The Utkal Sabha and Indian National Congress

Orissa Review * January - 2005 The Utkal Sabha and Indian National Congress Dr. Janmejay Choudhury The political consciousness of the Oriya people of Cuttack attended on that meeting and people had been sufficiently aroused by the last decided to establish a permanent organisation quarter of the nineteenth century. Within this in order to champion the cause of the people period a big public meeting was organised at and to help the institutions of local self- Cuttack on 30th June 1882 to celebrate the government particularly in the district of occasion of the adoption of new scheme of Cuttack. The first office-bearers were also local self-government in India by Lord Ripon's nominated in that meeting. Chaudhuri Kasinath Government. Madhu Sudan Das, Hariballabha Das and Gauri Sankar Ray were chosen as the Ghosh, Priyanath Chatterjee, Madhusudan Rao, first President and Secretary of the organisation Bipin Bihari Mitra were among others who respectively. Besides there were two vice- spoke on the occasion and they observed that Presidents and a few members of the executive the people were prepared to shoulder the committee (Utkal Dipika, 19 August 1882). responsibilities entrusted to them by the new Madhu Sudan Das, who returned from Calcutta scheme of local self-government. They desired and joined the Bar at Cuttack, was associated that the people should be allowed to elect their with the 'Utkal Sabha' from the beginning. He representatives to the local bodies in order to was the first Oriya pleader and soon took the make them more effective and popular (Utkal leading part in organising and moulding public Dipika, 8 July 1882). A public meeting in this opinion in the Province. Gauri Sankar Ray, the connection was also held at Puri in the first editor of 'Utkal Dipika', the leading journal of week of August 1882 where some decisions Orissa, acted as the Secretary of the were made (Utkal Dipika, 9 September 1882). organisation for a long time. In fact, most of Incidentally, an association named 'Utkal the meetings of the Sabha were held in the Sabha' was established at Cuttack in 1882 to premises of the 'Utkal Dipika' itself and through spearhead the socio-political activities of the his journal. Gauri Sankar Ray gave due people. The 'Utkal Sabha' was soon regarded publicity to the activities of the organisation. as the most important and prominent political The 'Utkal Sabha' organised a special organisation of the intelligentsia in the main meeting on 21st May 1883 to discuss the Ilbert town of the Orissa Division which wielded Bill. Ilbert Bill united the Indians against the considerable influence in moulding public government by arousing public opinion. This opinion in the Province in the last two decades bill abolished judicial discrimination on the of the 19th century. The first meeting which basis of race and nationality. So the members brought the 'Utkal Sabha' into existence was of the 'Utkal Sabha' unanimously agreed to held in the premises of the Cuttack Printing support it and they sent a petition to the Company on 16th August 1882. Many leading Governor-General for acceptance of the Bill 1 Orissa Review * January - 2005 (Utkal Dipika, 26 May 1883). In 1886 petitions meeting and took part in its deliberations. were sent to the government for reconstituting Except the partial modification of one the legislative councils in order to give more resolution, all other resolutions were accepted representation to the Indian people in those in that meeting (Utkal Dipika, 6 March 1886). bodies (Utkal Dipika, 25 December 1886). The modified resolution related to the This was one of the factors which helped the examination for entering into Indian Civil growth of political consciousness in Orissa Service for which it was felt that the candidates during the first two decades of the 20th century. should not be asked to go to England due to It was the period of participation of the Oriya apprehension for the loss of caste. To the members in the Legislative Councils where second session of Indian National Congress many problems were raised and discussed. held in the last week of December 1886, the Raja Baikunth Nath De of Balesore was the 'Utkal Sabha' sent its four selected first member of the Bengal Legislative Council representatives. They were : Madhu Sudan to which he was nominated in November 1883. Das, Golak Chandra Bose, Hariballabh Ghose In 1886 Madhusudan Das was elected as the and Kalipada Banerjee. Besides, the 'National representative of the Municipalities of Orissa Society' of Balesore also selected three and Chota Nagpur (Utkal Dipika, 22 February delegates namely Baikuntha Nath De, Bhagaban 1896). Chandra Das and Ramesh Chandra Mandal, for The national consciousness of the people participation in the Congress Session (Utkal of Orissa was again aroused, as elsewhere in Dipika, 25 December 1886). Thereafter India, during the last decade of the 19th century delegates from Orissa, nominated by these by their association with the Indian National associations, attended the Congress Sessions Congress. The struggle for India's freedom held at different places. Rev. Sham Sahu, John began with the establishment of Indian National Sumson Raut, Munshi Mahammad Atabar, Congress in 1885. It was possible due to the Bhagaban Chandra Das, Ramesh Chandra untiring efforts of Allan Octovion Hume, a Mandal, Gauri Sankar Ray and Madhu Sudan British civil servant. His aim was to combine Das took keen interest in the activities of the the provincial associations to a national one. Congress in its early years. Especially the Once he writes, "Scattered individuals leaders of the 'Utkal Sabha' like Madhu Sudan however capable and well defined cannot draw Das and Gauri Sankar Ray acted as the line of action and to secure these an association pioneers in bringing the message of Congress is required. The first meeting of the Indian and its liberal ideas to Orissa in the last two National Congress was held at Bombay in decades of the 19th century. They laid the December, 1885 under the presidentship of foundation of constitutional struggle of the Woomesh Chandra Banerjee. First phase of the people against the British authorities. However, Indian National Congress (1885-1905) was the energy and enthusiasm of the leaders in known as the period of protect, petition and Orissa was soon diverted to a different problem prayer. It was known also as period of political and that dissociated some of them from the mendicancy. Immediate attention of the Oriya national mainstream for nearly two decades people was drawn to its activities, and a public from the beginning of the 20th century. meeting was held in the town of Cuttack on 3rd March 1886 to discuss the resolutions adopted by the Congress in its first session. Dr. Janmejaya Choudhury is a Lecturer in History in All the leading personalities attended this Sri Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khurda. 2 Orissa Review * January - 2005 Emergence of Gandhiji - National Politics and Its Aftermath Dr. Lingaraj Rath Gandhiji's emergence in on Indian national weapon of non-violent passive resistance scene was an event of highest significance. In which could be handled by men and women, the apt and colourful words of Pandit Nehru, it the rich and the poor, the learned and the was like "a breath of fresh air" in an otherwise ignorant. gloomy and choking atmosphere. After having However, Gandhi was in no hurry to spent nearly a quarter of century in South Africa jump into the fray. When he consulted Gopal where he led an extraordinary movement of Krishna Gokhle whom he regarded as his the Indian settlers for the vindication of their political Guru, regarding his future work, the national honour and human rights, Gandhi latter advised Gandhiji not to speak on Indian returned to India in early 1915 and started his questions, as India was a 'foreign land' to him Ashram on the bank of Sabarmati river near due to his long stay abroad. Gokhle further Ahmedabad. advised Gandhi that he should keep quiet for a in 1915, to the Indian people however, whole year and first study the situation in the Gandhiji was an unknown person. Most land after which he could decide on his future Congressmen, too, did not know him. But course of action. The latter took this advice among the greater ones who knew him and his and decided to first see Mother India as a work in South Africa, he appeared as a man pilgrim before taking a leap into the stage of with a future role. "He is without doubt made politics. of the stuff of which heroes and martyrs are It so happened that this year of enforced made", described Gopal Krishna Gokhle about silence ended early 1916 at the time of founding Gandhiji in December 1912. He even went of Benaras Hindu University. Pandit Madan further and said, "Nay more. He has in him the Mohan Malavya, the founder of the university marvellous power to turn ordinary men around had arranged a series of lectures to be him into heroes and martyrs." delivered by eminent persons who had come Thus Gandhiji had brought with him high for the occasion after the foundation-stone had credibility from South Africa. He was fearless, been laid by the then Viceroy, Lord Hardinge. devotional minded and a champion of the weak. It was Mahatma Gandhi's turn one He taught his followers to shed fear, resist evil evening, which was the first time that he spoke and suffer the consequences cheerfully. By now, in public since his arrival in the country a year Gandhiji had also already discovered the ago. Big leaders, English Officers, Rajas and 3 Orissa Review * January - 2005 Maharajas were present.

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