Utkal Sammilani and Unification of Scattered Oriya-Speaking Tracts

Orissa Review * April - 2005 Utkal Sammilani and Unification of Scattered Oriya-Speaking Tracts Dr. Janmejay Choudhury The territorial dismemberment of Orissa had however, could not rule for long. In the begun before the fall of Hindu Kingdom. From meantime Lord Clive got the Dewani of the beginning of the 16th century external Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. At the same aggression became virulent and when the time the Emperor gave the Northern Sarkars Suryavamsi Rule came to an end, Orissa entered as inam (free gift to the English). It was not, into a confused period of internecine struggle. however, until another treaty had been The last independent Hindu king of Orissa, concluded between the English and the Nizam Mukunda Deva was killed by his feudatory in November 1766, that the former decided to Chiefs while engaged in a prolonged struggle take actual possession of the Northern Sarkars. with the Afghan rulers of Bengal. In 1568, The Southern territories of Orissa including medieval Orissa lost her independence. It was Ganjam came under the British possession by one of the last Hindu kingdoms of India to fall the end of 1766. Thus in 1765-66, the East India to the Muslims. Before the Afghans could Company was at both the ends of Orissa, but consolidate their power, the Mughals entered those territories remained under two different the field and in 1592 Mansingh annexed Orissa administrations - the southern areas under the to Akbar's empire. By the time of Akbar, the Madras Presidency and the northern areas territories of Orissa were apportioned into five under the Bengal Presidency. Considerable Sarkars such as Jaleswar, Bhadrak, Cuttack, attempts were made by the British Kalinga Dandapat and Raj Mahendri. Those administrator from Lord Clive to Lord Sarkars, included in the Subah of Bengal were Cornwallis to take possession of the coastal generally known as Mughalbandi. By the time Orissa from the Marathas, but without any of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, territories to the success. It was left for Lord Wellesley finally south of the lake Chilika had been separated to conquer Orissa during the Second Maratha from the Mughal dominion and as such from War. By the Treaty of Deogaon which was the rest of Orissa. Those areas were known as concluded on 17th December 1803, Raghuji Northern Sarkars under the Muslim rulers of Bhonsla II ceded to the East India Company in the South. Following the death of Aurangzeb perpetual sovereignty, the province of Cuttack, when the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate, including the port and district of Baleswar. Orissa passed under the rule of the virtually Subsequently, 18 Garjat states also came under independent Nawabs of Bengal. The Nawabs, their control. Thus, only three districts of 16 Orissa Review * April - 2005 Balaswar, Cuttack and Puri in coastal region In 1895 the Chief Commissioner of the and 18 Garjats in the hill tract constituted the Central Provinces decided to abolish the Oriya British Orissa in the 19th century and were language from official use in the district of under the Bengal Presidency. The rest of Orissa Sambalpur. Such a decision against the interest Garjats including Sambalpur were placed of the majority of Oriya population in the district under the Central Provinces. The dismembered raised a storm of protest not only in that district Oriya-speaking tracts remained under different but also throughout Orissa. On 20 June 1895, jurisdiction for a considerable period. the 'Utkal Sabha' sent a Memorial to Lord Elgin, the Governor General, protesting against The problem which agitated the minds that unjust and arbitrary measure. They of enlightened Oriyas for a long time was the observed that the denial to the people of the amalgamation of Oriya-speaking tracts into one use of their mother tongue was the worst form administrative unit and then the formation of a of gagging and was yet unknown even in the separate province. It led to an organised most despotic form of government. All protests movement - a sustained struggle for many years were in vain, and by the end of 1895, Oriya in a constitutional way to achieve the said was abolished in the courts of Sambalpur. Such objective. The agitation for amalgamation of a decision naturally wounded the sentiments Oriya-speaking tracts aroused and moulded of the Oriya-speaking people very much and public opinion in the province and helped much efforts were made in all directions to reverse for the growth of political consciousness of the step taken by the government. H.G. Cooke, the people in the early decades of the 20th the Commissioner of Orissa supported the century. The first proposal for the unification movement for amalgamation of the Oriya- of the scattered Oriya-speaking tracts under speaking tracts in July 1895. It was the first single administration came from Raja official support extended to the demands of the Baikuntha Nath De of Baleswar and people. In his annual administrative report, Bichitrananda Patnaik of Cuttack in 1875 H.G. Cooke suggested certain measures for (Utkal Dipika, 27 Feb 1875). They presented consideration of the higher authorities. a memorandum to the Government in this According to H.G.Cooke, the areas which could be united with the Orissa Division were : regard. In November 1888 Sir S.C. Bayley, the (a) Sambalpur district of the Chatisgarh Lieutenant Governor of Bengal visited Orissa. Division of the Central Provinces, (b) Tributary He was presented with a Memorial by the States of Patna, Sonepur, Rairakol, Bamra and 'Utkal Sabha' of Cuttack and among other Kalahandi and (c) the whole or part of the things, he was requested to give attention to Ganjam district with the States of Kimidi and the problem of uniting the Oriya-speaking Ghumsur (Administrative Report of Orissa, territories of Madras, Central Provinces and 1894-95, p-25). Although his arguments for Bengal in one administrative unit so that its all amalgamation were based on "ethnological and round development would be possible. philological" considerations, but such However, the Lieutenant Governor rejected the suggestions were completely ignored. The proposal outright in his reply to the Memorial agitation in Sambalpur for the restoration of (Utkal Dipika, 24 November 1888). Oriya as the court language continued unabeted. 17 Orissa Review * April - 2005 In July 1901 some leading men of Sambalpur the Government of Bengal or under one called on Sir Andrew Fraser, the Chief government. Commissioner of the Central Provinces and Towards the end of the year, Raja suggested that 'if it was thought impossible to Baikuntha Nath De of Balasore presented a have Oriya as the language of one Central Memorial to Lord Curzon in which he had Provinces' district, they would prefer to be urged the Governor General to constitute a transferred to Orissa' (Two Bachelors of Arts, separate administrative unit for all Oriya- The Oriya Movement, p-25). Such a proposal speaking territories or to keep them under one was appreciated by the Chief Commissioner provincial administration of either Bengal, who urged the Government of India to transfer Madras or the Central Provinces. Thus, by the Sambalpur to Orissa Division. Madhusudan beginning of the 20th century the constitutional Das, who was a member of the Bengal agitation in different parts of the Oriya- Legislative Council by that time, informed Lord speaking territories had started. It aroused Curzon, the Governor General that the people political consciousness of the people to a great of Orissa fully supported the Memorial extent and that paved the way for the submitted to Sir Andrew Fraser, and it was establishment of a new organisation in the their desire that the Oriya-speaking territories province to spearhead their demands before should be placed under a Chief Commissioner. the British authorities. A deputation from Sambalpur consisting of Early in 1903 a small group of Madan Mohan Misra, Balabhadra Suar, Braja enthusiastic Oriyas assembled in the town of Mohan Patnaik, Bihari Das Mahant and Sripati Rambha on the shore of Chilka lake. Misra also met the Governor General at Simla Encouraged by the Raja of Khallikot they to acquaint him with their problems (Utkal; decided to establish the Ganjam Jatiya Samiti. Dipika, 16 November 1901). However, the Its first meeting was held in April 1903 in the Government of India did not consider it town of Berhampur and was attended by many feasible to transfer Sambalpur to the Orissa representatives from the Oriya-speaking tracts Division or to create a Chief Commissioner- in different provinces. Such a common ship for Orissa at that time, though they restored gathering gave expression to the desire of the Oriya to its rightful place in the Sambalpur Oriya-speaking people for amalgamation of district from 1st January 1903. During the their areas under a single administration. About second half of 1902, the Oriyas of Ganjam sent the same time, the Utkal Sabha of Cuttack a Memorial to Lord Curzon in which they spoke summoned a public meeting under the of themselves as dissociated from their Oriya presidentship of Madhusudan Das in which it brethren, and of Orissa as "a limb separated was decided to send a Memorial to the from the body," and they prayed that the Governor General praying him (i) to transfer Government of India will be graciously to the Orissa Division the Oriya-speaking pleased" to bring together the scattered portions of the districts of Ganjam, divisions inhabited by Oriya-speaking people, Vizagpatnam, Sambalpur, Chhota Nagpur and i.e., Ganjam in Madras, Sambalpur in the Midnapur so far as this can be done having Central Provinces, and Orissa in Bengal under regard to a Chief Commissionership like that 18 Orissa Review * April - 2005 of Assam, retaining the judicial supervision of 1904).

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