Gandhi's Padayatra in Orissa and Upliftment of Harijans

Orissa Review

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury

In September 1931, Mahatma Gandhi had Award was modified. In the meanwhile Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference was turning the country¶s attention to the Harijan held in London. In the Conference he spoke cause and this µnew emphasis¶ also made adverse eloquently in favour of granting µdominion status¶. effect on the Civil Disobedience Movement. Even But the session was soon the token revival of Civil deadlocked on the minorities Disobedience (Individual issue. The main purpose of his Satyagraha) since July 1933 visit ± Indian freedom- was without any attractive pushed to the background. programme failed to pick up Gandhi reached Bombay on 28 momentum. 3 Congress of December 1931 and the Orissa in August 1932, made all Congress Working Committee out effort to recover the with no option but to make Congress office from the control token revival of Civil of the Government and they Disobedience Movement.1 In were successful in reoccupying response to the call of Gandhiji Swaraj Ashram at Cuttack and and the Congress Working Nari Ashram at Baleshwar. The Committee, the Civil effort of Mahatab to start no- Disobedience Movement was tax campaign through Krushak resumed vigorously in Orissa.2 Sangh could not be fruitful. But When the movement was under his stewardship Khadar continuing with a downward tempo, there came and spinning centres were organized at different a mischievous proposal, Macdoland¶s Communal places of Orissa and the Congress activities Award of August 1932 for the creation of separate centered round Gandhian constructive programme electorates for the untouchables. Gandhiji began till Gandhiji¶s advent in Orissa for his Harijan a fast unto death on this issue of separate Upliftment campaign. th electorate¶ on 20 September, and was able to At the end of Civil Disobedience secure an agreement between caste Hindu and movement, the Harijan movement had started in untouchable leader (Poona Pact) by which the right earnest in the country. It had a special

50 January - 2011 Orissa Review significance for Orissa as Gandhiji began his first you must not touch this boy, he is an untouchable. famous Padayatra to fulfill the mission in the Why not ? I questioned back, and from that day province. One of the major tasks to which my revolt began.5 His fight against untouchability Gandhiji was devoted heart and soul was the was a fight against the impure in humanity.¶ removal of untouchability - upliftment of the so Gandhiji¶s fast unto death aroused great called Harijans, the children of God. Special anxiety in the millions in Orissa and they breathed attention was given to the problem from the time a sigh of relief when his¶ fast¶ ended. His total of Communal Award of the British Prime Minister. emphasis was to remove all social disabilities of On this issue, Gandhi undertook fast unto death Harijans. All India Harijan Sevak Sangha was th on 9 September 1932 in the jail and created formed with G.D. Birla as its President and sensation throughout the country. Many Indian A.V.Thakar as Secretary. A branch of Harijan leaders rushed to Pune and finally arrived at a Sevak Sangha was organized at Cuttack under settlement of the communal problem. That was the chairmanship of Balunkeswar Acharya, a known as the Poona Pact and the British renowned Kabiraj of Cuttack. Smt. Rama Devi, Government also accepted its terms. Gandhiji Laxmi Narayan Mishra and Satyanarayan broke his fast, but decided to persue the Sengupta were chosen as Secretaries. Acharya programmes of uplifting the Harijans in right Harihar Das, H.K.Mahatab, Bichitrananda Das, 4 earnest. He started an All India Anti- Radhanath Rath and Gunanidhi Mahanty were its Untouchability League in September 1932 and prominent members. All over country the Civil the weekly µHarijan¶ in January 1933. The week Disobedience Movement gradually petered out, following the end of his µfast unto death¶ was but in Orissa the sparks and flashes of the celebrated throughout India as Untouchability Movement remained alive due to Gandhiji¶s first Abolition Week. On 8 May 1933 Gandhiji began famous Padayatra for Harijan welfare work which a twenty one day fast for µSeptember Purification¶ helped indirectly to mobilize the lowest and most on Harijan cause. Sabarmati Ashram was handed oppressed sections of the rural society for the over to Harijan Sevak Sangha. In order to cause freedom struggle. When the movement promote the Harijan cause Gandhiji covered began to fritter away most of the leaders including 12,500 miles in his all- India tour between Gopabandhu Choudhury, Rama Devi and most November 1933 and August 1934. But radical of the Congress leaders devoted themselves nationalists were not happy as Gandhiji shifted enthusiastically to the cause of the Harijan welfare his attention from the main issue like anti imperialist movement in Orissa. Mukunda Prasad Das and struggle to Harijan work. So also orthodox Hindus Bhagabat Mahapatra guided the movement in within the Congress did not like his utmost concern Baleswer and Bhadrak respectively.6 Pt. for the Harijans. However, Gandhiji¶s programme Nilakantha Das and Lokanath Mishra guided the of Harijan upliftment while consolidating the movement in Puri, Nrusingh Guru guided the socio-political solidarity created a vast base for Sambalpur, Jagannath Das, Fanindra Nath Samal popular response to the future nationalist cause. and Narayan Chandra Ghose actively guided the His involvement with the cause of the untouchables Jajpur. For the promotion of education among whom he called Harijans was rooted in deep the Harijan he promised special aid for Orissa. humanitarianism, planted in him from the very Many leading Congressmen evinced much childhood. Gandhiji confessed, ³My mother said; interest in Harijan work. In fact, with the gradual

January - 2011 51 Orissa Review decline of the Civil Disobedience Movement in Then he travelled to Meramundali. In both the the province, the Congress volunteers places he addressed public meetings and collected enthusiastically undertook the Harijan work.7 On funds for Harijan welfare. From Maramundali he behalf of the Utkal Harijan Sevak Sangh, went to Puri. The next day he spent as his day of programmees like allowing the untouchables free silence and on 8th May he announced his novel access to the temples, public ponds and wells, programmee for removal of untouchability from opening of schools and hostels for their children, the masses by undertaking Padayatra in Orissa. and teaching them the simple rules of health and Like an ancient sage propagating his message by hygiene were undertaken with great zeal. The sacred marches on foot throughout the move of Gopabandhu Choudhury, Satyanarayan countryside, Gandhiji was determined to root out Sengupta, Radhanath Rath, Raj Krushna Bose the evil from the Hindu society by his sacred and Atal Bihari Acharya to allow the untouchables mission which began from Puri, one of the most entry into the temples of Cuttack city was famous religion centres of the Hindus in India. On opposed by Parikhit Dash Sharma, the Secretary May 1934, the Padayatra began along the Puri- of µUtkal Sanatan Dharma Rakshini Sabha¶. Das Cuttack road.10 His party included Amritlal Sarma asserted that ³ the removal of untouchability Thakur, Mir Behn, Sushila Behn, Uma Bajaj would destroy the Sanatan Dharma.¶8 The move (daughter of Jamnalal Bajaj), Padmabati Devi of Nilakantha Das, Lokanath Mishra, Raghunath (wife of Jaya Prakash Narayan), Balaji Govindji Mishra for opening the doors of the temple of Desai, Damodar Das, Kaka Kalekar, K.Butow Lord Jagannath at Puri for the people of all castes (a German Juornalist), Gopabandhu Choudhury, was opposed by the Raja of Puri, Mahant of Emar Rama Devi, H.K.Mahatab, Nilakanth Das, Raj Math, Hariram Goenka and other members of Krushna Bose, Jadumani Mangaraj, Satya Sanatan Dharma Rakhini Sabha. But in various Narayan Sengupta, Bichitrananda Das, Binod places of Orissa, gradually more and more Kanungo, Surendra Pattanaik, Sahadeb Das, temples were thrown open to the Harijans. Gajendra Nath Das, Nanda Kishore Das, Subsequently, the caste Hindus employed the Karunakar Panigrahi and many other workers Harijans, accepted them and they were joined Gandhiji¶s Padayatrta. Larger and larger encouraged to participate in the public dinners. crowd followed Gandhiji as he marched on. This This process of socialization and interaction made famous march was not only a novel experiment in a great impact on both rural and urban life of India, but also it provided a unique experience Orissa. Steps were taken by Rama Devi and for Gandhiji himself. He realized that by travelling Naimavati Devi for the promotion of education on foot though distance covered was much less, among Harijan children. On behalf of Anti- yet greater amount of work was done by coming Untouchability Board, Rama Devi and her into intimate contact with people. He hoped that associates like Mangala Sengupta, Godavaris Das, the Congress workers in different parts of India Sobha Panda, Annapurna Choudhury, Tulasi would undertake similar Padayatra to every home. Mahanty, Manik Devi and Sushila Devi worked In fact, Gandhiji could personally realize the with enthusiasm to promote social well-being of problems of Harijans when he visited several 9 the Harijans. Harijan habitats in course of his march from Puri Gandhiji came to Orissa in May 1934 in to Cuttack. At some places he used to visit Harijan this connection. On 5 May he reached Jharsuguda. Habitats advising them to discard intoxicants and

52 January - 2011 Orissa Review follow simple rules of health and hygiene. While Congress centres in remote rural areas for addressing the public meetings, he urged the caste pioneering Harijan, Khadi and other village Hindus to treat the Harijans as their brothers and reconstruction programmees. The Padayatra of to give up the curse of untouchability, and warned Gandhiji in Orissa for Harijan welfare had a that¶ Hinduism will be effaced altogether¶ if this tremendous impact on national life. Despite the evil is not resisted. He visited Gopabandhu Seva formidable resistance of the Sanatanists, the Sadan (Kadua Ashram), stayed in its Harijan- pilgrimage of Gandhiji gave a momentum to the boarding, addressed the Brahmins of programmes like villge reconstruction, Harijan Purushottampur, who were in favour of the welfare and Khadi throughout Orissa and removal of untouchables. At Satyabhamapur, heralded a new era of social emancipation. Harijans were invited to dine with the team of References : Padayatris. At Balianta, Gandhiji performed the ceremony of opening the Conga Bihari temple to 1. Sarkar, Sumit- Modern India(1885-1947), Madras, 1985,P.321 all Hindus, including Harijans.11 2. Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Bihar On 16 May Gandhiji went to Patna to and Orissa, vol. xxv. 1932 P.480 attend the A.I.C.C. meeting and again returned 3. Home Political Prog. F.No.5/62/1932 to Orissa on 21st May, 1934. On that day he started the second phase of the programme from 4. Patra, K.M. and Devi,Bandita- An Advanced History of Orissa (Modern Period), New Delhi, Bari, and continued his missionary programme till 1983, P.255 7 June 1934 when he reached Bhadrak. On the 5. The Harijan, 24 Dec 1938,.393 whole he covered 156 miles in coastal Orissa on Foot. For him it was a sort of spiritual experience 6. Balasore District Records, No.488-C, Dist th and he realized the problems in Indian villages by Magistrate to Dist Inspector of Schools, 4 July 1932 his long 26 days Padayatra in one of the poorest provinces in India. Gandhiji enjoined his followers 7. The Harijan, 25 March 1933, P.3 to carry on his mission in villages where poverty 8 The Utkal Dipika, 31 December 1932 was mythical and untouchability firmly entrenched. 9. The Harijan, 25 March 1933 The Harijan movement in Orissa roused 10. Patra, K.M, op.cit P.256 the people to a great extent and made them 11. The Harijan, 25 May, 1934 conscious about the social problem of vast magnitude. The Congress leadership also became aware of the village reconstruction programme which, as Gandhiji wanted, must be undertaken in right earnest. The top Congress leaders in Orissa, inspired by Gandhian ideals, devoted Dr. Janmejay Choudhury is a Lecturer in History in the themselves whole-heartedly to build some Shri Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khurda.

January - 2011 53