Historiography of Freedom Movement in Orissa

Orissa Review * August - 2009 Historiography of Freedom Movement in Orissa Dr. Atul Chandra Pradhan In the post-independence India freedom struggle 1827 and 1836) and Sambalpur (The rebellious which was a forbidden subject for academics in activities were carried on by Surendra Sai from colonial period has become an important area of 1857 to 1864 i.e. till his imprisonment). Besides research and study. Freedom movement has been these direct challenges to the colonial power, there studied at three levels-nation, province and were rebellions in princely states in which the locality and the history of the anti-colonial paramount power had to intervene. The British mobilisation has been broadly divided into two Land Revenue Policy i.e. exorbitant increase in phases - the pre-nationalist and nationalist; the revenue demand was the crucial factor behind nationalist phase which began with the foundation these rebellions. The tribals (Sabars in of Indian National Congress has been divided into Paralakhemundi, Kandhas in Ghumsur and pre-Gandhian and Gandhian phases. Khurda and Gonds in Sambalpur) played In pre-nationalist era, with the exception important roles in all these rebellions. These of the revolt of 1857, the anti-colonial uprisings rebellions, generally called resistance movements were local in character. In the first century of were marked by anti-alien antagonism and British rule it is said that there were forty major individual acts of heroism and patriotism. About local uprisings, and many minor ones. These Bakshi Jagabandhu's rebellion in Khurda in 1817, uprisings were initially organised by dispossessed W.Ker an English official observed "Jagabandhu princes and landlords and afterwards by the tribals has given a lead in organising a movement, no and peasants. The latter rebellions were caused matter in how haphazard manner for ousting the by the harsh administrative rules and regulations newly established English from Orissa, he and economic exploitation by landlords, expected that other people who also hit hard by merchants and money-lenders. In Orissa during the maladministration under the English and the the first century of British rule there were Orissa Chiefs who had been deprived of all their intermittent rebellions in four places - freedom would follow up the lead to make a common cause with him for the purpose of Paralakhemundi (from 1768 to 1856, Ghumsur 1 (There were rebellions in two phases; in the first liberating their motherland from foreign yoke. phase (1836-1846) the rebellion was led by the In the second half of the nineteenth century Kandha leader Kamal Lochan Dora Bisoyi and regional as well as national identity consciousness in the second phase (1846-1856) it was led by grew among the newly emerging intelligentsia in his nephew Chakra Bisoyi). Khurda (1805, 1817, different parts of the country. Although nationalism 1 Orissa Review * August - 2009 emerged as an all-India phenomenon aiming at Satish Chandra Dasgupta were associated with the unification of all sections of population in a freedom movement in Orissa. Swadeshi common platform, yet the character of nationalism movement had its impact on Orissa. During the in any part of the country was influenced by Civil Disobedience Movement the Congress regional identity consciousness and local issues. volunteers were coming from Midnapore to assist In Orissa regional identity consciousness and encourage their counterparts in the Balasore preceded and paralleled the growth of nationalist district. movement, because Oriya-speaking tracts lay In spite of the pan-Oriya identity scattered in three provinces - Bengal, Madras and consciousness and the growing feeling of Oriya central provinces and being a minority in each of irredenta the foundation of Indian National these provinces the Oriyas found their identity Congress had an enthusiastic response from the threatened by the dominant majority groups. emerging Oriya intelligentsia. On 3 March 1886, Another important local factor was the existence a public meeting, held in the building of Cuttack of Garhjats i.e. the Oriya-speaking princely states, Printing Company approved the resolutions, enjoying autonomy in internal administration, passed in the first session of Congress. After which were under the control of the Commissioner returning from the Madras session of Congress, of Orissa Division till 1922. As popular unrest held in 1887 Madhusudan Das, one of the Oriya grew against the misrule of the princely rulers, it leaders who used to attend Congress sessions in got linked up with the nationalist movement in the the early phase told the audience at Cuttack. "The directly ruled British territory, which was called people of Orissa should work for the country's Mughalbandi. good side by side with their willingness to improve In view of the peculiarity of the Orissan the administrative, cultural and linguistic conditions situation the nationalist theory that there was a of Orissa. Narrow racialism and provincialism central contradiction between the British rule and should be forgotten for the benefit of the whole Indian people irrespective of distinctions of class of India which constitutes the motherland.2 In the and status which accounted for the growth of anti- early phase of Congress the Utkal Sabha of colonial movement does not hold good in case of Cuttack, the National Society of Balasore and Orissa, as for many years the Oriya elite and Utkal Hitaishini Sabha of Paralakhemundi used intelligentsia tried to achieve the goal of to send their delegates to its annual sessions. amalgamation of Oriya-speaking tracts through Towards the end of December 1903 collaboration with the British authorities. Being Madhusudan Das organised Utkal Sammilani at aloof from centres of power in colonial India- Cuttack to carry forward the movement for the Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, the Oriya elite merger of Oriya-speaking tracts. It is held by some and intelligentsia wanted to create a centre of that having failed to raise the amalgamation power for themselves through the creation of the question in Indian National Congress, province of Orissa. In a relative sense because of Madhusudan steered an independent path and proximity to Bengal, direct railway link with sought to achieve the amalgamation in Calcutta and cultural link and affinity, Bengal collaboration with the British authorities. Early in renaissance and growth of nationalism in Bengal December 1903, Lord Curzon's government had exercised considerable influence on the growth circulated a plan among the Governments of of nationalism in Orissa. Some celebrities of Central Provinces, Madras and Bengal which Bengal like Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray and envisaged partition of Bengal, creation of the 2 Orissa Review * August - 2009 province of Eastern Bengal and Assam and are present. If this is not to be treated as an all- merger of the Oriya-speaking tracts of Bengal, India body Congress can not be called an all- Madras and Central Provinces. This plan which India body."4 As reported in Amrit Bazar was disapproved in the Congress Session, held Patrika, in this session the princes, zamindars, in Madras in December, 1903 was heartily gentry and poor and people of different welcomed in the first session of Utkal Sammilani. communities such as Hindus, Muhammedans and Whatever might be the plans of British Christians were present.5 Though dominated by Government and Madhusudan's rapport with the the Rajas and Zamindars, the Utkal Sammilani authorities, from popular perspective, the was not devoid of popular base. The princes and formation of Utkal Sammilani was the natural zamindars were bound up with the common culmination of the growing Oriya identity people by the ties of language, religion and social consciousness among the Oriyas scattered in three custom. Some attempts were also made through provinces. emissaries to organise the branches of the The Utkal Sammilani has been criticized on Sammilani at grass root level. In certain areas of several grounds. The detractors have called it Southern Orissa the Utkal Sammilani sessions loyalistic as it sought to achieve its goal through roused popular enthusiasm. petition and prayer; they have called it parochial Though a regional organisation Utkal as its jurisdiction was confined to Orissa; some Sammilani was national in outlook. Every session have held that initially the Utkal Sammilani was of Utkal Sammilani began with the singing of a directed against the non-Oriya intermediaries nationalist Sanskrit song, titled 'Bharat Gitika', between the Governmet and the Oriyas. The composed by the poet Radhanath Ray. The British historian Judith M. Brown says that the Sammilani aimed at building a united and Oriyas wanted "a separate Oriya province where prosperous Orissa as an integral part of India. the local vernacular speakers would be free of Madhusudan held that a strong Orissa would these foreign Indian administrators who were contribute to the strength of India as a whole. In intermediaries between them and the British."3 It the fifth session of Utkal Union Conference, held is alleged that the Utkal Sammilani was dominated at Puri in 1908, he pointed out : "There is no by Rajas and Zamindars against whom difference between mother Utkal and mother Congressmen had to fight later through elections India. If there is pain in any limb of the body, that and agitational activities. During the first 17 years limb has to be treated. That treatment would of its existence (1903-1920) the Utkal Sammilani strengthen the whole body. The purpose of held sixteen annual sessions out of which eleven treatment of Utkal is India's amelioration."6 Aware were chaired by Rajas and Zamindars, and five of the multi-national character of the Indian polity, by middle class gentilemen. During the next 26 comparable to Europe, he endeavoured to build years (1921-1947) there were seventeen annual Orissa as a strong constituent unit. Having the sessions out of which 14 were chaired by middle same consideration in view, though critical of class gentilemen and three by Zamindars.

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