April - 2012 Review

History of Separate Province of Orissa

Jayanta Kumar Das

The formation of Separate Province of Orissa in then Governer-General proposed for break-up 1936 on language basis is an important milestone of Central Province and merge its areas with other in the history of Indian Union. It had its origin in Provinces, the Pioneers of Oriya fought for merger the movement of the Oriya speaking people of with Orissa. In 1876, Raja clamouring for a separate province on the basis Baikunthanath De of and Bichitrananda of language for a long time. Orissa was Das made a representation to the Government dismembered with the onset of British conquest for union of all the Oriya speaking areas under in 1803. Ganjam and its adjoining Oriya speaking single administration. The people of Ganjam areas south of the was merged with organized meetings and made resolutions for the Madras, Midnapore to Bengal, Singhbhum, unification of all the Oriya-speaking tracts. In the Saraikela and Kharasuan was merged with , the Oriyas formed an Chhotnagpur Division, Sambalpur and Association called the Ganjam Utkal Hitabadini Chhatisgarh feudatory states in the west was Sabha. In 1878 Orissa Association was formed merged with Central Province. under the leadership of , Fakir Mohan Senapati and Radhanath Roy. By 1882, Orissa Division of Bengal Province was Utkal Sabha was formed under the leadership of seriously affected by the Great Famine of 1866. Madhusudan Das which became a strong and After the Great Famine, growth and development organized political forum of the Oriyas to ventilate of education and communication, increase in their feelings and grievance. On 15th December volume of trade, establishment of Printing Press 1902, Raja Baikunthanath De submitted a and publication of different Oriya journals paved memorial to Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of the way for growth of political consciousness in for unification of all the Oriya speaking areas. Orissa. People became aware of the administrative apathy and non-chalant attitude of During early part of 20th century, the Government towards them. This ignited the natives of Ganjam showed their keenness for agitational attitude among the Oriya speaking merger with Orissa. In a memorial addressed to people against the British Government. During this Lord Curzon, they described themselves as 'a period newspapers played a significant role in limb separated from the body’ and prayed not highlighting the cause of the Oriyas inhabiting in for patchwork redistribution but that the different provinces. When Lord Northbrook, the Government of India will be graciously pleased

3 Odisha Review April - 2012 to bring together the scattered divisions inhabited Utkal Sammilani was the brain child of by the Oriya speaking people i.e Ganjam in Madhusudan. As per the decision taken, a Madras, Sambalpur in the Central Province and memorandum was submitted to the Government Orissa Division in Bengal under Government of to transfer all the Oriya speaking areas from Bengal or under any one Government and one different provinces to Orissa Division. In course University.’ of time, Sambalpur Division was transferred to Orissa Division in 1905. Gangpur and Banai were In 1903, first session of the Ganjam Jatiya transferred from Chhotnagpur Division to Orissa Samiti Conference was held at under and five Oriya States- Patna, Kalahandi, Sonepur, the leadership of Harihar Mardaraj, Raja of Bamra, Rairakhol were transferred to Orissa from Khallikote. Nilamani Bidyaratna, the Secretary the Central Province. of the Conference worked relentlessly for the organization. In attending this meeting, On 25th August 1911, Lord Hardinge, the Madhusudan could realise that such an Governor-General recommended some of the organization was necessary at Orissa level. Hence administrative changes. One of such a meeting of Utkal Sabha was held and it was recommendations was creation of a new Province decided to set up Utkal Sammilani or the Utkal consisting of Bihar and Orissa including Union Conference. Accordingly Utkal Sammilani Chhotnagpur. This was strongly resented by the was formed. In its first meeting held at Oriya people. The Oriya movement then on 30th and 31st of December 1903 which was continued in full speed. In its tenth Session of presided by Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Utkal Sammilani held at Parlakhemundi in 1914, Deo, a large number of delegates within and the Raja of Manjusa said, ‘Can you say that I am outside Orissa attended. Madhusudan was the alive if you cut off my head and keep it at Ranchi, Secretary of the reception committee. To create throw my trunk in the Bay of Bengal and keep up awareness among the people for amalgamation my legs in the Madras Hospital ? This is the of scattered Oriya-speaking tracts and to draw condition of our Utkal Mother who is lying dead the attention of the erring Government officials to being disfigured and separated from her body.’ this cause, he organised display of paintings and Lord Curzon also felt that ‘the interests of the posters. In one such poster the body of Orissa Oriyas have been sacrificed without compensation was seen as divided into several parts and simply because they are a non-agitating people.’ distributed among several provinces. During this period, amalgamation meetings were held at Berhampore, Cuttack, and resolutions On Utkal Sammilani Madhusudan has were passed to submit memoranda to the written a poem which has far reaching effects and Montagu-Chelmsford Commission. The touching lines of this poem helped in creating unity Commission in their report realized the need for among Oriyas lying scattered in different Provinces an administrative union of the Oriya-speaking in moribund state. This runs as follows: people and recommended for a sub-province for Oriyas. In the Act of 1919 to the misfortune of 'Ehi Sammilani Jati Prana Sindhu Oriyas, there was no provision for the merger of Koti Prana Bindu dhare the Oriya-speaking areas. In 1921, resolutions Tora Prana Bindu Mishaide Bhai were tabled in the Legislative Councils of Bihar Dein padi Sindhu neere' and Orissa and Madras to effect unification of

4 April - 2012 Odisha Review the Oriya-speaking areas. On 25th November The Report of the Simon Commission led 1921, Biswanath Kar moved the resolution in the to the summoning of the Round Table Conference. Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council to bring all Sri Krishna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the the Oriya-speaking tracts under one Government. Maharaja of Paralakhemundi who attended the Conference circulated a pamphlet ‘The Oriyas, The Government appointed C.L. Philip Their need and Reasons for a separate Province.’ and A.C. Duff to make on the spot enquiry His efforts yielded results. Before the Third Round regarding the attitude of the Oriya inhabitants of Table Conference ended, the Orissa Boundary the towards their merger with Commission under the chairmanship of S.P.O’ Orissa. The Commission gave favourable Donnell was appointed to review the boundary observation to the Government. A statutory line of the proposed Orissa Province. In the lines Commission was appointed in 1928 under the of recommendations of Joint Select Committee, Chairmanship of Sir John Simon to report on the the Government of India Bill, 1935 was passed working of reforms in India. The Oriyas submitted by Parliament and the new Province of Orissa a memorandum to the Commission praying for was born on 1st April 1936 after much hue and the creation of a separate Orissa Province. The cry. Commission appointed a subcommittee for Orissa to have a detailed investigation. The At last the yearlong struggle and Subcommittee with Major Attlee as Chairman indomitable spirit and courage of great leaders consisted of Suhrawardy, Raja of Kanika and Rai resulted in amalgamation of Oriya-speaking tracts Bahadur Laxmidhar Mohanty. It recommended as a Separate Province which had been lying creation of a separate Orissa Province consisting scattered in different Provinces for centuries of Orissa Division, , feudatory states of together. Orissa, some portions of Mohanpur and Gopiballabhapur under the , Khariar Estate under the Central Province and Ganjam District under the Madras Presidency. On the basis of this report, the Simon Commission recommended the appointment of a boundary Jayanta Kumar Das, D 11/3, Unit –IX, - commission for the new Orissa Province. 22, email: [email protected]

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