle have a long history the discussion will focuson the developments till the close of the 19th

century. In other words, the discussion will centrearound the evolution of the Press and its relationswith nationalism and freedom struggle till the endof the 19th century.

The Indian National Congress (INC) wasfounded in 1885 and the mass agitation beganwith the Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM)in 1920 followed by the Civil DisobedienceMovement (CDM) in 1930 and the Quit IndiaMovement in 1942. There were long interveningperiods between the different phases of massagitation. However, it is a fact that the freedomstruggle did not halt during the intervening periods.Nor did it begin suddenly at the time of the massagitation. Here comes the role of Press. The Pressgrew alongside the nationalism and took the leadrole in the political propaganda, political educationand formation and propagation of nationalistideology. Arousing training, mobilizing and

consolidating nationalist opinion became the maintask of Indian Press. The significance of the Presslies with the fact that it was there to awaken thepublic for a mass agitation. It was also there whenthe agitation was active and intense. This alsomeans that without the Press the mass agitationphase either would have been delayed or hadoccurred in a dis-jointed manner, as in the Revoltof 1857. Chronologically speaking, the Pressprecedes the growth of nationalism and freedomstruggle in India. It is their harbinger and trendsetter. It nurtured them and got them ready foractive movement. Further, its support andnurturing was never un-critical, which strengthenedthe nationalist struggle.

Nationalism and Freedom Struggle

In public parlance nationalism andfreedom struggle are synonymous. But, they arenot. Nationalism is a broader concept that justifiesthe transformation of a modern state into a nation.Freedom struggle refers to a specific agitation forthe attainment of freedom of a nation that is un-free and under bondage by another nation. In caseof India, England held her under colonial bondagefrom 1757 onwards. While fighting against colonialbondage or British colonialism for achievingfreedom India continuously strove for a nation and

Press, Nationalism and India’sFreedom Struggle

Prof. Pritish Acharya

13AUGUST - 2020


a national identity. While nationalism is generic toevery nation, freedom struggle is specific to thoseemerging nations which had been restrained fromsuch generic growth by another powerful nationor colonial power. Further, India’s nation-hoodat the end of the freedom struggle was neitherreplicating the British notion of nation-hood, noreven a going back to the pre-British era, butbuilding up of a new nation based on modern,scientific and universal values. While fighting theBritish colonialism, the nationalists also struggledagainst those obscurantist and dogmatic viewswhich had stumbled India’s rise as a modernnation. Critiquing the Sati system or child marriagesystem or untouchability or asking for mass literacyand woman education was as much a nationalistact as the anti-British activities. At the same time,Indian nationalism also did not mean an outrightrejection of all Indian traditions, rather the focuswas on a synthesis of both traditions and modernityin view of their practicality in contemporary times.

People and Nation

People and nation are inseparable. Unlikein a Pre-nation State, where the people aresubjects, the people in a nation or in a nation inthe making, as in India, are actively concernedabout the nation, its up keeping and defence. Infact, the people are the nation. However, theirevolution into a modern nation does not happensuddenly. It is a process and the people’s goingthrough the process is nationalism and nationaliststruggle. The Press comes as a link between thepeople within the nation and between the peopleof different nations. It is because of this, the Pressis seen as one of the main founding pillars of amodern nation. Since nationalism or comingtogether of people is set as an agenda, the Press

gets integrated to it. Recognition of the Press asthe ‘Fourth Pillar’ of democracy could be viewedin this context.

Nationalism emerged as a modern ideain Europe after the Renaissance and Reformationin the 15th and 16th centuries. The countries whichhad been experiencing these new developmentsset out for geographical explorations. It fetchedthem rich dividends in the form of colonialpossessions. The new possessions or colonieswere politically subjugated and the colonialrelationship, which was never based on anymutuality, was legitimized for perpetuating it.Colonialism was the new ideology that legitimizedthe unequal relationship between the colony andthe mother country. The interests of the colonyremained subservient to the interests of the mothercountry. Colonialism also meant an ideologicalhegemony of the mother country over the colony.

Gradually the people in the colony beganto realize it and strongly reacted to it. They alsostrove for a nation and national identity. Theyfought the colonial ideological hegemony. Theirreaction and crusade against the colonialhegemony could be explained as the anti-colonialmovement or the national movement. It evolvedover a long period and the Press as a modernidea remained alongside throughout. It needs amention here that all countries in Europe werenot colonial powers having colonies under themand all countries outside Europe were notcolonies under any colonial power during theperiod, i.e., the last two centuries and a half.Cyprus in Europe was a colony of England andJapan in Asia had Korea and Manchuria as hercolonies.

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PRESS and Printing Press

The noun Press means newspapers andthe journalists who work for the newspapers. Itis also known as media. However, the word pressin verb form does not have any apparent relationwith media. It means to push something firmly inorder to get a new output. For example, weightis put on a fruit to get juice out of it. This means,what is apparent may not be real and true. Weightis to be put to get the real and truth. The Pressdoes it and gets the real. In other words, questfor truth becomes the meaning and objective ofthe Press or media. With the passage of time todaywhether the Press is committed to it or deviatesfrom its basic objective and meaning could be aquestion for the Press to ponder over.

The Press in the sense of media is notun-related to printing press, which multiplies thetext or an image for the purpose of disseminatingit. But, simple printing in the printing press doesnot signify Press. Machination of printing thatfacilitated quick multiplying of the text may benearer to the meaning of media. Printing existedlong before. China had developed it in the 3rd

century A.D. After the unification of China by theQin or Chin rulers in 221 BC, there developed ahuge bureaucracy. Official documents wererequired to be multiplied for dissemination in thebureaucracy. Regularly examinations were heldfor recruiting the qualified people from the gentryinto the bureaucracy. This necessitated themultiplying of study materials based on Confucianphilosophy. Paper and printing developed in Chinaas ‘child’ of such necessity before the 8th centuryCE. Korea and Japan, two adjacent countries,adopted it later. The technology travelled toEurope through the Silk route. Since the early 14th

century the Italians began producing books withwoodblocks. The rest of Europe adopted it. The

printed books were cheaper and affordable thanthe hand written luxury editions of manuscripts.In the beginning the aristocracy looked downupon the printed books as cheap vulgarities.Printed books were associated with people oflesser means. The dissemination of knowledgewas something scornful to the affluent aristocraticclass.

With the onset of Renaissance andEnlightenment in Europe, more and more peoplewere ready for reading and writing. Growth inthe economy was giving them more leisure timeto spare for reading. The demand for printed textsgrew. The need for their quicker and cheaperreproduction led to further innovations in the Printtechnology. Finally Johann Gutenberg of Mainzin Germany invented printing with movable typeand oil based ink in Strasburg, a Franco-Germanborder town, in 1440. The Protestant reformationmovement and the printing technology gave amajor boost to each other in the 16th centuryEurope, because the Bible and the contrastinginterpretations of Bible and Christianity by differentProtestant and Catholic trends were printed inlarge numbers and read widely.

Ignatius of Loyola (1491 – 1556) hadfounded the Society of Jesus in the 1530’s tocounter the Protestants and to win them back tothe Catholic faith. Known as Jesuits, the membersof the society, who are known even today fortheir well managed educational and managementinstitutes, travelled to difficult places to spreadtheir message. It is they who brought the firstprinting press to Goa in India in 1556. However,the coming of printing press did not seem to havemuch impact in the Indian subcontinent. TheMughal bureaucracy was big like that in China,but could not adopt the new printing press, forreasons best known to it. Like the Christianity,

15AUGUST - 2020


the new printing press remained limited to amicroscopic minority. Medieval India remainedcontented with its manual copying of manuscripts.Had the printing technology been adopted andspread, probably knowledge and formaleducation would have percolated faster to themass level and checked colonialism in India inlater times! Even the dynastic rules, including theMughal rules, would have felt its ramifications!However, such ‘astrological predictions’ do notcome under the purview of scientific historicalstudies.

The printing, which was limited to thespread of missionary literature in the 16th century,was introduced as a commercial venture inBombay more than a century later in 1674-75.Bhimji Parekh, a Gujarati merchant, requestedthe English East India Company for the serviceof a printer to set up a printing press. There wasa growing market for Hindu religions texts amongthe inquisitive Europeans and the Gujaratimerchant wanted to start a printing press to caterto it. Henry Hills was the printer with a press,movable types and paper, etc., in the press ofBhimji Parekh (English Records of Shivaji, Poona,Vol.-I, P – 137, in Shodhganga, History ofPrinting Press in India, P.311).

Beginning of the Press as Media

This, however, did not immediately leadto the coming of the Press in the sense of media.It came only after a century later in 1780, whenJames Augustus Hicky brought out the BengalGazettee from the Company’s capital townCalcutta. (Reba Chaudhury, The Story of theIndian Press in The Economic Weekly, Bombay,26 February 1995, P.291) The first newspaperhad been published in Europe in 1609. The firstnewspaper in English was printed in Rome around

1620. The Oxford Gazettee was first publishedin 1665. Later on it was renamed as the LondonGazettee and published as the official journals ofrecord of the Government. But, its journey to Indiawas delayed by a century and a half. The manwho started the Press in India was an English man.

The late start of the Press or newspapersin India had several reasons. Until 1757 the EastIndian Company had no political authority andthe Mughals and their successor regional stateshad no inclination for modern Press in India.Further, a State run Press could not have goodfuture perspective without a large public demand.Hence, spread of education with a growing readingpublic was a precondition for a Press to begin.Further, the Press had to have a critical attitudetowards the state and its politics for becomingsuccessful as a public and commercial venture.After 1757, when the company gained politicalauthority in Bengal and elsewhere, the officials,who largely came from the British aristocracy, hada scornful attitude towards the Press, which wasan off spring of the print culture, and lampoonedthem. The powerful Mughals and their successorsand later the East India Company during theMonopoly Trade stage of colonialism could hardlytolerate public criticism, while the intrinsic natureof Press was to be critical of the people inauthority for its survival. Public interest in a loyalistPress or state owned Press is an unthinkableproposition!

Though Hicky was the first person to startthe Press in India, his Bengal Gazettee was notIndian in any sense. Hicky, the editor andpublisher, was an Irish man; the language wasEnglish and the target audience of the Gazetteewas the British public. It was the monopoly tradestage of colonialism, as pointed out earlier, andthe company officials illegally indulged in private

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trade. They also took bribes from the nativeprinces and zamindars. Corruption was rampantamong the Company officials. The disgruntledcompany employees lampooned their higherauthorities. The criticism and gossips had a largeaudience at home as well as among the Europeansworking or temporarily living in the colony.Hicky’s Bengal Gazettee soon turned out to bea forum for such lampooning.

Nearly a year after the publication of theGazettee, the criticism was so intolerable. In theabsence of any Press law, he continued to bringout the Gazettee from the jail. Finally fresh lawsuits were framed against him; the printing pressand the types were sized and the publicationstopped in 1782. Thus, Hicky also became thefirst editor to go to jail and to bear the Presscensorship in India. Despite the official hostilitytowards the Press, there were four weeklynewspapers and one monthly magazine publishedfrom Calcutta within six years of Hicky’s maideneffort. They were Indian Gazettee, CalcuttaGazettee, Bengal Journal and the CalcuttaChronicle. The monthly journal was OrientalMagazine of Calcutta Amusements (RebaChoudhury, op. cit., p.291). Similarly in Madras,the Madras Courier (1785), the MadrasGazettee (1795) and the India Herald (1795)had been brought out. Like Hicky, the Editor ofthe India Herald one Humphrey had also beenarrested and deported to England forunauthorized publication.

In the beginning years of the 19th centurythe journalism in India, which was still in the handsof the British nationals, had to face more hostilitiesand more restrictions. This began with the comingof Lord Wellesley, who had an aristocraticparentage, as Governor General in 1798. Therewere no press laws and any person intending to

publish a newspaper would be suspected by theCompany at the first instance. Denial of postalprivileges was common to a newspaper, if itoffended and was unrepentant. Pre-censorshipand deportation of an ‘incorrigible’ editor wereother methods of suppression. The circulation ofa newspaper hardly exceeded a few hundredcopies. The Indian middle class remained largelyuntouched by it. Neither it was the target audiencenor did it own the Press. Still the hostility wasgrowing largely because of the feeling that thesejournals were “filled with indecorous attacks uponprivate life and ignorant censures of publicmeasures and run by those who had neither literarypretention nor their circulation exceeded ahundred or two hundred copies.” (Media in India:Raj to Swaraj, p.46, in Shodhganga) The officialcontempt for the Press shows the class divide.The higher officials of the Company representedthe British aristocracy and the Press was seen asa weapon in the hands of the non-aristocraticlower class people. This also brings the Pressclosure to the idea of nation, which means a massof common people in a given territory. Since theCompany had been succeeding dynastic rules inIndia such hostilities towards the Press was notsurprising.

The Press in a Liberal Era (1813-1857)

The Company’s rule in India witnessed amajor change in the colonial policy since thesecond decade of the 19 th century. TheCompany’s monopoly trade was almost replacedby free trade after the passing of the Charter Actof 1813. Restrictions on Press were considered‘unnecessary’ leading to the removal of Presscensorship. Lord Hastings as Governor General(1813-1823) inaugurated this liberal phase, whichwas carried forward by Lord Bentinck(1828-1835), Lord Metcalf (1835-36)and Lord

17AUGUST - 2020


Auckland(1836-1842) in India. Publication of theCalcutta Journal (1818) by Sir JamesBuckingham, the emergence of vernacular Pressand the rise of a native class of journalists weresome significant developments of the period.

Sir James Buckingham (1786-1855) wasan author, journalist and a traveller. He was not‘semi-literate’ unlike many of his predecessors.As journalist “he believed it was his duty toadmonish Governors of their duties to upbraidthem furiously for their faults, to uncover the truth,though it was disagreeable to some people. Heconsidered the Press to be a very necessary checkon an irresponsible Government, especially in theabsence of a legislature. Buckingham’scontribution to the struggle for freedom of thePress in India was monumental, and he occupiesan outstanding place in the history of Indianjournalism.” (Sharad Karkhanis, Indian Politicsand the Role of the Press, New Delhi, 1981,pp. 27-28) Sir Buckingham edited the CalcuttaJournal fearlessly from 1818 to 1823. LordHastings tolerated him with grace. However, afterthe departure of Wellesley, Buckingham’s criticismwas not tolerated, he was deported to Englandand his journal ceased its publication in 1823.

With some ups and downs the liberalphase of Press continued till the Rovolt of 1857.Many newspapers in vernacular languagesappeared during the period, though most of themwere not political, but missionary in nature. In1818, Gangadhar Bhattacharya published theBengal Gazettee. It lived only for a year.Gangadhar was the first Indian to edit anewspaper.

Raja Rammohan Roy was probably oneof the greatest gifts to Indian journalism. With him

one could see a visible integration of the Presswith nationalism and freedom struggle. Hepublished Sambad Kaumudi (1821) in Bengaliand Mirat-ul-Akhbar (1822) in Persian andinfused a clear nationalist fervor to the IndianPress. In India the Press had evolved from anti-Companism into anti-colonialism and strove foruncovering the truth and reality of the colonial ruleand Indian society.

Raja Rammohan Roy was born in aconservative Brahmin family in the villageRadhanagar in West Bengal. He had proficiencyin several oriental languages such as Sanskrit,Arabic, Persian besides Hindi and Bengali. Hehad also studied English, French, Latin, Greekand Hebrew. Because of such wide exposure tothe World of knowledge, he could overcome theconservatism and represented a synthesis of theideas of East and West. It was neither aping ofnor blind criticism of either the West or the East.He had studied Koran. He was well acquaintedwith Jainism and the Hindu religious texts of India.He had learnt Greek and Hebrew to study theBible in the original. The synthesis he talked ofwas an effort to develop nationalism as a modernand dynamic idea. It would be rooted in the socialand cultural setting of India without ignoring theuniversal, rational and humane values. Thesynthesis became the hallmark of Indiannationalism throughout the period.

Moved by deep love for his people andcountry Rammohan worked hard for theirregeneration in all spheres. Pained by thestagnation and social corruption dominated bycaste and tradition he criticized the prevailingsuperstitions and the rituals which had no rationalbasis. He defended Hindu religion and philosophyagainst the ignorant attacks of the missionaries.

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On the other hand, he criticized idolatry and led alifelong crusade against the inhuman Sati systemand child marriage system. He laid the foundationof nationalism, though the freedom struggle in itsmass agitation form did not occur in his life time.

Raja Rammohan Roy fought for thefreedom of the Press, because, like Buckingham,he believed it to be the key for the building up ofa modern nation. When John Adam, the successorof Lord Wellesley, brought the press RegulationAct of 1823 against the liberal tradition of thetime, he protested against it. The Act consideredthe publication of newspapers without license tobe an offence. The restriction was directed tomainly Indian language papers or thosenewspapers which were edited by theIndians. The Press in India had beendiscriminated at a time when the Pressin England enjoyed freedom.Rammohan not only petitioned to theGovernment against it, but also shutdown his publications as a protest. TheSupreme Court rejected his petition.Instead of being silenced by this, Rammohanappealed to the monarch to reconsider.Rammohun had exposed the British of theirdiscriminatory attitude towards the people of thecolony at a time, when the British rule was beingcommended as ‘god gift’ to the colony. Probablyit would be apt to say that the term nationalistpress owes its origin to Raja Rammohan Roy inIndia.

The Vernacular Press Act of 1878

The Indian people could not distinguishbetween the Government and the missionaries, itwas alleged. On 13th June, 1857, Lord Canningbrought the infamous Gagging Act to regulate theestablishment of printing presses and to restrain

the tone of all printed matter. This, however, couldnot check the nationalist Press, which emerged indifferent parts of the country during the periodfollowing the Revolt. The production of books,pamphlets and newspapers by Indians both inEnglish and Indian languages grew many folds. Inthe late 19th century preceding the foundation ofthe Congress their influence also grew to a greatextent. The vernacular journals outnumbered thejournals in English. By 1870, it was estimated that,out of 644 papers in British India more than 400were in vernaculars. In 1865-66 Orissa saw thepublication of the Utkal Dipika (Cuttack) underthe care of Gouri Shankar Ray. It was followedby the Sambad Bahika (Balasore) which came

under the care of Fakirmohun Senapatiin 1868. These two vernacularnewspapers along with theircompatriots became the chiefinstruments nationalist growth outsideBengal in eastern India.

The period witnessed thepublication of the Bengalee (1862) in

English by Surendranath Banerjee from Calcutta.Harish Chandra Mukherjee and Girish ChandraGhosh brought out the Hindu Patriot (1853);Keshab Chandra Sen started the Indian Mirror(1862), Sishir Kumar Ghosh brought out thenoted Ananda Bazar Patrika (1868). TheHindu(1878) was published in English fromMadras and carried the nationalist fervor further.As the nationalist Press both in English andvernacular languages greatly impacted the newlyemerging educated class, the Times of India(1861) the Pioneer (1867) and the Statesman(1875) were published.

The influence of vernacular Press hadgrown so much so that the Government perceiveda threat. The perceived threat multiplied because

Raja Rammohan Royfought for the freedom ofthe Press, because, likeBuckingham, hebelieved it to be the keyfor the building up of amodern nation.

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the British did not have many efficient andtrustworthy translators. The result was theenactment of the Vernacular Press Act in 1878during the viceroyship of Lord Lytton (1876-80).The Act intended to suppress the Vernacular Pressand excluded the English language publications.However, the protests from a wide spectrum ofthe Indian public compelled Lord Lytton’ssuccessor Lord Ripon (1880-84) to repeal theAct. The success of the agitation for Press freedombecame one of the catalysts of the rise ofnationalism in the last quarter of the 19th century.Thus, the Press in India started by James AugustusHicky in the form of the Bengal Gazettee in 1780had turned out to be the nationalists Press in acentury’s time by 1881. The newly educatednationalist intelligentsia was its mentor and driver.The Press was now the most reliable vehicle forthe spread of nationalism to the nook and cornerof the country. It remained by the side of theunderdogs of the society. Though its clientele wasthe educated class, the deprived and thedisadvantaged section of the public also gotinfluenced by it. The nationalist Press did notnecessarily get confined to the exclusive domainof the bourgeoisie, rather it stood beside allclasses of Indian people, because the success ofa national and anti-colonial movement lies in itsinclusiveness. The Press even at its nascent stage

dared to challenge the authoritarian colonial rule.With the growing maturity of the nationalistagitation the nationalists Press became sharperand stronger in its criticism of the Government.This made the nationalists and the Press dearerto the people. It is because of such umbilicalrelationship between the Press, nationalism andfreedom struggle, most of the first rung leaders,such as Surendranath Banerjee, BalgangadharTilak, Lala Lajpat Ray, Mahatma Gandhi andJawaharlal Nehru, had taken to active journalismduring the period. Both Tilak and Gandhi had beensentenced to jail on charges of sedition for theirwritings in the Press. The Kesari (1881) inMarathi and Maratha in English were broughtby Tilak, while Gandhi edited the Indian Opinion(1903)in South Africa, Harijan (1933) andYoung India (1919) in India. Their priority tojournalism is a testimony to the fact that the Presshad been intrinsic to the growth of nationalismand freedom struggle in India.

Prof. Pritish Acharya, Professor of History, RegionalInstitute of Education (NCERT), Bhubaneswar-751022.E-mail : [email protected]

20 AUGUST - 2020


The national integration of the Indian people hasa long historical background. It is not merely amodern development, but also has a deep root inthe past. On mental and emotional foundation aslaid in ancient times it existed through ages, andassumed the form of modern nationalism duringthe era of Indian renaissance and freedomstruggle. Since independence, its value is upheldwith greater determination in order to make Indiaa great power on earth. At midnight when 14th

August ended and 15th August began, and as theclock struck twelve, the President of theConstituent Assembly, Rajendra Prasad,announced that ‘the Constituent Assembly of Indiahas assumed power for the governance of India’.This declaration signified the beginning ofindependence. As the Prime Minister ofindependence India, Jawaharlal Nehru declaredat that hour of the midnight: “When world sleeps,India will awake to life and freedom. A momentcomes, which comes but rarely in history, whenwe step out from the old to the new, when an ageends and when the soul of a nation, longsuppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at thissolemn moment we take the pledge of dedicationto the service of India and her people and to thestill larger cause of humanity.” Thus ended the epicstory of India’s struggle for freedom.

In the capital India the nation celebratedthe coming of independence in the most magnificentmanner. In their joy and emotion the peoplereminded the world that the struggle of generationshad at last ended in Victory. Under the shadowof the tragedy of partition, independence dawnedat last. Gandhi, however, proved in his triumphover violence that the people of India possessedthe inherent strength of sanity and goodness torise above communalism as an independent nation.

Making of National Flag andRole of National Congress

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury

21AUGUST - 2020


India did not get freedom as a gift fromthe foreigners who ruled her. Her people foughtas nation to win it. Many became martyrs, andnumberless men and women went through endlesssuffering for the cause of the country. Those whodied or suffered were fighting for the ideal thatfreedom was the birthright of man. They werefighting for the liberation of their motherland, aland of ancient civilizations and birthplace of manygreat men of history. Their struggle was neithershort nor easy. It was a struggle against themightiest foreign empire of modern times carriedon for many years. An unknown patriot rightlysang in the early years of the freedom struggle:

Oh Martyrs,The battle of freedom once begunAnd handed down from sire to son

Though often lost is ever won.

Through great sacrifice that the war ofIndian independence was at last won. And, thebliss of liberty came to the people because of thosesacrifices. For generations of men and women inindependent India, it is necessary to rememberthe memorable role of the men and women of thepast generations who worked for the rise of thenation and the independence of the country. Tothe youth, the story of India’s struggle for freedomis a lesson worth knowing. It is a source ofinspiration as well as of instruction for the presentand the future. Nobler ideas, historic events andheroic movements constitute the history of thefreedom struggle in India. Study of history is likehomage to the past. For the rising generations ofa great nation, let its history carry the examplesof devotion and dedication to the cause of thatgreatness.

With the independence in sight, it becamenecessary for the Constituently Assembly toprepare a National Flag for independent India.The National Congress had had its tricolor flagwith the picture of the ‘Charkha’ or the spinningwheel at the centre. Mahatma Gandhi regardedthe ‘Charkha’ as symbol of India’s determinationagainst the freedom exploitation and domination.It represented the masses of people and theirindustry. But, it was now decided to put a newsymbol in place of the spinning wheel to representsomething greater and higher. In India’s longhistory, there was a time when she was theintegration of all her people under a commonethical law, and also when she taught the civilizedworld about peace and human brotherhood. Itwas the time of Emperor Asoka. Under his Wheelof law, that monarch tried to unite all religiousfaiths, and all races of people by a code ofuniversal moral conduct for a pious, virtuous andperfect life. There was no distinction between manand man, or high and low, or place and placeunder that law of piety and duty. It was a law tobind and integrate the people of the entiresubcontinent. More than that, the Wheel of Lawrepresented a message for the whole humanity. Itwas the message of universal peace andbrotherhood among the people of all countries.Asoka’s missionaries preached that message invarious countries, far across the frontiers of India.Peace not war, non-violence not violence, becameIndia’s gospel for mankind. What Emperor Asokahad felt after the violence of his Kalinga War longlong ago, Mahatma Gandhi represented that veryfeeling when the world suffered from two mostviolent World Wars. These feelings representedthe true spirit of the Indian culture and were likethe gifts to human civilization.

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In view of the world significance of theWheel of Law, it was decided to place that Wheelor the Asoka Chakra in the centre of the nationalFlag. On 22 July 1947, Jawaharlal Nehrupresented the National Flag of free India to theConstituent Assembly and moved the resolutionto accept it saying: “Resolved that the NationalFlag of India shall be a horizontal tricolor of deepsaffron, white and dark green, in equal proportion.In the centre of the white band, there shall be awheel in navy blue to represent the charkha. Thedesign of the wheel shall be that of the wheel,Chakra which appears on the abacus of theSarnath pillar of Asoka.” The ConstituentAssembly adopted the Flag.

“ Some will recall through the wheel thename of that Prince of peace, Asoka, the founderof an empire, who ultimately gave up the pompand the circumstance of power to become theundisputed emperor of the hearts of men, andbecame the representative of all the then knownfaiths. We would call it a legitimate interpretationof the wheel to seek in it the Wheel of Lawascribed to that living store of mercy and love.

“The spinning wheel, thus interpreted,adds to its importance in the life of billions ofmankind. To liken it to and to derive it from theAsoka disc is to recognize in the insignificant-

looking charkha the necessary of obeying theever-moving wheel of the Divine Law of Love.”

Right from the Vedic Age, the people ofIndia were thus taught to regard the whole of Indiaas their eternal motherland. This was a remarkablyfeature of the Indian history. The independenceof India was a mighty event of modern history; Anew national state took its place among the familyof nations. It contained the second largestpopulation on earth. It also became the largestdemocracy. The new situation demanded greaterintegration of the people for a better future. Oneof the major achievement of the Indian leaders atthe time of independence and soon thereafter wasthe merger of the Princely States with the IndianUnion. The integration of the Princely States wasa big step towards the political unification of India.The whole country came under one Constitutionand one political system. The eternal soul-forceof India will ever keep her people together throughthe tides and storms of time. That has been thesupreme triumph of Indian history.

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury, Lecturer in History,Sri Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khordha.

23AUGUST - 2020


Exploring Pushpagiri University of AncientOdisha : Going Beyond the Eurocentric

Knowledge System

Kamalakanta Roul

Covid 19 virus has gravely hit several sectors ofmodern life and livelihood especially marketdriven economy, education and society. Lakhs ofpeople have lost their lives and professions in thewake of the virus. Educational institutions havebeen shut down and social life has been cut tosize in a particular way. Looking at the complexityand multiple failures, the Prime Minister of Indiahas emphasized over the idea of ‘self reliant India’(Atmanirbhar Bharat) (The Hindu, 2020:1). Itrefers to the culmination of traditional andmodern knowledge, skill, innovations andpractices in life and livelihood. The Governmentof India has started implementing Gandhianeconomy to revive the micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSME).

Worldwide, education has become acommodity in market and the liberal state haswithdrawn itself from imparting free education tocitizens. However, during the Covid 19 pandemic,social and political scientists have been urging thatIndian academic curriculum from primary to highereducation must be revised and updated which canmake student self-dependent, self-reliance andempower them even in difficult circumstances likeCovid 19. It has propelled to construct a ‘Non-Western’ Indian discourse on economy, education,epistemology and ontology.

India’s Knowledge System

Knowledge has been an integral part ofIndian civilization and occupying prominent spacein every sects and beliefs since ancient Indiancivilization to the contemporary modern period.Indian saints and monks spent their entire lives inforest, and mountain only to gain the knowledgeof Niti, Nyaya, Sankhya, Mimansa,Dharmashastra, Arthasashtra and many moreepistemic and ontological ideas. Even in presentday, Indian parents sacrifice their life, happinessand wealth for the education of their children.Education and knowledge are two interlinkedaspects of social life which can be achieved fromboth the formal or informal institutions and alsofrom real life experiences. According to VishnuPurana, ‘knowledge is that which liberates’humankind (Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye). Likewise,8 Shrimad Bhagawat Gita (4: 33, 37, 38) urgesthat knowledge is the great purifier and liberatorof the self.

India’s knowledge tradition is ancient andhas been a continuous flow for a rational as wellas speculative inquiry of metaphysical domain. Itis classified on the basis of memory (smriti) andexperiences (anubhuti). Kapil Kapoor says thatthe discussion of Knowledge in India is

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interconnected with three major terminologies:philosophy (darsana), knowledge (gyana) andvidya (discipline) (Kapoor, 2003:11). Theknowledge tradition has been constituted andmaintained in the frame of inner self and oralculture. It has been transmitted through the ‘guru-shishya parampara’ from generation to generation.Indian Vedic civilization, Gurukul education, andAshram teaching had generated, piled up andpreserved the knowledge tradition.

Eurocentric World View in India

However, the Macaulayism introducedEnglish education in British India and constructeda group of Indians people who were ‘Indian inblood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions,in morals, and in intellect’ (Macaulay,1835).Thomas B. Macaulay dismissed Gurukuleducation, and Ashram education system. AncientIndian higher learning University system-Pushpagiri, Nalanda, Takshashila- was alsounsubscribed and rejected by British Indiancolonialists. Indian people were termed as illiterateand ‘uncivilized’. The importance of knowledgewas dropped from the academic curriculum andeducation became a tool for administrative jobsonly. British colonialism was justified even byWestern liberal thinker J.S. Mill, idealistphilosopher Georg Hegel and socialist visionaryKarl Marx. Indians were monolithically taught thatWestern civilization had a long epistemicknowledge system and was very ancient, civilized,modern, democratic and superior to the others.Moreover, it was also told that Socratic School,Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum were thecradles of world civilization, knowledge systemand cosmic idea. Consequently, the legacy ofIndian knowledge systems and philosophiescreated by Veda, Upanishad, Valmiki, Vyasa,

Panini, Patanjali, Gargi, Maitreyi, Yagyanbalka,Charaka, Kautilya, and Gautama Buddha wereabruptly ignored and rejected by the Macaulayismeducation methods. In his philosophical writings,Georg F. Hegel criticized India as ‘the land ofdesire’. He termed Indian philosophy as ‘non-dialectical’ and lacks the knowledge of freedom.In two pages of ‘The Phenomenology of Mind’(2003), Hegel summed up his poor views onIndian religion as a cult of “plants and animals(Hegel, 1985). Furthermore, Alasdair Maclntyre(1983) and William Dunning (1902) were verycritical of Indian political thoughts. Although, Indiahas a number of classic literatures like Vyasa’sShantiparva of Mahabharata, Kautilya’sArthasashtra, Buddhist literatures, Kalhana’sRajtarangini which are enriched with the insightsof political ideas but these texts didn’t attract thesewestern philosophers. Apart from the famousNalanda and Takshasila Universities, thecontribution of Pushpagiri University was alsodynamic and diversified in the Knowledge Systemof ancient India.

The Pushpagiri University: ConstructingNon-Western Knowledge System

The description of Pushpagiri Universityis found in the travelogue of Xuanzang (HuienTsang) who visited this university in 639 AD duringthe rule of emperor Harshavardhana. Accordingto the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (Huien Tsang),the location of Pushpagiri University was over ahill with a ‘super natural light’ (Tsang, 1885). Hehad seen nearly eleven stupas erected by Ashokain Odisha. A wide range of scattered relics,artifacts and antiques were traced and reportedby a British official CS Banerjee in 1869(Sengupta, 2014). An excavation was conductedin 1984 at three adjoining hills-Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri

25AUGUST - 2020


and Udayagiri and discovered a huge number ofsculptures, images, antiquity, fragments, stonetablets, potteries, coins, stone and terracottatablets, and many huge stupas. In 1993, anacademician Harish Chandra Prusty wrote aresearch paper tiled ‘Langudi: A unique Rock-cut Buddhist Site in Orissa’ which traced the ruinsof a university complex called PushpagiriUniversity and it shared an equal status withNalanda and Vikramshila universities. Theresearch paper forced the ASI to start theexcavation over 143 acres of hilly land from 1996to 2006 and confirmed the lost heritage sites ofthe university.

Pushpagiri University was the oldest andprominent centre of higher education in ancientIndia which was originally known as the‘Pushpagiri Mahavihara’ (Buddhist GreatMonastery). A Brahmi inscription names the siteas ‘puspa sabhar giriya’ which means ‘flower-filled hill’. Pushpagiri University was establishedin ancient Kalinga (now Odisha) by EmperorAshoka himself in 3rd century and it flourished forthe next 800 years till 11th century. It was locatedin the Birupa- Chitrotpala river valley andpresently comes under the Jajpur district, Odisha.Pushpagiri University campus was spread acrossthree adjoining hills-Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri andUdayagiri. These hills are known as ‘diamondtriangle of Odisha’.

Lalitgiri, the red hill, is considered to bethe holiest of the three sites of diamond triangle.The archaeological findings yielded sacred relicsof the illustrious Buddhist luminaries presumed tobe Buddha, Sariputta and Mahamaudgalayanapreserved in three relic caskets of gold, silver,soap stone and Khondalite, a huge brick builtapsidal Mahayanic super structure called

Chaityagriha. The inner sanctums are vacant andhave a stunning lotus shaped staircase (Pani, 2018:24). The monastery in Lalitagiri identifies theconnectivity with Mahayana and Hinayanaschools of Buddhism in Odisha. Lalitgiri wasdeciphered through the monastic seals as “SriChandraditya Vihara Samagra Arya BhikshuSangha”. Ratnagiri, the hill of gems, has two stoneguards at the main entrance. Ratnagiri Mahaviharawas deciphered as “Sri Ratnagiri Mahaviharaiy-Arya-Bhikshu-Sanghasya” and was a centre ofthe Tantric form of Buddhism (Barik, 2009: 23).Tantrika Buddhism was gradually trifurcated toBajrayana, Kalachakrayana, and Sahajayana(ibid: 24). Udayagiri, the hill of the rising sun,belonged to the Mahayana-Vajrayana cult ofBuddhism. Furthermore, the most amazing facetof Udayagiri is the presence of an astoundingstone gate near a stone well. Udayagiri monasterywas deciphered as “Sri MadhavapuraMahavihariy-Arya-Bhikshu Sanghasya”.

Pushpagiri attracted students from ourneighbouring South Asian countries like Srilanka,Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet as well as from other foreigncountries including China, Indonesia, and Japan.Buddhism boomed in Odisha in the sixth centuryand by eighth century, through its numerous seaports, Odisha kings bridged political, commercialand religious relations with China. Foreign studentsand scholars came to Pushpagiri by Kalinga port(now Paradip) and crossed the Birupa River toreach at the university complex.

Pushpagiri was the residential educationcentre. The uniqueness of Pushpagiri is that everystudent was given separate chamber for self-studyand research. There were a number of chambersin every monastery as Udayagiri monastery stillhas more than eighteen chambers. According to

26 AUGUST - 2020


Huien Tsang, students began their education atthe age of nine and completed education by theage of thirty in ancient India. Three major typesof Buddhism were studied in Pushpagiri:Mahayana, Vajrayana and Tantrik Buddhism. Oraltexts and folklores state that along with theseBuddhist sects, students studied other subjectssuch as the Vedas, Hetuvidya (logic),Shabdavidya (Grammar and Philology),Chikitsavidya (medicine), Sankhya philosophy,Yoga and meditation. Archaeologists also claimthat students were engaging in pursuing researchon metaphysics, science, medicine, Vedicsciences, and Buddhist philosophies in Pushpagiri.

Pushpagiri had very spectacular studentsand monks who became preacher and teacher ofBuddhism in foreign countries including China andJapan. The most famous Buddhist monk Prajnastudied in Pushpagiri’s Ratnagiri Mahavihara andbecame an expert in meditation in 9th century AD.Finally, he left for China to preach Buddhistphilosophy. A well known Tantrik Buddhist monkBodhisi had practiced Yoga at Ratnagiri and wasa specialist in this discipline (Barik, 2009: 24). Inearly 9th century AD, another prominent TantrikBuddhist monk Rahulaa probably studied atPushpagiri and became the Chancellor of NalandaUniversity. Archaeologists believe that some ofthe eminent Buddhist scholars like Nagarjuna,Aryadeva, Sarbagami, Dignaga and Dharmakirtistayed in these higher learning centres of Odishaand wrote many books on Buddhist philosophyand ethics. At the same time, Subhakara Simha,a person of royal origin from Odisha embracedBuddhism and travelled across China topropagate Tantric Buddhism (Patra, 2014: 48).Looking at the flourishing of Buddhism, KingHarshavardhana sent Jayasena, a scholar fromNalanda, to Odisha to study the philosophy. When

Muslim invaders Vaktiyar Khilji attackedNalanda, Vikramasila and killed thousands ofBuddhist Bhikshus, thousands of Buddhist monksfled to Odisha and took shelter in JagadalaviharMahayana centre and other such monasteries. In1202 AD, Chancellor of Vikramasila University,Sribhadra also took shelter in Odisha. Musliminvaders were not successful in conquering Odishatill the 16th century AD because of the befittingfight by the warriors of Odisha (Mohanty, 2014).

Conclusion: India can be a “GlobalKnowledge Hub”

Hence, more archaeological excavation,exploration and research are required to acquirea complete education system of Pushpagiri andother such ancient Indian universities. Britishpolitical scientist W.H. Morris-Jones (1972)termed Western political thoughts as‘parochialism’ and advised his Western intellectualcounterparts to find out the relevance of Indianthinkers like Gandhi. Truly, Gandhi (1938) saysthat India is a great civilization which has manycosmic ideas to explore and to share with theWestern world including culture, religion,philosophy, ethnic montage and linguistic tableau.Of course, India is an Idea, a category ofdescription or a spur for imagination.

Being a part of modernity, India can gobeyond the Eurocentric knowledge system toexplore the Indic knowledge of PushpagiriUniversity and other such ancient universities ofIndia. It is believed that the strong philosophicalgenres and enriched methodologicalexperimentations in the broader framework ofcivilizational discourses from ancient to modernperiods can make India a “global knowledgehub” as Pushpagiri was in ancient India. It willnot only help in the construction of a non-Western

27AUGUST - 2020


educational system but also empower Indianstudents to lead a dignified, self-reliance, and self-dependent life to tackle any kind of odd situationslike Covid 19 pandemic.

References:

1. I delivered a virtual lecture on ‘ExploringPushpagiri University of Ancient India: Goingbeyond the Eurocentric Knowledge System’ at E-Pradhyapak Sakha, Rohini, Delhi on 23rd June, 2020on Google Meeting URL:https//meet.google.com/hzo-rumu-ytd at 4.15pm. The present article is anabridged, revised and updated part of the lecture.

2. Beal, Samuel, Buddhism in China, London:Forgotten Books (Classic Reprint Series), 2013.

3. Barik, Pabitramohan, The OutstandingContributions of Orissa Towards BuddhistCulture, Orissa Review, April-May, 2009, pp. 22-24.

4. Das, M N, Glimpses of Kalinga History, Calcutta:Century Publishers, 1949.

5. Gandhi, M.K., Hind Swaraj, Ahmedabad:Navajivan Publishing House, First Edition, 1938.

6. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Lectures onPhilosophy of Religion, trans., E. Speirs and J.Sanderson, vol.1, London: Kegan Paul, Trench,Trubner, 1985.

7. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, Hegel’sPhenomenology of Mind, trans., J.B. Baillie.Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, SecondEdition, 2003.

8. Kapoor, Kapil, Indian Knowledge Systems:Nature, Philosophy and Character, in Kapil Kapoorand Avadhesh K Singh (eds.), Indian KnowledgeSystems, Vol-1, Shimla: IIAS, 2003, pp. 11-32.

9. Macaulay, Thomas B., Minute on IndianEducation, 1835.

10. Morris-Jones, W.H., Parochialism in PoliticalThought, Political Studies, Vol. 20, No.4,Dec.1972, pp. 475-77.

11. Mukherjee, Prabhat, The Buddhist Remains ofOrissa, Cuttack: Government of Orissa, 1964.

12. Mohanty, Bimalendu, Odisha’s contribution toBuddhism written in golden letters, The Pioneer,May 14, 2014.

13. Pani, Amrita, Propelling Buddhist Tourism throughDiamond Triangle in Odisha - A DevelopmentalPerspective Analysis, Srusti Management Review,Vol -XII, Issue - II, July - Dec. 2018 , pp. 19-27.

14. Patra, Benudhar, Kalinga and China: A Study inAncient Relations, Odisha Review, July, 2014,pp. 46-50.

15. Prusty, Harish Chandra and Pradeep Mohanty,Langudi: A unique Rock-cut Buddhist Site inOrissa, Bulletin of the Deccan College ResearchInstitute, Vol. 53, 1993, pp. 325-327.

16. Sahu, N K, Buddhism in Orissa, Bhubaneswar:Utkal University, 1958.

17. Sengupta, Somen, The diamond triangle of Orissa,The Pioneer, March 23, 2014.

18. The Hindu, May 13, 2020, Delhi edition, pp.1 .

19. Tsang, Hiuen, Buddhist Records of the WesternWorld, translated by Samuel Beal, Boston: J. R.Osgood, 1885.

Kamalakanta Roul, Department of PoliticalScience, University of Delhi, Delhi- 110007,E-mail : [email protected].

28 AUGUST - 2020


Corona Virus disease (COVID-19) is aninfectious disease caused by a newly discoveredCorona Virus. Odisha with an exemplary trackrecord in disaster risk reduction, response andmanagement efficiency has also set a model to beimbibed by others. Much before anyone testingpositive in the State on March 12 the StateGovernment declared COVID-19 a “disaster”under the provision of Disaster Management Act2005. For effective management of COVID-19in Odisha a significant post lockdown strategyanticipating influx of lakhs of migrant workers,students, professionals and other stranded Odiapeople after end of the restrictions, the stategovernment made registration and 14-daysquarantine mandatory for all people returning tothe state from outside after May 3.

Addressing the people in a videomessage, Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik saidhis government will facilitate smooth return of thestranded Odia people from different states afterlifting of the lockdown restrictions.

To effectively carry out the registrationand quarantine exercises at the level of GramPanchayats, the Sarpanches are also delegatedwith the “collectors’ power” within their jurisdictionin accordance with the provision of the DisasterManagement Act, 2005, the Epidemic DiseasesAct 1897 and Odisha Covid-19 regulation.Odisha is the only state to make such provision.

The State finance commission hasrecommended devolution of funds in the ratio of60:30:10 among Gram Panchayat, PanchayatSamiti and Zilla Parishad. Of the total allocationof 30% to Panchayat Samitis, around 50% willbe meant for drinking water, sanitation and solidwaste management. The remaining fund parkedwith Panchayat Samitis will be spent oncommunication and health care Institutions likeCommunity health centres and Primary healthCentres. For 2020-21 alone, the 15th FinanceCommission has recommended transfers ofRs.3,345 crore for the PRIs and ULBs. It includesgrants of Rs.2,258 crores for PRIs and Rs.1,087crores for ULBs. The grant includes 50% tiedgrants to be utilised for specific purposes, whileremaining 50% will be spent for general purposes.

The Central Government has decided totreat COVID-19 as a notified disaster for thepurpose of providing assistance to people affectedby Corona Virus including those involved in reliefoperation or associated in response activitiesunder the State disaster response fund (SDRF) .In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all States,the Ministry of Home Affairs said “Keeping inview the spread of COVID-19 in India and thedeclaration of it as pandemic by World HealthOrganizations (WHO), the Central Governmenthas decided to treat it as a notified disaster andannounced to provide assistance under SDRF.Hence allocation of funds for the SDRF theOdisha budget was Rs.909 crore in 2019-20.

In Odisha for the First Time Sarpanches gotCollectors' Power for COVID-19 Management

Dr. S. Kumar Swami

29AUGUST - 2020


For the first time the Odisha Governmenthas delegated Collectors’ power to Sarpanchesmeans they can plan, coordinate and take stepsto contain the spread of Covid-19. It is part ofthe community-based monitoring strategy tocontain Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

Every Gram Panchayat will haveregistration facilities. Family members and friendsof people can register for those, who want toreturn to the state after lockdown restrictions. Theywill be placed in a 14-days mandatory quarantineat the Panchayat with free of costaccommodation, food and treatment. Aftercompletion of quarantine period, an incentive ofRs.2000 will be given to them by the stategovernment.

Steps taken by the Odisha Governmentfor mandatory registration, streamlined movementand 14-days quarantine are very important toprotect the returnees, their own families, thecommunity and the state at-large. Compulsoryregistration and quarantine of all foreign returneesbecame a vital strategy to keep the Covid-19situation under control in Odisha.

The State also took steps for smootharrival of stranded Odias from outside after liftingof restrictions. The State Government discussedwith the Centre and other host states on smootharrival of stranded Odia people in different statesand took steps accordingly.

The Odisha Government adoptedscientific technology based system to facilitatesmooth arrival of migrant labourers. Themagnitude of the exercise demands adecentralised approach and the nature of theproblem demands a humane approach.

Both these will be accomplished bycommunity based monitoring system involvingGram Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies.

Official sources said the StateGovernment involved the local electedrepresentatives, Anganwadi workers and ASHAsto ascertain the number of people (state-wise),who are expected to return after completion oflockdown restrictions.

Justifying empowerment of GramPanchayats and ULBs, it has been said it willfacilitate smooth movement, track and monitorthe returnees, and strengthen the fight againstCOVID-19. Recently the State Urban LocalBodies (ULBs) and Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) would receive around Rs.23,848 croreduring a period of six years as transfer from theState Government in accordance withrecommendations of the fifth State FinanceCommission. The funds will be released between2020-21 and 2025-26.

Now the entire Government machineryis directed towards COVID Management and thedecision has taken to bring it under “MOSARKAR”.

It is said that life is precious and has tobe protected in a dignified manner. Theinvolvement of Panchayati Raj institutions whichare peoples’ institutions at the grassroots will goa long way to combat all types of problems andsituations arises due to COVID-19.

The Sarpanches are the electedrepresentatives who can contact for villagersbecause they are familiar with the specificproblems of each household. It has been decidedby Government to use State and Central funds toengage these representatives to fight the crisis.

Dr. S. Kumar Swami, Ex-Reader in Political Science,Kamala Nehru Women’s College, Unit-1, Bhubaneswar-9, Email ID: [email protected].

30 AUGUST - 2020


Ecology is the study of the inter relationship ofthe organisms with their environment and with eachother. Again the word ‘environment’ means all thephysical, social and cultural factors and conditionsinfluencing the existence and development of anorganism. Primarily, the human being is anorganism of the Animal Kingdom, known as theHome sapiens. It is needless to say that in theprimitive age, the human being was in closeassociation with other members of the AnimalKingdom. But suddenly the human being reignedits superiority over its associates, most probablyby discovering the method to control the fire. Thisdiscovery acted as a double edged sword to theenvironment. It decreased the volume of organicmatter from the surface of the planet. On the otherhand, increased the volume of undesirableelements in the atmosphere. Since theenvironmental factors like soil, sea, rivers andabove all the air practically do not limit themselvesto a particular politico geographical limit of acountry or a continent, ecology has, therefore, tobe dealt with global basis.

Injurious factors are speedily increasingfor the ecological systems which is threatening thelife in any form over this planet. As a result thepollution, deforestation or biodegrading so on soforth are the common topics of discussion in the

press and the public alike. The factors influencingpollution of the environment are enumerated inshort, ut infra.

1. Deforestation:- Massive deforestation,without proper planning of afforestation, is themost important lethal factor to the ecologicalsystem. It is estimated that the woods aredisappearing from this planet at a rate of twentyhectare a minute. The utility of plant kingdom,besides the maintenance of the carbon cycle, iscausing rain, purifying the atmosphere and protectthe soil erosion which has been built by natureover millions and millions of year. If the forest willbe allowed to disappear at the present rate, it willnot take much time to see this planet to become adesert only.

2. Industry:- The modern civilization hasbeen linked with industry. As such there is keencompetition throughout the world to industrializethe countries, even in agricultural country like India.The steel industry is said to be one of the oldestin our country. Yet an Indian can hardly check histemptation to have a steel article made in Japan,Korea, Germany or England, if available in themarket, even if the rate is much higher incomparison to the rate of Indian steel article. I donot advocate against the industrialization of our

Present Day Global Ecology

Dr. Pramoda Chandra Pattanayak

31AUGUST - 2020


country since it is also concerned with many socio-economic factors. But it is high time to give ajudicious thought on this score. Starting a heavyindustry, say a steel or even aluminum, meansmassive deforestation to accommodate thefactory premises and for the workers engaged inthe factory. Further, pollution of environment iscaused by effluents and unhealthy gases. For aninstance chlorofluorocarbons, the trade name ofwhich is Freons when released to the atmospherecause depletion of stratospheric ozone. Thischemical is used as the refrigerant and foamingagents in polymer industries. Since this isbiologically inert, transported to the stratospherewhere this is broken down by sunlight. Thechlorine liberated from this breakdown catalyticallydestroys ozone which acts as a shield against thesun’s ultraviolet radiation. It has been estimatedthat one per cent depletion of ozone wouldincrease the amount of ultraviolet radiation thatreaches the surface of the earth by one to threeper cent. As a result it may cause decrease infood production and increase in the incidence ofcancer.

3. Pesticides: Lately the authorities havediverted their attentions from industry toagriculture. Use of pesticides became imperativein order to save the crops from infestation ofvarious pests affecting the yield. The insecticidesand pesticides are mostly non-biodegradable innature. As such it accumulates its residual effectfor a long time and cause havoc much later.

4. Automobiles:- The readers are aware ofthe bad effects of the moving automobiles to theenvironment by way of its discharge of burninggases, I suppose. Again the transport of fuel fromOPEC to the refineries and from refineries to theconsumer counter has caused the pollution of

water by way of wreckage and breakage of oiltankers and also by spillage.

5. Testing of Nuclear heads :- At last, butnot the least, the nuclear heads, presently in thestore of different countries can cause the entireplanet a dead one, at finger’s touch. This pointdoes not require elaboration.

Some suggestions towards improvingthe ecological system :- This is the most delicatepart to deal with. Delicate because the factors ofpollution mentioned above are so intimatelyconnected with the socio – economic – Politicaland cultural aspects of the society that one cannotadvocate against or suggest a feasible alternativefor any of them. I will cite here an example –I had been to Ooty on a hard summer month here,to enjoy the fresh cool air there and had enjoyedthe boating of Ooty lake – a long back. I wasshocked to read a news, a few months thencethat all the fish of the lake died. Investigationrevealed that application of heavy pesticides onsome crops in the adjacent mountain range causedthis mass mortality. But can anybody argue againstthe application of pesticides. Similarly cananybody dare to raise voice against any of thepoints discussed above !

However, the scientists all over the worldhave cautioned the authorities and as such oneshould look back from wantonly race towardstotal destruction, especially in the country likeIndia.

Let us consider about industry for acountry like India, industry either heavy, mediumor small scale, has become political andemployment oriented. Most of the small scaleIndustries become sick sooner or later. Heavyindustries, owned by the private sectors are only

32 AUGUST - 2020


profit based without any consideration to theharmful effects of the industries to the environment.Even the public sector industries do not take muchcare of recycling of effluents and therebypurification of atmospheric air. It is therefore,suggested that whenever industry is allowed toestablish either by public sector or by privatesector, adequate facilities for recycling of theeffluents and provision for purification ofatmospheric air should be made mandatory. Thismay cause higher production cost but would besustainable in the long run. Again, the authoritiesshould see that the area deforested for thetownship of any such projects should be coveredwith artificial forest, by fruit bearing plants or anyother utility plants. I have seen such afforestationon both sides of the road from Beijing airport toBeijing city a distance about 25kms. For thispurpose there should be scientific planning andincentives and awards for the people needed forencouragement. Secondly the authority shoulddivert the resources for such other projects whichdo not disturb the ecological system to anappreciable extent.

Since India is an agricultural country,project leading to higher yield from the existingagricultural land at hand is of course a feasiblepreposition. But higher yeild by application ofchemical fertilizer is also not a permanent solution.I am much tempted to cite an event in USA longpast. In USA the agricultural output of the landincreased by application of chemical fertilizer.Gradually the dose of fertilizer had to be increasedfrom year to year. Time came when the yielddecreased inspite of the application of sufficientquantity of fertilizer. Farmers were alarmed. Butthey observed that the region with high

concentration of cattle population presented lovelygreen scenery with good yield. Therefore, thegovernment encouraged the people for dairyfarming to supplement the agriculture. This was aright decision of Govt. and the land with organiccompost returned to greenery and the farmers hadgood yield, as before. The animals, both domesticand wild, play an important role in maintainingthe ecological balance.

Recently the government of India havedeclared, in order to overcome the depletedeconomy of the country, due to Covid-19(Corona) pandemic, twenty lakh crore of rupeesto be infused for different projects includingagriculture and animal husbandry. As such planningshould be made judiciously to make organic basedagriculture. For this dairy farming is a must withgoatery and sheep husbandry Dairy in the formatof Amul of Gujarat is a good suggestion. I suggestthis because I have seen the programme of Amulsteered by a great man, late Padmavibhusan, Dr.V.Kurien while I was proceeding my higher studyin Gujarat Agricultural University. Now thatNDDB is taking up Dairy Programme in differentstates of the country it would be in earlier task forthe state governments. Only proper direction andgoal to be planned. Thus sustainable agricultureand agriculture based industries can successfullybe achieved which may boost the per capitaincome of the people of the country.

Dr. Pramoda Chandra Pattanayak, 678- Laxmisagar,Bhubaneswar-6 .

33AUGUST - 2020


During a seminar, when I was addressing a roomfull of youngsters, I asked them, “How many ofyou have at least one handloom garment in yourwardrobe?” I was shocked to see that just a fewhands went up. I urged everyone to choosehandloom garments the next time they goshopping.

My interaction and experience with manyhas shown the interest and inclination towardsforeign goods and branded garments. I oftenwonder- “What is stopping us from wearinggarments manufactured in India and adopting the‘Swadeshi’ spirit ?” I agree with what our fatherof nation, Mahatma Gandhi, said regarding‘Swadeshi’.

Swadeshi Spirit

To quote Gandhiji :

“Swadeshi is that spirit in us whichrestricts us to the use and service of our immediatesurroundings to the exclusion of the moreremote... Swadeshi, for me, has a deepermeaning. I would like us to apply it in our religious,political and economic life. It is not, therefore,merely confined to wearing on occasionsa Swadeshi cloth. That we have to do for all time,not out of a spirit of jealousy or revenge but

because it is a duty we owe to our dear country.We commit a breach of the Swadeshi spiritcertainly if we wear foreign-made cloth.”

Use and Impact of “Foreign” Goods

Why is there a craze for “foreign” goods?Why don’t we use and promote ‘Made in India”i.e. Swadeshi products just like the father of ournation advocated? If a foreigner is usingsomething, does it make the product superior?Why do we ape the west?

In Young India, Gandhiji wrote, “We aretoo much obsessed by the glamour of the West.”

Gandhiji believed, “Lord Hardinge canset the fashion for Swadeshi, and almost thewhole of India will forswear foreign goods.”

In Hind Swaraj, Gandhiji expressed theurgency to use Swadeshi things and contributeto make India exploitation-free. The East IndiaCompany forced the Indian weavers to cut offtheir thumbs so that they would be unable toweave. The British increased the export of theirmill-made cloth. Indians were compelled to buymachine-made products. Raw materials fromIndia were exported to England at cheap pricesand then imported to India as expensive finished

Gandhiji, Swadeshi Spirit and Handloom

Dr. Anita Sabat

34 AUGUST - 2020


cloth, depriving the local population of work andprofits. This ruined the Indian handloom industrythat was once the envy of the world. GovernorGeneral William Bentinck observed, “The bonesof the cotton weavers are bleaching the plains ofIndia. The misery hardly finds a parallel in thehistory of commerce.”

Encourage Swadeshi

Gandhiji stated:

“Force of public opinion, propereducation, however, can do a great deal in thedesired direction. The handloom industry is in adying condition. I took special care, during mywanderings last year, to see as many weavers aspossible, and my heart ached to find how theyhad lost, how families had retired from this onceflourishing and honourable occupation.”

Gandhiji observed, “If we would get ridof the economic slavery, we must manufactureour own cloth.”

Gandhiji’s efforts encouraged the practiceof Swadeshi and the use of things producedlocally. Reduction in dependency on foreignmaterials and real independence became possible.The Government of India and many stategovernments have schemes for the weavers andartisans. According to officials in the Ministry ofTextiles, over six lakh handloom workers acrossthe country have been enrolled under the MahatmaGandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana since 2016-17. Many handicrafts and handlooms have earnedthe Geographical Indication (GI) tag and are beingpromoted as the “Atulya Bharat ki Amulya Nidhii.e. Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India.”

However, even after over seven decadesof independence, some citizens are not aware of

our glorious heritage and argue regarding the needto use and protect it! Some, as stated in thebeginning of this article, are yet to possess a singlehandloom garment in their wardrobe! We have ahuge role to play. We need to purchase from theskilled weavers, and encourage the producers andmanufacturers. Let the demand increase and maythe supply continue forever.

Presently, some ancient weaves are facinggrave threats and may die out unless the nextgeneration continues the tradition, and everyonedecides to patronize.

‘Charity begins at home.’ It is imperativeto invest in the sensitization of the future of ournation, i.e. the young kids, now. Introducing themto our rich heritage and dressing them in handloom,will help raise conscious kids. Elders are the bestrole-models and must practice what they preachi.e. be dressed in handloom. The weaving cultureneeds to be kept alive. The consumerist attitudetowards handloom needs to thrive. Our choicemakes a difference. Instead of gettingoverwhelmed, just as Gandhiji advocated: “Bethe change you want to see”. Let us resolve tobecome brand ambassadors of our land andproudly showcase our Swadeshi spirit.

I am hopeful to see that day soon whenall the hands in the room go up when I ask, “Howmany of you have at least one handloom garmentin your wardrobe?” A far loftier dream is to seeeveryone in the room dressed in handloom!

Dr. Anita Sabat, Odita Trust, Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar,E-mail : [email protected].

35AUGUST - 2020


Odisha had richly dotted with thousand templesreflecting the evolution of Kalinga Architecturefrom inception to maturity. The abundance oftemples has earned Bhubaneswar, “Temple Cityof India”. These monuments endowed withgracefully embellished sculptures on the walls.Parsurameswar (7th C, A.D), Vaital (8th C, A.D),Mukteswar (10th C, A.D) and Lingaraj (11th C,A.D) soaring up to height of 180ft., are few ofthe temples which stands as examples of thearchitectural excellence of Odishan sculptures.Each temple competing with the other for the finerintricacies, and dominate the skyline.

But it is shocking to learn that most of thecenturies-old archaeological sites and antiquitiesin Odisha in despicable state and has starteddegrading rapidly.

The degradation and discoloration ofdifferent archeological objects are due to theproduction of pigments and organic acids by thefungi. Stone objects support novel communitiesof microorganisms that are active in bio-deterioration process.

This investigation focuses of mycologicalanalysis of some important temples of undividedPuri District. These monuments are regularly

affected by continuous colourisation of micro-organisms. Fungi has greater role in the bio-deterioration of monuments. Microbial activityhave impact on the durability of the buildingmaterials of cultural heritage. It needs attentionfor the restoration and conservation of our culturalheritage.

Keyword : Bio-deterioration, micro-organism, micro-climate, endoscopingphotography, laser scanning.

Introduction :

Odisha has the rare distinction ofpossessing an uninterrupted series ofarchaeological remains almost from the dawn ofthe historical period down to the end of Hindurule. Odishan architecture is a fascinating subjectowing to its antiquity, variety of beautiful form,the majestic and sublime grandeur. The originalityof planning, the dexterity of execution, the perfectsymphony between sculpture and architecture,displayed in temples are favourably with the bestin India.

The building of cultural heritage objectsof ancient Odisha fall mainly under the followingheads, viz, the rock –cut caves, the stupas, thetemples and forts. Odishan architecture can be

Conservation of Temple Architectureof Odisha

Gopal Krishna Das

36 AUGUST - 2020


traced from the sculptured of an elephant andeleven Rock Edicts of emperor Ashok (Circa272-3 B.C) at Dhauli and ancient fortified townat Sisupalgarh of 3rd century B.C.

The majestic Lingaraj temple ofBhubaneswar, Jagannath temple of Puri and Suntemple, Konark of golden triangle attract thousandof visitors from all corners of the world. The suntemple, a UNESCO declared World heritage sitesince 1984, needs special attention and propermonitoring of conservation work. It was a superhuman work and an archeological marvel. Thoughmany of the shrines and ancient monuments havelong succumbed to the destructive force of nature,still standing in various sizes even now.

Researchers of Roman University andUtkal University have jointly taken a project ofrestoration of five monuments each of the twocountries from 2007 to 2010. These monumentsinclude Sun temple of Konark, Khandagiri,Udayagiri cave and temples of Bhubaneswar,Bora caves of Andhra Pradesh, Ajanta caves ofMaharastra, Tustani of Italy (Marble monument)and site of Sisili etc.1 Scientists and conservatorshave proposed to apply nanotechnology & bio-technology for restoration of these monuments.

IIT, Bhubaneswar has been given theresponsibility to examine the feasibility of the oldstrut (iron pipes) support food in places on theSun temple’s southern side over a decade agowhen cracks on the cantilever dictated. Thoughthe sanctum or the main temple of Konark hasruined, still the porch or Jagamohan attractedthousands visitors of the World. A Starling, whovisited the temple in 1825 wrote that a smallsection of the main temple “still remainingstanding”. James Fergusson went to the site in

1817 and prepared a drawing of the fallentemple.2 The initial task of conservation wasstarted in 1901 to make the monument stable.Temples received chemical treatment by way ofremoval moss and lichen, elimination of injurioussalts by the application of paper-pulp andfungicidal treatment in 1938-39.

Varieties of stones used in buildingtemples and making images in Odisha are igneous,metamorphic and sedimentary. Igneous rocks likegranite, sedimentary rocks like sand stone,limestone are largely employed in architecture.Mainly four types of rocks like sand stone,khondolite, Chloride (Muguni) and laterite arefound in old temples widely.3 There are some othertypes of rocks like leterite which are very porousand easily affected by moisture and percolationof water. Although stone objects normally strongand durable, are also subject to various form ofdetonation.

Climate and environment has profoundinfluence on the physical and structural propertiesof materials used for the construction. Themicroclimate is of greater concern than the climate.Temples are affected by humidity andtemperature, the two most important componentsof the climate. Water in liquid form and as a vapor,accelerates chemical process of deterioration.

Sampling :

The fungi were identified from the varioushistorical monuments of Sun temple of Konarkand Jagannath temple of Puri district, Lingaraj andnearby temples of old town, Bhubaneswar,Gopinath temple of Kakudia, Jatni, Chandeswartemple of Tangi, Daksha Prajapati temple ofBanpur of Khordha district.

37AUGUST - 2020


Media :

Potato dextrose agar (PDA) : media wasused for obtaining pure culture from the sampleof different monuments. In this nutrient mediapotato and dextrose are the source ofcarbohydrates. Agar is used as solidifying agent.

Table 1 ( % Contribution of Flora)

Name of Fungi % contribution

Alternaria sp. 12.56

Aspergillus flavus 9.15

A. fumigatus 8.05

A. nidulans 2.34

A. niger 9.30

A. Scalrotium 6.12

A. temari 0.23

Cladosporium oxysporum 13.02

Curvularia lunata 8.10

Fusarium sp. 7.04

Mucur sp. 2.43

Mycelia sterilia (white) 4.51

Penicillium chrysogenum 2.18

Penicillium Sp. 1.24

Result and Discussion :

14 fungal flora were identified from allanalysed samples(Table No.1). It is found thatmaximum percentage contribution is observed forCladosporium sp.(13.02) on the contrary,minimum percentage contribution (0.23) isobserved for a. temari. The results of presentinvestigation revealed with various work done byresearchers.

Conservation :

The harmful effect by the colonizing ofmicroorganism on monuments is known as bio-deterioration. Generally larger parts of ancientmonuments are covered with micro organisms.Various types of micro organisms like fungi, somealgae species, bacteria, cyan bacteria, yeast,lichens and moss damage the monuments, onwhich they grow.4 They need presence of liquidmoisture for their growth and found onmonuments. The deposit of moss or algae causespatchy, green or black appearance and producepits in the surface of the stone. Ultimately itbecomes weak and powdery. Fungi has greaterrole in the bio-deterioration of monuments.5

The main causes of damage to stonemonuments is the presence of soluble salts in them.Salts, by absorbing moisture, formed solutionwhich remain inside the cavities between theparticles forming the rock. Salt solution turn in tosalt crystals on evaporation, which often appearon the surface of stone in form of whiteefflorescence. Continues dissolution andcrystallization of salts , result in repetition of strainon stone. Thus salt deposited on the objectdegrades and causes a serious threat to thesculpture.6 Coastal areas are endangered by saltin air.

The carving sculpture of Sun temple ofKonark has been eroded due to the action of saltyweather of ocean.7 Extensive chemical cleaningand preservation of the temple has been taken inthe year 1938 -1939 by Archeological Survey ofIndia. The A.S.I. is planning to start 3-D laserscanning and Endoscopic photography of the Suntemple of Konark by the Central BuildingResearch Institute at Roorkee, U.P. to ascertain

38 AUGUST - 2020


the condition of the monuments interior.8 TheA.S.I. move follows concern being expressed invarious quarters over the future of the Sun templewhich have developed cracks at some places.Government adopted measures to ensure the 13th

century edifice does not suffer from water logging.

Pollution is major cause for the decay ofstone monuments. The atmosphere contains manyother contaminants and gases cause harmful tosculpture. Industrial environment, certain gaseslike sulpher dioxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrogensulphide produced by industrial unites , engines,motor vehicles causes serious threat tomonuments.

In these case only prolonged treatmentcan cure the affected monuments. Plane water ormild detergent in a water solution is used to washaway dust dirt and stains. Five to ten percentagesolution of ammonium hydroxide is used forremoving algae or moss deposit. Fungi – cidaltreatment for some years may taken for thecomplete removal of moss and lichen. Salt ladenstone can be clean treating with paper – pulpmethod for elimination of injurious salts. Bindertype solution also applied for the consolidation ofthe weak and cracked layers. Now trainedconservators and laboratory experts have takenthe task of conservation by adopting mostscientific methods.

Conclusion :

The A.S.I. looks after 78 ancientmonuments in Odisha, including 26 inBhubaneswar city alone. The ASI move followsconcerns being expressed in various quarters overthe future of Konark, Puri and Bhubaneswartemples, which have developed cracks at some

places. Bio-deterioration of monuments hasattracted attention of scientists and conservators.

Only a few of the sites in India arepreserved well and others were neglected. Everynook and corner of Odisha has traditional heritage.These monuments are harmed by the regularcolourising of micro-organism. It needs specialattention and proper monitoring of conservationwork of the ancient monuments by applying newmethod of laser scanning, endoscopicphotography, Nanotechnology and Bio-technology. Geo-positioning radar penetrationsurvey is also essential for recovery of pricelessantiquities buried under the soil of the site.

Central Building, Research Institute atRoorkee, Uttar Pradesh should conduct the 3-Dlaser scanning to ascertain the condition ofmonuments interiors. Pieces of glass may fix atdifferent places to determine the behaviours ofcracks and condition of the foundation, if itsuppressed down. De-plastering of some oldtemple should be carried out carefully and on time.Massive plantation should take up around the sitesto check the environmental degradation. Weshould perfectly well conserve the templearchitecture, our rich heritage, which has comedown to us through the ages.

(Paper presented in 99th Session of IndianScience Congress held at KIIT University andawarded trophy for one of the 5th best paper inSection-III.)

References :

1. (a) Mitra, Debala, Bhubaneswar. Pub –A.S.I, 5th Ed -1984, P.4

(b) The Dharitri, dt.22.05.2007

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2. Fergusson James, Picturesque Illustrations ofAncient Architecture in Hindustan (London,1843)pp. 27f. and pl.III.

3) Acharya Paramananda, Studies in History,Archaeology and Archives.

4) Gorbushina, A.A., Krumbein, W.E., Hamman, C.H.,Panina, L., Soukharjevski U.S., and Wollenzien, 1993,Role of black fungi in color change andbiodeterioration of antique marblesGeomicrobiology Journal, Vol-II, p. 205-221.

5) Burford, E.P., Femina M. and Gadd, G.M. 2003,Fungal involvement in bioweathering andbiotransformation of rocks and mineralsMineralogical Magazine; v.67, p.1127-1155.

Plate No.1, Konark before conservationIllustration by James Fergusson in the year 1837

Plate No.II, Konark after conservation in 1950

Plate No.III, Jagannath temple of Puri in 18th CenturyPhoto collected from British Library, London

Plate No.IV : Conservation (De-plastering) ofJagannath temple in 1992

6) Agrawal, O.P, Preservation of Art objects and librarymaterials, N.B.T, 2006.

7) Mitra, Debala, Konark Pub –A.S.I, 3rd Ed 1986,p.27.

8) The Times of India, dt.17.2.2011

Gopal Krishna Das, Former HOD, Odia,P.N Autonomous College, Khordha-752055, E-mail:[email protected].

40 AUGUST - 2020


The remover of all obstacles,The patron of arts and sciences.

An Ocean of divinity and grace,The Lord of intellect and wisdom.

An emblem of fraternity and universal amity,An epitome of infinite compassion and limitless bliss.

A deity beyond our thought and expression,An upholder of truth, non- violence and order.

An eternal well wisher of mankind,The God of beginnings Who is honoured at the startof rites and occasions.

The Supreme Deity Who is lovingly adored asVinayaka, Vignesh, Lambodar and Ek Danta,The Lord Who grants success, prosperity and givesus protection against adversity.

Oh; Lord Ganesha save this world from spiritualaridness and moral bankruptcy,And give us succor and strength to withstand theproblems and pressures of life.

Prabhudutt Dash, Plot No: 307, Haladipadia, Sarala Nagar,Laxmisagar, Bhubaneswar-751006, E- mail:[email protected].

Lord Ganesha :An Ocean Of Divinity and Grace

Prabhudutt Dash

41AUGUST - 2020


It took a virus to make 130 crore Indiansunderstand the necessity of sanitation. The fatherof the nation, Mahatma Gandhi once said,“Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and it feelsstrange that the country where majority of peopleare religious, then how come people lacked behindin maintaining sanitation and cleanliness. Six yearshave passed since launch of Swachh BharatAbhiyan, still a question remains how much hasbeen achieved. The Government andadministration tried their best in incorporatingsanitation among the countrymen. Toilets areconstructed, however how many are using them ?Similarly, in urban areas our Swachta remainslimited to social media posts and photos. Eventoday one doesn’t fear from littering the roads,spitting on walls or even urinating on them. I feelashamed on action of such people who arecitizens of a country that has one of the sevenwonders of world and receives millions of touristsevery year. What impression are we leaving aboutourselves in their minds ? Similarly, when it comesto our eating habits, how many of us do reallywash their hands before having food ? Shockinglythere are also people who don’t wash hands aftereating, they just dust their hands in air and that’s

it. When people are behaving like this, thenexpecting them to use hanky while coughing, usingsanitiser or washing hands after that ismeaningless. People would have continued theirlives like this only if there had not been this virus.

Now just think that this single minute sizedvirus who suddenly appeared at our doorstep,made people practising sanitisation like they aremugging up notes before exam; imagine there aremultiple viruses like this which might be evendeadlier. We are lucky that the nCoV 2019 haslow mortality rate. Even though it has beenspreading fast, still the death rates are low.Looking over the rates, the way it spreadworldwide, India is lucky in that matter that thingshere not as worse as US or Italy. But in the end asingle life lost is also grave. And it would havebeen better if we had been more alert andprepared for tackling this in first place.

Now even question arises that sanitationis a privilege. In a country like India, where insome places people stand in long queue to collecta bucket of water, handwash and sanitizers areout of their reach. So, if you are thinking thatsanitation is a privilege and you are privileged then

Reworking Sanitation Managementin Backdrop of Covid-19

Dr. Pramodini Jena

42 AUGUST - 2020


you need to be more responsible. Because inmajority cases just like this nCoV, the virus in thecountry was initially reported among the peoplewho flew from outside and then it went forcommunity transition. Therefore, it becomes ourprimary responsibility in ensuring that we remainhealthy and if infected we should not be mode fortransmission for others. Unless educated peoplelike us start contemplating and acting, things wouldcontinue to be worse for everyone.

Combating a virus needs completesanitation in place. The disease outbreakdemonstrates why water and sanitation — beingan effective barrier against the virus — must beavailable, accessible and affordable to all. A lackof these can be a significant vector / pathway inthe transmission of the virus, if proper hygiene isnot followed. However, sanitation without cleanrunning water is next to impossible. Even thoughcurrently nothing much can be done regarding thiswith the whole country under lockdown but infuture once things are normal, it is necessary torework water and sanitation management systemsinstead of focusing solely on infrastructuresolutions for water and sanitation challenges.

Similarly, considering last year’s Nipahvirus outbreak in Kerala, it should also be notedthat our country also can be an outbreak place.

We can’t prevent completely something like thisbig however we can restrict its spread and effectgiven we act beforehand.

One more step in this direction can behaving some sort of permanent mechanism atInternational airports that stores the basic healthdata of incoming passengers at time of their arrivalin the country, to avoid having a panic situation insuch a scenario and reducing the difficulties intracking the person from the affected place.

Rest we come back to square one,personal hygiene and sanitation. Keepingourselves clean and at the same time keeping oursurrounding clean. And most importantly, weshould utilise our time now by strategizing ouraction and plans for future. Because nobody wantsto sit at home when the next pandemic arrives. Itthus, becomes imperative to become proactivenow to stop the next outbreak.

Dr. Pramodini Jena, Lecturer in Odia, KISS [Deemed to

be University], Bhubaneswar.

43AUGUST - 2020


Political leadership simply refers to the waythrough which the citizens of a country take partin the electoral as well as in policy makingprocess. Political participation in other words,political leadership. Political participation is a wayor a process through which the leadership andneeds of the people can be represented. Generally,the term “Political participation” refers to thosevoluntary activities by which members of a societyshare in the selection of rulers and directly orindirectly in the formation of public policy. Theseactivities include casting votes, seekinginformation, holding discussion, attendingmeetings, staging strikes and demonstrations,communicating with the legislators and the like.According to Herbert Mc. Closky, “Participationis the principal means by which consent is grantedor withdrawn in a democracy and the rulers aremade accountable to the ruled.” Politicalphilosophers like J.S. Mill, Rousseau andBentham have strongly advocated the need forparticipation of people in different spheres ofpolitical life. As Noorjahan Bava puts it, “directand indirect participation of citizens in public affairsis the lifeline of a participatory democracy”.

As women constitute a crucial segmentof the human resource in the society, dueimportance has to be accorded to the role and

contribution of women in the various socio-economic, political and cultural activities. It is anestablished fact that Indian women, in spite of theconstitutional and legal safeguards are still in theprocess of struggling for equality of status andequality of participation in the developmentprocess. The motion that men are the naturalmasters of women has continued to hinder theprogress of an egalitarian society when womenenjoy an equal status.

There is growing momentum amonggovernments and civil society to foster ensurewomen’s participation and leadership in thepolitical arena, and specifically within localgovernance structures. Establishing quotas forwomen’s representation at different levels ofgovernment has been a strategic tactic in achievingthis goal in many countries. In India, theConstitution (73rd Amendment Act), enacted in1992, mandated the reservation of a minimum ofone-third of seats for women (both as membersand as chairpersons) within all of India’s locallyelected governance bodies commonly referred toas Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Theamendment also entrusted panchayats with theresponsibility of furthering the agenda of economicdevelopment and social justice.

Promoting Women Participation in Indiafor Good Governance

Dr. Bharati Mohanty

44 AUGUST - 2020


Affirmative action to ensure women’spolitical representation is an important step indemocratizing the engendering local governance.However, it does not guarantee effectiveparticipation or ensure that issues of concern tocommunity and women will automatically beaddressed by local governance structures. Topromote Women Political Leadership andGovernance in India, the concepts of HumanRights and Women’s Right have assumedworldwide importance in contemporary times.Human Rights are claims that human beings- men,women and children are justly entitled to makeby virtue of being human.

There have been continued obstacles inthe enjoyment of economic and political rights ofwomen. Politics has long been considered a maledomain and unwomanly. Several manipulativemeasures preventing effective political roleperformance of women are in vogue. It is hightime to challenge violations and ensure the rightfulclaims of women. The incorporation of women’rights in human rights discourse is the result of aprolonged struggle of women around the world.

WHAT IS GENDER RESPONSIVEGOVERNANCE?

Gender Responsive Governance (GRG)is a process that embodies measures, attitudesand practices of different stakeholders, both menand women, at different levels of governance witha clear purpose to impact issues that fosterwomen’s empowerment and promote genderequity and social justice. It is a process thatpromotes and sustains the ability of women tofully participate in the governance anddevelopment process, enhances their ability toraise critical questions about inequity andcollectives without fear and pressure, and ensuresgains from services.

For social empowerment of women,equal access to education to women and girls,introduction of gender sensitive education; aholistic approach to women’s health whichincluded nutritional and health services, reducinginfant and maternal mortality and other measureswould be provided. Partnership with the VoluntarySector in the process of empowerment of womenwill be undertaken. The policy will aim at theimplementation of international commitments/obligations in all sectors on empowerment ofwomen. Women are moving into leadershippositions through both reserved and unreservedseats and that many perceive positive, includingincreased self confidence and improved status inthe family and community. But women face anumber of barriers such as low literacy, poorpreparatory training, a high household workburden and negative attitudes towards women inpublic office that constrain their ability to fulfill theirgovernance roles or that make them unlikely tore-contest. The government gives a tight focuson developmental concerns like water, sanitation,transportation and eligibility for social welfareschemes-all important for meeting a number ofwomen’s practical needs. But little attention is paidto addressing women’s strategic gender issues.

OBSTACLES ON THE WAY OF WOMENPARTICIPATION :

Firstly, PRIs operate in a complex socialenvironment. Caste, class and gender hierarchieshave a crucial bearing on institutional process anddemocratic practices. Secondly, participation inGram Panchayat is affected by the apathy ofwomen. This indifference has its roots in the longhistorical background of non-participation ingovernance, because of entrenched caste, classand gender hierarchies, which are quite un-participatory. Thirdly, the political culturepromoted since independence has also been one

45AUGUST - 2020


patronage and it has certainly not encouraged theparticipation of women in the institutional process.Fourthly, low level of education of women andsocio-cultural norms forbids them to enter intopolitics. Fifthly, conservative attitudes of the familymembers and the system of patriarchy prevailedin the society also responsible for theirbackwardness. Lastly, to some extent, poverty,and lack of financial control of women make themdependent on their male counterparts. So theydo not have independent decision making powerin the family for which they show their apathytowards politics.

The onus of redefining public and privatespaces to make them gender equitable cannot beof women alone. Society at large needs to makea collective effort as well. This will help tounderstand the efforts made towards effectiveparticipation of women elected representatives,and examine the impact of their participation ingovernance. In the effort to justify their presenceand participation, women members too will aimto perform along well established patterns ofpower, authority and functioning. Their skills,capacities and outlook need not automatically bedifferent from those around them. Thus, the merepresence of women can initiate change but cannotensure that priorities set by patriarchal frameworkare transformed.

CONCLUSION :

It can be concluded that the participationof women in the Political Leadership is not up tothe mark as compared to their male counterparts.Mere inclusion of political reforms, constitutionalprovisions and rights are not enough; the issue isvery critical, and it requires introspection bywomen at first hand and of course by men. It isonly through a new way of thinking, a broadperspective of analysis, an objective approach, a

rational stream of thoughts irrespective of gender;we can think some degree of change. Politicalparticipation of women demands the values ofequality and justice in daily life, the support ofcitizens groups in protest against oppressions, andacceptance of the feminist perspective in the publicsphere.

More favourable environment should becreated which would enable the women to play amore effective role in decentralized development.Women have to recognize, collectively andcritically, the forces that limit them and to workcollectively and continuously to change theunequal power structure. The family, communityand state should together create a situationwherein elected women representatives acteffectively.

References :

1. Herbert M.C. Closky (1968) “Political Participation”in International Encyclopedia of Social Science,New York: Collier Macmillan.

2. N.Bava. (1984). People’s Participation inDevelopment Administration in India, New Delhi :Uppal Publisher.

3. Panda, S. (1996) “Empowering Pattern ofLeadership among Rural Women in Orissa”, IndianJournal of Public Administration, Vol.42 No.3-4.

4. Bharti, Dr. I.J. (2011). “50% Reservation of Womenin Panchayat Raj: “A step towards Gender Equality”Odisha Review Feb-March, Page-39.

5. Arun, R. (1997) “Role of Women in Panchayati Raj”.Administrator. Vol.II, April-June.

6. Palanihuri, G. (2001). Empowering People forProsperity: A study in New Panchayat Raj, NewDelhi: Kanishka Publishers.

Dr. Bharati Mohanty, Lecturer in Pol. Science,D.R. Nayapalli College, Bhubaneswar-12.

46 AUGUST - 2020


Almighty has given us numbers of materials on‘Free’ like – land, soil, air, water, climate, minerals,light etc. Materials have utility of their own. Utilitymeans ‘Powers of Production’. With mental andmoral qualities of the time, men produce materialsthrough machineries and equipments. Thosepersons who are doing practical work especiallyinvolving physical work with their hands to convertfrom goods to materials is called Labour.

In economics, the term labour(Shramika) mean manual labour. It includesmental work also. Any physical or mental work,which is not undertaken for getting income butsimply to attain pleasure or happiness is notLabour. For example – The work of a gardenerin the garden is called labour because he getsincome for it.

Labour – The aggregate of all humanphysical and mental effort used in creation ofgoods and services. Labour is a primary factorof production. Labour is the sole creator of valuein a commodity. The value of labour spent powerof goods over the production of that commodity.(1) Labour of man is required to sell his labourpower. (2) Labour is perishable commodity(Liable to rot). (3) Unsold labour cannot becarried forward. (4) It cannot be sold tomorrow.(5) It has zero storage value (6) It is to be sold

within a particular year, month, day, timeotherwise it is lost. (7) It has no monetary valuefor future (8) Labourer has to face bargainingposition. (9) His ‘Skill’ is open to all. (10) Labourcan substitute in low price. (11) No Use – NoUtility – No Value. (12) Demand Curve is Zigzagand fluctuate by nature. (13) Labour and financialcondition of his family is interlinked. Wagesdepend upon value of money of that State.(14) Wages is paid in terms of labour renderedand not confined to profit. (15) Labour is acommodity of a market in disguise for bargaining(16) Intriguing value rests on demand.

For this, he cannot ‘Lay’ or feel ‘Bored’in any means. He is to submerge in the work byforce. That is why he is called ‘Labour’.

With invention of Machinery andEquipments and technology, modern process ofindustrialization introduces mass production ofGoods by power driven machinery with themillions of unskilled, semi-skilled, high skilled andskilled workers.

The capitalist buys the labour power ofthe destitute workmen, applies it to the machineryand raw materials which he owns. He producesa commodity having change of value. Thecommodity is sold at a price, which is expanded

Government’s Rules, Incentives andSkilled Migrant Workers

Er.(Dr.) Suresh Chandra DalaiDr. Braja Kishor Padhi

47AUGUST - 2020


on the amount of the workman’s wages andmaintenance of the factory. The differencebetween the exchange value of the manufacturedcommodity and the price paid to the workmenwho produced is called “SURPLUS VALUE”.The capitalist constitutes his rights over surplusvalue. Labour is only one of the agents ofproduction and he cannot proclaim his rights onsurplus value. Therefore, the capitalist grows upfrom rich to rich and the labour falls down frompoor to poor.

In all times, there is a class struggle.Superior wants to remain superior. He neverwants to pick up an inferior to superior. The societyhonours: ‘Man – Person – Individual – Humanbeing’. The employer likes to address‘Employee’. In the eyes of an Owner, he is ‘Slave– Labour’.

In 1650, a ‘Trade Union’ was formed inEngland, politically attested in 1775 and officiallyrecorded in 1833. The ‘Aska Sugar Factory’was established in 1825 at Aska under the presentGanjam district of Odisha. In 1848 the factoryworked by British Entrepreneur. The workerswere working from 4.00 AM to 10.00 PM.Wages was given hardly 4 Annas per Day.Women and children had to work day and nighton very low wages. In 1851, the Factory Systemof Modern Industrialization of Production startedall over India. In 1877 Agitation in India took placeat Nagpur in Cotton Industries. The factory ofAska, was awarded as ‘The Best SugarcaneIndustry in Asia Medal – 1880 for production,quality and quantity.

In 1881, the First Factory Act wasadopted during Lord Ripon’s time. Under thisAct –

- Children between age of 7 – 12 were towork for 9 hours / Day.

- Fixed the wages of Industrial Workers.

- Workers were allowed to form TradeUnion.

- Registered Workshops had beeninspected.

- Improved the service condition ofworkers.

- Directed to provide minimum amenitiesto workers.

In 1884, N.M. Lokhandey, convened ameeting of factory workers to discuss the problemrelating to (a) Limitation of hours of work (b) aweekly rest day (c) Noon Time Recess(d) Compensation for Injuries. In 1885, FactoryCommission was appointed. N.M. Lokhandeyformed ‘Bombay Mill - Hand’s Association in1890. The association like Society of RailwayServants of India and Burma (ASRSI&B)amalgamated in 1897. In 1904 Printer’s Unionwas Formed. In 1907 Bombay Postal Union wasformed. In 1910, (a) Press Employee Associationand (b) Social Service League were formed.These associations could not be termed as trueTrade Union but these associations were betterthan Trade Unions.

In between 1914 and 1918, industrieswere developed and produced enormous profitse.g. 100% to 200% in Jute and Cotton Mills. Butlabourers were living filthy disease ridden hovelswith no windows or chimney, no light, no watersupply, no sanitation etc. In big cities likeMumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad,Kanpur, etc. in one room15 x 12 feet six familieshaving 30 adults and children were living together.

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In 1918. B.P. Wadia founded ‘TheMadras Labour Union (MLU) combining alltextile workers of Chennai and within a shortperiod it became very popular Union. In between1919 to 1923, under emergence of MahatmaGandhi, all Trade Unions were channelized intoTrade Union Movement. The British Governmentframed ‘The Employees Compensation Act-1923’. The Indian Trade Union Bill wasintroduced in 1925 and passed in 1926 as such –(a) Provides for voluntary registration of TradeUnion (b) Conferred certain Rights and Privilegesupon Registered Unions. For Registration anyseven or more members of a Trade Union mayapply to the Registrar for registration bysubscribing their name. In 1927 Trade UnionCongress was divided into two groups –(a) Communists (b) Moderate Groups. In 1928,the Communist group was established and in 1929Moderate Group was established by V.V. Giriand others under the banner of the National TradeUnion Federalism.

In 1936 – The Payment of Wages Actand in 1946 – The Industrial Employment(Standing Orders) Act were passed. UnderIndustrial Disputes Act – 1947, the CentralGovernment shall be competent to refer thedispute to (a) a Labour Court or (b) an IndustrialTribunal as the case may be constituted by StateGovernment. In 1948, (a) Minimum Wages Act,(b) The Employees' State Insurance Act and (c)Factories Act were passed. For Family PensionFund and Deposit Linked Insurance Fund Act,the Government created the Employees'Provident Fund (EPF). In 1965 The Payment ofBonus Act and in 1972 the Payment of GratuityAct were framed in the interest of the employees.

In the case of Lay Off and retrenchmentenumerable facilities have been given to the

workmen under Industrial Disputes Act so as toclaim the amount as their rights. There are alsovarious rules and regulations framed for theinterest of the Workers like – Lay Off,Retrenchment, Termination, Strike, Lock Out,Adjudication, Labour Court, Tribunal,Conciliation, Arbitration, Proceedings, StandingOrders, Domestic enquiry and Natural Justice,Punishment etc.

Further, the Government has implementedRemuneration, Bonus System, Social Security,Compensation, Penalty for Default, EmployeesState Insurance, Maternity Benefit to the women,Payment of Gratuity, Child Labour Act etc. tothe employees for their better life.

In October 2017, the Odisha governmentenacted – ‘The Odisha Land Rights to SlumDwellers Act’ to grant in-situ, heritable and non-transferable land titles to as many as 200,000households living in 2,000 slums in all 109 smalland medium towns in the state. The aim andobjectives of ‘JAGA Mission’ is to grant land rightsto slum dwellers in the state. In the Odia language,‘JAGA’ means Place – slum upgrading projectstend to focus on large cosmopolitan centres.Government is providing support of Rs.200,000to each household to rebuild their houses withpermanent materials, especially in cyclone proneareas. Piped drinking water supply, creation ofindividual toilets, LED street lighting and creationof green spaces and community centers are alsoprovided. It is a unique slum land titling initiativeby ‘Mission–Basudha’ and ‘Mission–Unnati’ thatmanages the convergence of all urban schemes.The scheme forbids the use of machinery foractivities like digging tanks, relying instead onmanual labour. The initiative will remain inoperation for six months (April to September2020), but even after the scheme is over, the slum

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upgrading process under JAGA and the otherwelfare schemes will continue.

Soon after India announced its strictlockdown on 24 March, news and images startedpouring in of thousands of migrant workers leavingthe cities. Now, COVID-19 pandemic has thepotential to push vast majority of informal workersinto poverty with lockdown affecting jobs andearnings. In Odisha about two million people arefacing severe consequences. Government hasplanned to implement Urban Wage EmploymentInitiative (UWEI) to get work and wages byexecution of labour intensive projects componentunder UNNATI to tackle COVID-19 situation,which is executed in all the 114 Urban LocalBodies of the State funding Rs.100 Crore. Jobseekers can be provided employmentopportunities based on their skills under – StormWater Drainage, Rainwater Harvesting, GreenCover and Beautification, Sanitation, CommunityCenters and Open Space Development, etc.JAGA enables government to respondmeaningfully to structural challenges such as urbanpoverty and to a sudden crisis like COVID-19.

The projects under the scheme executeworks as follows: -

Total estimated cost of the project doesnot exceed Rs.1,00,000.00, it will be executedby the Self Help Groups (SHG)/Area LevelFederations (ALF)/City Level Federation (CLF)/Slum Dwellers Association (SDA) to be selectedas Implementing Partner (IP) by the MunicipalCommissioner (MC)/Executive Officer (EO).

If the total estimated cost of the Projectexceeds Rs.1,00,000.00, it will be executed bythe ULB through the concerned JE/AE with thesupport and supervision of the IP to be selected

by the MC/EO. The Work Order shall also havethe name of the selected IP along with AE/JE.

Composition of Ward Level Committee:

The Word Officer or any other officialauthorized by MC/EO shall be the convener ofthe Committee with the following members:

The AE / JE in-charge of the Ward

The President / Secretary of SHG/ALF(Priority to be given to ALF). The MC/EO maynominate President / Secretary of more than oneSHGs, in case the number of SHGs in the Wardare more.

The President / Secretary of SDAs for each slumin the ward. Wherever SDAs are not there, thenthe President / Secretary of any Slum LevelCommittee with work.

Swachha Sathis / Swachha Supervisors, as maybe decided by MC/EO.

The Committee will propose the “List ofProjects” after ascertaining the technical feasibilitythrough the AE/JE concerned.

The ULB Level Committee shall beconstituted with the following members:

i. MC/ EO - Chairperson

ii. City Engineer/MunicipalEngineer - Member

iii. Health Officer - Member

iv. Nodal Community Organizer& CMMU Managers - Member

v. Other officials as may bedecided by the MC/EO - Member

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The “Final list of Projects” with plan andestimate with details shall be placed in the Councilfor Administrative Approval. While finalizing theULB level Committee shall ensure that the list ofprojects is prepared on the basis of:

vi. Need for wage employment in that locality

vii. Technical feasibility of the project

viii. The project is within the scope of thisinitiative.

Once the plan and estimates are preparedand Administrative Approval is accorded, the MC/EO should select one of the SHGs/ ALFs/ CLF(ALF/CLF should be given priority) to facilitateexecution of the project as Implementing Partner(IP). While executing the Projects preference isgiven to labourers of that locality. However, incase of non-availability of the required numbers,labourers from nearby areas, but from the sameULB, can also be considered. To ensuretransparency, the list of final projects should bepublished in the ULB Notice Board, at the wardoffice and the ULB website simultaneously.

Supervision Charges to the IPs shall bepaid @7.5% of the total estimated cost of theproject. The AE/JE shall check-measure and shallensure that geo-tagged photographs of each stageof work are duly placed in the case record forraising the bills.

Government plans for the interest of thepeople. If the people will show their interest, the

Plan will succeed. The combination of both is theobjective to accelerate the Fundamental Dutiesto the Nation.

References :

1. Factory Act – 1881

2. The Employees Compensation Act –1923’

3. The Indian Trade Union Act – 1926

4. The Payment of Wages Act – 1936

5. The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act– 1946

6. Industrial Disputes Act – 1947

7. Minimum Wages Act – 1948

8. The Employees State Insurance Act – 1948

9. Factories Act – 1948

10. The Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act –2017

11. Letter No. 8293 dated 18.04.2020, Government ofOdisha, Housing & Urban DevelopmentBhubaneswar – Guidelines for Implementation ofUrban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI) under‘UNNATI’

Er.(Dr.) Suresh Chandra Dalai, ME(Civil), Roorkee, Ph.D,Mission Director, OUHM, Bhubaneswar, E-mail :[email protected].

Dr. Braja Kishor Padhi, Buguda, Dist.- Ganjam, E-mail :[email protected].

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This article focuses to analyse the visits of Gandhijito Odisha and its underlying importance of ademocratic revolution. Gandhi had visited Odishaeight times in all totals. His eight visits were in1921, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1934 (twice), 1938and 1946. He came to Odisha in Summer,Monsoon and Winter and had been toured to thefour geographical areas of Odisha-East, South,North, and West-covering Cuttack, Berhampur,Balasore and Sambalpur among others. Beforehe toured Odisha, he had come to know, listen,read, and write about it. The first thing that caughthis attention about Odisha was its extreme povertyand famine. The long 25 years i.e., from 1921 to1946, during which Gandhi visited Odisha wasalso the peak phase of freedom struggle. SoGandhi had normally given more focus on his mostpopular programmes like Khadi, anti-untouchability, massification and nationalist causesin Odisha by way of his attempt at a better andgreater mainstreaming of Odisha. However, forhim the geographical region, autonomy and peoplewere no less important than the nation, unanimityand leaders respectively. Gandhi had deep respectfor Gopabandhu and Madhu Babu. On the otherhand, he never undermined the common peopleof Odisha with whom he tried to establish directcommunication and attempted to know theircommon problem and helped them this regard.

He personally met, talked to, interacted with them,and got feedback from all sections of people. Hisbonding with local people and women helped himin broadening and feminizing the social base andvision of his Odisha project. He realized that, thereal and deeper level of democracy is also about‘with the people’.

Gandhiji’s Eight Visits in Brief(First Visit)

On 23rd March, 1921,Gandhiji came bythe Puri Express train and reached CuttackRailway Station along with his wife Kasturba onthe day of Dolapurnima. Gandhiji was first broughtto the Swaraj Ashram of Cuttack. On 23rd

evening, Gandhi addressed a mass meeting in thesands of the Kathajodi River where nearly fiftythousand people were present. Gandhiji in hisspeech said that it was the desire of all to getswaraj. So that; every body should strive to bringunity among Hindus and Muslims. On the sameday, Gandhiji also attended another meeting heldin the Binod Bihari Complex arranged byMarwari and Gujurati merchants, where Gandhiappealed them to boycott foreign clothes.

On the 24th March, Gandhiji addressedthe Muslims of Cuttack at Qadam-e-Rasool. Inthat public gathering, he addressed both Hinduand Muslim people of Cuttack to bring unity

Gandhiji’s Visit to Odisha : Its Impact

Dr. Sudarsan Pradhan

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among them and support the cause of KhilafatMovement. In the afternoon, another meeting wasarranged, where Gandhi addressed to womenand asked them to donate their ornamentstowards the cause of freedom struggle. In all thesemeetings held in Cuttack, Gandhiji appealed tothe people to make the Non-CooperationMovement a success by boycotting schools,colleges, government jobs and British madegoods.

On 25th March, Gandhi went fromCuttack to Bhadrak. With his wife and followers,he toured the whole Bhadrak Town on foot. Headdressed three meetings at Bhadrak.

On 26 th March 1921, he visitedSatyabadi Bana Vidyalaya of Gopabandhu Dasand admired the method of teaching and disciplineof that educational institution. He also addressedthe students, teachers and the local people ofSatyabadi.

On 27th March, Gandhiji visited thefamine affected areas of Puri district. On the sameday he addressed, a huge public meeting andwomen’s gathering at Saradha Bali in the town ofPuri. Gandhiji appealed people to collect threelakhs of rupees and enrol at least one lakhCongress members for the Tilak Swaraj Fund.Gandhiji was shocked to see the use of importedclothes and fineries on Lord Jagannath and otherdeities of Puri. In the meeting, he advocated theuse of Khadi in the temple. Gandhiji also assuredto supply Khaddar for the temple deities.

On 29th March, Gandhiji left Puri townand proceeded to Berhampur with GopabandhuDas. He addressed a mammoth public meetingand also a meeting of the members of BerhampurMunicipality. He mainly emphasized on Non-Cooperation Movement and its objective.V.V.Giri, Kasi Patra, Purna Behera of Berhampur

being influenced by Gandhiji’s visit joined in thefreedom movement. From there, he startedjourney for Vijayawada to attend the All IndiaCongress Session.

The four major objectives of his firstmaiden Visits were- to know about the Purifamine of 1920, seeing Gopabandhu, raising Tilakfunds for freedom struggle, and persuading Odiapeople for greater participation in the freedomstruggle.

After his return from Odisha, Gandhijiwrote two articles, ‘My Orissa Tour’ and ‘Orissaand Andhra’ which were published in theNavajibana and Young India respectively. In hiswriting Gandhiji bestowed lavish praise onGopabandhu Das for his dedication and selflesswork in the open air school, Seva Samaja, andSwaraj Ashram at Sakhigopal. In the article ‘MyOrissa Tour’, Gandhi was very much pained tosee the suffering of the people of Odisha due tonatural calamities like floods and famine.

However, Gandhiji’s first visit to Odishahelped profoundly in inspiring the people ofOdisha, men, women, and poor.

Gandhiji’s Second Visit

For the second time Gandhiji came toOdisha on 19 August 1925. This time, he wasinvited by Madhusudan Das to come and visit hisUtkal Tannery. Gandhiji visited the tannery andbestowed all praise on this type of SwadesiIndustry. On the same day, he visited SwarajAshram and addressed a public meeting in theCuttack Municipal compound.

Gandhiji’s Third Visit to Odisha

Gandhiji came to Odisha for the third timein 1927 to popularise Khadi programme. On 5th

December 1927, he started his Odisha tour. He

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addressed the people in different places of GanjamDistrict, such as Berhampur, Chatrapur,Badakhemundi, Bhanjanagar, Belaguntha,Purusottampur, Boirani, Polasara, Kodala,Khallikote and Shergarh. On 8th December,Gandhiji left Rambha and entered Puri district.Through Banapur, he came to Bolagarh. From9th to 11th December, he took rest at Bolagarh.On 12 December, he visited Khurdha and Jatni.Then he visited Puri via Sakhigopal. From Puri,Gandhiji came to Balasore on 14th December.Gandhiji visited Bhadrak on 16th December andstayed at Charbatia in Bhadrak Sub-division fortwo days. During his stay at Bhadrak,Harekrushna Mahtab requested Gandhiji to revivethe salt Manufacture in Odisha. Gandhiji camefrom Bhadrak to Cuttack on 20th December andstayed with Gopal Chandra Praharaj as his guest.Gandhiji addressed a meeting of the Congressworkers of Cuttack. He emphasized to promoteKhadar, remove untouchability, and avoidintoxicants. On 21 December, Gandhiji left forMadras.

1928 :Gandhiji’s one day visit to Sambalpur(Fourth Visit)

While Gandhiji was coming from Bombayto Calcutta, he got down from the train atJharsuguda on 22nd December 1928. Then heproceeded to Sambalpur and became the guestof the veteran freedom fighter Chandra SekharBehera . Gandhiji was accompanied by Kasturbaand Debdas Gandhi. On the same day Gandhijiaddressed a huge public meeting on the bank ofthe river Mahanadi. The women of Sambalpuralso had organised another meeting whereGandhiji spoke to them. The son and daughtersof Chandra Sekhar Behera donated three goldrings which were accepted by Gandhiji to be usedfor the spread of Khaddar. Gandhiji left

Sambalpur in the evening of 22nd December.Gandhiji’s one day visit to Sambalpur acceleratedthe Congress constructive works in westernOdisha.

Gandhiji’s Fifth and Sixth visit to Odisha inMay-June , 1934

Gandhiji’s fifth visit to Odisha which tookplace in 1934 was eventful in many ways. Duringthis time, he launched the celebrated HarijanPadayatra. That Harijan Padayatra started fromthe Lion Gate of Lord Jagannath temple at Purion 9th of May and came to an end on 8th June,1934. He discontinued his foot march from 15th

May to 20th May, to attend All India CongressCommittee meeting at Patna.

In his sixth visit, Gandhiji started thesecond phase of his Padayatra on 21st May. On21st May 1934, Gandhi started his Padayatrafrom Byree in Cuttack District and then visitedthe Gandhi Sevashram of Govinda Mishra atChampapur. In between 22 May and 2 June,Gandhiji visited so many places like Bheda,Lekhanpur, Gopinathpur, Sisua, Patapur,Nischintakoili, Kendrapara, Barimul, Indipur,Kalyanpur, Kalamatia, Kaipadar, Bari, Sahaspur,Purushottampur, Jajpur and Manjuri. In all theseplaces Gandhiji appealed to the people toeradicate untouchability. He also explained to theHarijans about the necessity of sanitation andcleanliness of houses and roads of villages.Gandhiji went to Bhadrak. At Bhadrak, Gandhijispent his time with Harijan workers and at thespinning wheel. He was highly impressed with thework of Subhadra Devi to popularise KhadiIndustry.

Gandhiji’s Padayatra in Odisha came toan end because of the rains. He left Bhadrak on8 th June 1934, and went to Wardha via

54 AUGUST - 2020


Kharagpur. But before his departure, Gandhiji hadcovered almost 156 miles in coastal Odisha onfoot. In the course of the Padayatra, he interactedwith lakhs of people, talked to them, addressedmany meetings and closely observed theircondition of living. In this tour, he emphasized forthe abolition of untouchability and popularizationof Charakha programme. He termed this marchon a foot pilgrimage, because for him, this walkingemphasized the spiritual nature of the HarijanMovement. The sole purpose of this Padayatrawas to educate the common people and send themessage of untouchability.

Gandhiji’s 7th visit to Odisha (1938) :Weeklong conference at Delanga and Puri

Gandhiji had attended weeklong fourthannual session of the Gandhi Seva Sangha heldat Beraboi ( Delanga) from 25th to 31st March,1938. Gandhi was always in favour of all templesbeing opened to people of all castes. WhenKasturba and others visited the Jagannath templeof Puri without his knowledge during the courseof the Delanga session Gandhi got furious.Gandhiji was the worshipper of the truth. Hebelieved that truth is God. According to him onewho adheres to truth can never be madesubservient to any power on earth.

Gandhiji’s last visit in 1946, While passingthrough Odisha

Gandhiji paid his last visit to Odisha in1946, when he passed through Odisha on hisjourney from Calcutta to Madras. He got downat Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack and BerhampurRailway Stations, where public receptions werearranged for him. Nabakrushna Choudhury andBankabihari Das accompanied him up toBerhampur. At Balasore, he laid emphasis onHarijan uplift; at Cuttack he was disturbed by the

unruly behaviour of the mob that had gathered onthe Platform to see him. Noisy and chaoticgatherings at Cuttack had irritated Gandhi. Thisvisit gave him an opportunity to study crowdbehaviour. At the Berhampur Railway Station,he was received by Biswanath Das andHarekrushna Mahtab and addressed to the localpeople. In that meeting, he mentioned that‘Through unruliness we cannot achieve Swaraj.You should take to Khadi work and removal ofuntouchability earnestly. I hope Odisha will showthe lead in these matters’.

Impact of Gandhiji’s visit

Gandhiji was overwhelmed byGopabandhu’s voluntary poverty and selflessservice that he went to the extent of saying thatgiven hundred of Gopabandhus, he would attainSwaraj in one year. From Madhu Babu, he learntthe art and craft of Non-Cooperation and selfreliance. Odisha was close to his heart. Odisha’smemory always hunted him- particularly itsPoverty, Famine, and Skeletons. He wantedpeople to get rid of drinking wine, gambling,idealness and fear.

During Gandhiji’s Odisha visit publicspheres like riverbed, park, factory compound,premises of religious institution, Swaraj Ashram,Dalit bustee, townhall, railway station, mangogrove and field were positively democratized andpoliticized. So also auspicious utterances likeHaribol, Hulahuli, Jai and Jindabad. He preferredlocal produce as his daily local diet.

Poor people were coming to Gandhiji’spublic meeting in large numbers to have a Darshanof him, not just to listen to him. He was sayinguntouchability is without scriptural sanction and itis access of all which turns stones into deities. Hisvisit encouraged many to join the freedom struggle

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and engage in constructive work. His visit hadthe magical impact of transforming idols of strawand clay into living human beings of idea, vision,feeling and action.

Gandhiji’s experience of weaving andspinning in Odisha and his acquaintance with UtkalTannery, Khadi culture might have sharpened hisvision and experiment of craft centered education,popularly known as Basic Education. Gandhijiduring his Odisha visit disappointed to see poverty.Gandhiji also mentioned in his experience, the poorvillagers of Odisha have fallen victim to idleness.Gandhiji firmly believed and practiced the value‘eating without doing any work is as good asstealing’. This clearly shows that Gandhiji was atrue Karmayogi.

The speech given by Gandhiji at the villageindustry exhibition organised at Gandhi SevaSangha Conference (Berboi) from 25th to 31st

March, 1938 clearly visualises the picture ofOdisha and his Impression towards the peopleof Odisha.

“Most of us perhaps do not even knowwhere Orissa is. Orissa is a part of one of thepoorest regions of India. We do not hear muchabout suffering there because the people arebackward in every way Orissa. In spite of itsenjoying the honor of having one of the great placeof pilgrimage, Viz Jagannath Puri, appears to bea God for shaken country. For even whilst Indiais a pulsating with a consciousness of national life,we know little of Orissa. For most of us, it is amere geographical expression. Not being a centreof modern education, it has not produced themodern types of workers and therefore, nobodyknows whether the people of Orissa are happyor unhappy”. This was the impression of theMahatma Gandhi, before he had visited Orissa in1920. After his visits to this land “epitome ofIndia’s poverty” and after having acquired a fairly

good knowledge about its people and problems,Gandhiji had this to say on Orissa in 1938. “Thepeople of Orissa have the doubtful reputation ofbeing Opium addicts, even learned men not beingfree from vice, as I found ten years ago. They arealso indolent and lethargic. I know, you will notmind my using this language, for you know thespirit in which it is being used. You know whatgreat love I have for you. The People of Orissaare responsible for its poverty, because of itsopium, indolence, and bigotry. The exhibitiongives me the hope that Orissa can rid itself of allthese evils and be once again a land of happinessand plenty.”

References :1. The Samaja, 28 March,1921.2. Mahtab, H.K, Gandhiji O’ Odisha, Cuttack Student

Store, Cuttack,1971.3. Annual Administration Report, Bihar and Orissa,

1920-1921.4. Utkal Dipika, 22 August 1925.5. Mahtab, H.K (Ed.), History of Freedom Movement

in Orissa, Cuttack.6. Young India, 22 December,1927.7. Ibid, 29 December, 1927.8. Patnaik,Jagannath, ‘Odishare Swadhinata

Sangram,(Odia) Vidyapuri, Cuttack,2001.9. National Front, 24 April,1938.10. Harijan, 2 April,1938.11. Choudhury, Gopabandhu, Gandhi and Utkal,

Navajivan, Ahmedabad,1969.12. Gandhi. M.K, (1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1974 and 1976).

The Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi,Vols.1928, 35, 57, 58 and 66, PublicationsDivisions, New Delhi.

13. Goswami, K.P, Mahatma Gandhi, A Chronology,Publication Division, New Delhi, 1971.

15. Kanungo, P, Odisha O’ Gandhi, JnanamandalFoundation, Bhubaneswar, 1999.

Dr. Sudarsan Pradhan, Faculty in History, RavenshawUniversity, Cuttack.

56 AUGUST - 2020


During last five or six decades, a vast literaturehas poured in, on the contribution of Gandhianoutlook and thoughts with special emphasis onits positive contribution towards solving thetensions both at national and international levels.Many great and distinguished writers who havetreaded on the Gandhian path or at least havecared to have rightly understood the GandhianPhilosophy, have revealed in their own words andstyle the essence of Gandhism. They haveendeavoured to touch upon the different aspectsof Gandhian philosophy. Through their humblecontributions primarily based on the service ofhumanity, they have depicted the true aspects ofGandhiji’s mind, and fine qualities of his heart.The philosophy of Gandhiji is a vast ocean ofconcepts based on universal brotherhoodcovering all aspects of human life based on co-operative thinking. Gandhiji’s message is simple,based on no new concepts. As a matter of facthis message is based on ideas which have becomea part and parcel of the spiritual and intellectualheritage of present-day world. When the worldis torn apart with different ideological and politicalsets-up, with tensions multiplying.

His message acts as a panacea for manyills. So long the World is there, there would alwaysbe problems of war and peace. It is a regular and

Bapu :The Preacher of Peace

Uma Shankar Prasad

continuous cycle which moves with eternity.Human nature and behaviour, as they say is thesame all over the world. Man’s aspirations haveknown no limit. The Gandhian methods whichhave acted as a means to the achievement ofpeace. His main aim and object in life was to makethe world a place worth- living. Actuated by thesenoble feelings he not only preached his principlesin the world but practised them himself. To himthe world was one unit, a family with so manyinmates with different outlooks and ways of

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thinking. Gandhiji’s main stress was not to depriveany nation or society of its legitimate rights. Allare equal in the eyes of God and all should haveequal rights for their existence, without any ideaof exploitation from any quarter. But where thedeveloping countries have the feeling that theyhave the monopoly of having for themselves allthe best that nature can provide whereas othersare struggling hard just for their mere existence,there can be never any healthy link between the‘haves ‘and ‘have-nots’. How can there be peaceif the barest minimum needs of the man are notmet whereas in some cases the other people arejust rolling on money. The unhealthy arms raceamongst the superpowers is another cause for allfear, suspicion and instability.

Gandhiji had during his lifetime visualizedthe shape of things to come and sensed thedestructive power of the weapons that have beendeveloped during the last few decades. The useof such weapons would simply destroy thehumanity thereby rendering world nothing morethan a suffocating cell. May be some problemsmay have been solved by means of war but inMahatma Gandhi’s views, war cannot givepermanent and ever-lasting solution to the ills and

tensions. War creates a wide gulf between thevictors and the vanquished.

A true peace is something which a mancan just feel. It is a bond which unites the heartstogether with no ill-feelings against any one. Suchan attitude can only be developed by fostering aspirit of love, affection, trust and cooperationamongst the nations. If we accept the right andexistence for one and all in the world and feel thatall are equal in His eyes, the world can be rendereda place worth living. In Gandhiji’s message liesthe positive approach to reject all that is unwantedand accept all that is good: His message is a hopefor the present and future generations who wouldhave find no scope for any hatred and vendettawhere violence, defection, frustration have theupper hand. If mankind has to survive we have togive due credence to the basic principles ofGandhiji’s thought that not only must we aim attruth and justice but must adopt means that are

truthful and just.

Uma Shankar Prasad, Columnist, Khurda.

58 AUGUST - 2020


A rare celestial was unfolded with an annular solareclipse sighted on June 21, 2020. The annularityof the eclipse passed over a narrow belt of 21km wide stretching from parts of African continentincluding Central African Republic, Congo, andEthiopia to south of Pakistan and northern Indiaand China. For India, it was the second annulareclipse 6 months after the December 26, 2019eclipse.

While the annular eclipse of December26, 2019 was visible over Southern India, theannular eclipse of June 21 was visible overNorthern India. However, like rest parts of thecountry eclipse in Odisha was predicted to bepartial with nearly 65% obstruction of the solardisc. All the three important phases of the eclipsecovering a total time span of 3 hours 32 minutesi.e. the beginning part of the eclipse when the Moonjust touches the Sun’s edge, the maximum part ofthe eclipse when the Moon is closest to the centreof the Sun and the concluding part when the Moonleaves the Sun’s edge was visible from differentparts of the country.

However, in Odisha, the observation of thetwo partial eclipses ( i.e. December, 2019 andJune 21 eclipses ) were marred by the cloudysky. But the author could clearly see all the

Rare Solar Eclipse of the Year

Nikunja Bihari Sahu

proceedings of the celestial drama from Bhopaldue to the good weather conditions with nearly79% obstruction of the solar disc. At the peakperiod, the Sun looked like a thin curve of lightresembling a crescent Moon.

One thing to be noted in this connection isthe close agreement between the prediction andthe happening of the event. The eclipsecommenced, reached the peak and concluded asper prediction. This is, probably the greatestvictory of science in predicting natural phenomenalike eclipses that affirms common people aboutthe exactness of science transcending overdogmas and stigmas.

Parts of Rajasthan, Haryana andUttarakhand could witness even more grandeurspectacle in the form of an Annular eclipse. AnAnnular eclipse occurs when the apparent size ofthe Moon is little smaller than that of the Earthand, hence, not able to cover the Sun completely.The Moon is only able to block the central partsof the Sun leaving its fiery outer edge visible likea Ring of Fire. That is one of the most spectacularsights visible during an annular solar eclipse.

There was hardly any event of AnnularSolar Eclipse visible in Odisha in near past.

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However, the author could clearly recollect aspectacular near Total Solar Eclipse (more than90% coverage) that he had seen with his owneyes in the morning of October 24, 1995 inOdisha . At the peak period, as the Sun’s most ofthe disc was blocked by the Moon, the daylightdrastically reduced and a feeling like the onset ofan evening was noticed. Trees shed their leavesand birds were circling in the sky confused by theunusual nightfall. Solar eclipses of this magnitudewere never seen afterwards in Odisha.

However, in our dogma dominatedsociety, people are still unaware of the scientificbase that leads to such events in the sky. Theyused to associate such events with displeasure ofGods and, hence, took baths in rivers in theaftermath of the eclipse. As per reports, in theaftermath of the eclipse, people gathered in largenumbers at Prayagraj, the confluence of Ganga,Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, and took dips inholy waters ignoring all social distancing norms

of Corona. According to popular beliefs, such actwould wash away all the sins and eventually leadto the attainment of Moksha (Salvation).

What really disturbing is the unchangingmindset of the people even in the light of theconvincing scientific evidences put forward toexplain these celestial phenomena. It is quiteridiculous to shut oneself indoors when aspectacular and a rare natural event is unfoldingup in our backyard. We should not only freeourselves from these bizarre beliefs, but alsodevelop a sense of curiosity and scientific mindsetto unravel the mystery of nature.

Nikunja Bihari Sahu, Education Officer, Regional ScienceCentre, Bhopal.

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Global pandemic incidence of Covid 19precipitated complex socio-economic corollariesmaking the govt. policy makers and administratorsto make a choice between lives and livelihood.Thousands of people worldwide died due to theincidence of Covid 19 while several lakhs gotinfected by way of cumulative and compoundedinfection. The choice between lives and livelihoodcontinue to plague the heads of government tomake a conscious choice and informed choice.Many countries including the majorities in Europeand America tried to save the economy throughusing multiple strategic engagement of lockdown,social distancing and special care. However, Indiaincluding Odisha chose to strike a balancebetween the two. Among the Indian states, Odishais least affected by the incidence of Covid 19 butthe outreach of Covid 19 still continues to affectdown the line to the rural villages in view of thereturn of inter-state migrant workers from theaffected locations. Estimated over 11 lakhsmigrant workers reportedly held up at differentlocations outside the state and requested the Stategovernment to bring them back to their nativeplaces.

Gram Panchayats in Odisha is the lowestunit of administration and local self governance.Gram Panchayat carry the forces and true spiritof Parliamentary Democracy in India set splendid

landmark in the prevention and communityprotection of Covid 19 in Odisha.

Engagement of Odisha Gram Panchayatin the prevention and management of Covid 19through community quarantine, TemporaryMedical Centres and social isolation receivedhuge applaud and was appreciated at national andinternational level.

As per the provision of Odisha GramPanchayat Act 1964 Clause 44 (h) Preventionand protection of epidemics and other contagiousvulnerable diseases is the mandate of GramPanchayat. The Govt. of Odisha by policy decisionengaged the Gram Panchayats to preventcommunity spread of Covid 19 through specialprovisions and initiatives.The Govenmentengineered multi-pronged strategies to save life,livelihood, secure food security and incomeaugmentation. Sarapanch was empowered anddelegated designated authority of the districtmagistrate to take decisions at the Gram Panchayatlevel for better containment, management andprevention of community spread of Covid 19.

Block and district level PRIs were alsoengaged to support Gram Panchayat bysupportive supervision, planning and monitoring,Awareness raising, strengthening community andinstitutional support at the village level encouragedcommunity based action and engagement of civil

Odisha Gram Panchayats :Containments, Management and

Prevention of Covid 19Dr. Priyanath Pattayat

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society groups including youth clubs and Womenself-help Groups. Supply and distribution of dryration at the doorstep was secured by thosegroups. Poor households registered under thePDS Scheme were provided 15 k.g rice free ofcost and Rs 1000/- to ensure food security andcompensate loss of income during the shut downperiod. Village community monitored entry andexit point of the village through scrutiny of inwardand outward mobility of people. The people whowent out for procurement of essentialcommodities were sanitised at the entry point backto their locations. Hand wash and soap wereprovided with adequate water to the peoplecoming back to the village. Community quarantinecentre with appropriate provision for food shelter,personal hygiene and protection at the GramPanchayat level was provided. Separate toilet andaccommodation was made for male and femaleinmates. Unorganised workers registered withBuilding and other construction workers Boardwere paid a Sum of Rs. 1500 each at their doorstep to augment their family income and protectionfrom vulnerabilities during lockdown/shut downperiod. The situation became more sensitive anddelicate in view of the retrn of 11 lakhs of migrantworkers to their native places. The stategovernment made necessary arrangement incoordination with the national government for theirsafe passage to their locations of close proximitieswhile Gram Panchayats in coordination with thedistrict administration arranged their safe passageto the respective villages. Quarantine centresdeveloped at the Gram Panchayat level offeredtemporary shelter, food and personal hygiene kit.Each of them was screened of the possibleinfection and contamination or if they have beenin contact with any person infected or affectedby Covid 19. They were assured guaranteedemployment under MGNREGS and assured apayment of Rs.2000 at the end of their quarantine

period. Temporary Medical Centres wereestablished for screening, primary care andreferral. Covid positive cases were referred tothe Covid hospital at the district locations. LocalGram Panchayats were also vigilant and activelyengaged local communities to serve cooked foodto migrant workers. Some of the Women selfHelp Groups are reported to have served foodto the stray dogs, cows and buffaloes. Door todoor supply of vegetables and groceries were alsoprocured by the community groups. Out of 6798Gram Panchayats as on 2020, over 4382 GramPanchayats mostly in coastal districts of Odishamade significant contribution to secure communitycontainment, successful lockdown/shutdown. Atthe same time, procurement and supply of essentialcommodities at market outlets were madeavailable. Local weekly markets were relocatedwith adequate open space and necessary provisionof social distancing. Mike announcement fordrawing roundup circles outside the shops/publicdistribution points were significant initiatives thatrecorded good response and community support.In view of the above engagement andperformance of Gram Panchayats, many a goodpractices and approaches are documented andrecorded for further reference and use at StateInstitute for Rural Development, PanchayatirajDepartment, Govt. of Odisha. As on June 2020since Mid March only 12 deaths were reporteddue to Covid 19 while about 6,000 people wererecorded to have been infected by the incidenceof Covid 19 which is certainly a classic exampleof community containment, social isolation,community quarantine and management ofTemporary Medical Centres at the GramPanchayat level.

Dr. Priyanath Pattayat, Social Science Researcher, UNAgencies, E-Mail : [email protected].

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“Long after this controversy is hushed in silence,long after this turmoil, this agitation ceases, longafter he is dead and gone, he will be looked uponas the poet of patriotism, as the prophet ofnationalism and the lover of humanity. Long afterhe is dead and gone, his words will be echoedand reechoed not only in India, but across distantseas and lands.” These words of defense lawyerChitta Ranjan Das to describe the accused,Aurobindo Ghosh in the Alipore bomb trial of1909, was perhaps prophetic of the debatesurrounding the image of the nationalist leader. Inthe minds of the popular masses, Aurobindo isdefinitely revered as a cultural icon of the early20th century on the backdrop of SwadeshiMovement sweeping across the length andbreadth of our country.

Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose, father ofAurobindo, being an ardent admirer of Englishlanguage & culture, sent him to England for studiesunder the care of a British family at the tenderage of 7 to insulate him from any Indian influence.Aurobindo stayed there for more than 14 yearsreceiving education at Manchester, London andCambridge. He was an outstanding student inacademics as well as all European languages.Despite receiving highly westernized educationand strict instruction from his father, Aurobindo

became an active member of a secret society ofIndian revolutionaries called ‘Lotus and Daggers’.Over a period of time, Aurobindo became thechief exponent of militant nationalism.

Getting himself disqualified in the finalround of ICS examination intentionally, Aurobindoreturned to India in 1892 and started working forBaroda State Service. During his stay in Baroda,he started writing for an Anglo-Marathi paperIndu Prakash. In these articles, he was critical ofthe oppression of the British, the inner weaknessof Indians and the timid and uninspiring methods

Sri Aurobindo and Indian Nationalism

Laxmi Narayan Mallik

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adopted by Congress for liberation from Britishrule.

Bengal partition in 1905, was viewed byhim as a blessing as it would arouse the nationalsentiments of the people. He came to Kolkataleaving the service at Baroda to participateactively in the protests. In 1906, he startedpreaching for open revolt and completeindependence through his writings in Bengalinewspapers, Yugantar, Bande Mataram andKarmayogin. His bold and fiery articles gainedwidespread popularity and instantly arousednational sentiments leading to protests across thestreets of Bengal. Along with political goal ofcomplete Independence, Sri Aurobindo alsodeveloped a parallel program of constructiveaction. His writings combined erudition withpatriotism and created a tremendous steer amongthe intelligentsia and youth. As RabindranathTagore put it, he was the “Voice incarnate, free,of India’s soul”.

During 22nd session of Indian NationalCongress at Kolkata in December 1906,Aurobindo Ghose was the surprise participantalongwith the stalwarts of Indian politics:Pherozeshah Mehta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale,Surendranath Banerjee, Bal Gangadhar Tilak,Bipin Chandra Pal, and Lala Lajpat Rai for thecritical exercise of formulating the resolutions.Largely unknown to the general public then, thePrincipal of the Bengal national College,Aurobindo has already made his mark of strongpresence in political circles as the brilliant editorof Bande Mataram, the daring extremistnewspaper.

The Congress arrived at four fairlyhardline resolutions: universal boycott of Britishproducts, extension of the Swadeshi campaign

to all of India, Swaraj and national education asofficial goals. There is no doubt that Aurobindo’sforce of personality, determination and intellectcontributed to the formulation of these goals.

For the brief but momentous periodbetween 1905 and 1910, he was one of India’sforemost national leaders and one of the principalarchitects of its freedom movement. In the courseof these few years, he changed the thinking of theentire country.

By the time Congress saw a final splitbetween moderates and extremists inDecember,1907 Surat session, Sri Aurobindo hadalready acquired the reputation of being irresistibleand unstoppable and the British had no clue howto deal with this young man who knew thepsychology of British even better than the Britishthemselves. Lord Minto, the then Governor-General of India wrote, “I shall not rest my headon pillow until I have crushed Aurobindo Ghose.He is the most dangerous man we have to dealwith today”.

The bedrock of political philosophy ofAurobindo was his concept of spiritual nationalismand the divinity of the motherland. In 1908, hestated that nationalism was immortal because itwas a religion that had come to India from theGod. As God could not be slain, nationalism couldnot be destroyed. He elevated the demand fornational freedom to a religious faith so that themasses could be awakened. Sri Aurobindo wasa thinker of great importance in modern Indianpolitical thought and his work laid the foundationfor later movements led by Mahatma Gandhi.

The British took him under detention andimprisoned him from 1908 to 1909. It was inprison that he first realised man should aspire and

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merge into a completely New Being and try andcreate a Divine Life upon earth. This vision ledAurobindo to undergo a profound spiritualtransformation. After just four years of militantpolitical activity - including one year in Aliporejail - he abandoned it and left Bengal forPuducherry. There he devoted himself to his innerquest, translating the Rig Veda, striving to applythe wisdom of the rishis to the modern world andsowing the seeds of a new humanity. Even after1910, his interest in India’s freedom remainedundiminished, and he lived to see the fruition ofhis work when India finally achieved independenceon his 75th Birthday - August 15, 1947.

Sri Aurobindo was one of the mostcreative and significant figures in the history ofthe Indian renaissance and Indian nationalism.While Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan describedAurobindo as ‘the most accomplished of modernIndian thinkers’, Rabindranath Tagore painted himas the ‘Messiah of Indian culture and civilization’.Aurobindo, indeed was a versatile genius - a greatpoet, a profound thinker, a notable metaphysician,a great seer and an ardent patriot. His writingsrepresent the crystallization of the new and risingsoul of India and have a spiritual message forhumanity. No one has ever explored the natureof freedom more profoundly and passionately thanSri Aurobindo. He looked at the concept offreedom first through the eyes of a revolutionarypolitical leader who was also a poet, and laterthrough the eyes of the mystic and spiritual Masterthat he became.

When on 15th August 1947 Indiabecame free Sri Aurobindo took this coincidencewith his birthday ‘not as a fortuitous accident, butas the sanction and seal of the Divine Force thatguides my steps on the work with which I began

life, the beginning of its full fruition’. The messagethat he gave on his 75th birthday sums up his entirepolitical work and encapsulates the impact thathe had primarily upon India but in fact throughoutthe world. It speaks of his five dreams, the first ofwhich was a free and united India. His seconddream was ‘the resurgence and liberation of thepeople of Asia and her return to her great role inthe progress of human civilization’; third, ‘a world-union forming the outer basis of a fairer, brighterand nobler life for all mankind’; fourth, ‘the spiritualgift of India to the world’ and finally, ‘a step inevolution which would raise man to higher andlarger consciousness and begin the solution of theproblems which have perplexed him since he firstbegan to think and to dream of individualperfection and a perfect society’. Sri Aurobindosaw all these also either ‘arriving at fruition or onthe way to achievement’. Auroville at Puducherrywhich has emerged as a hub of educational,social, cultural, economic and spiritual imaginationand innovation is the complete manifestation ofSri Aurobindo’s vision of India’s spiritualleadership in the world.

In the midst of the clouds of darkness,despair and distress in today’s world, SriAurobindo through his philosophy of envisaginga new man, a new society and a new civilizationprovides a ray of hope and confidence, belief andtrust to mankind.

Laxmi Narayan Mallik, Executive Director (Logistics),Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), 6th Floor, IspatBhavan, 40, JL Nehru Road, Kolkata-700071, E-mail:[email protected].

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