Orissa Review * January - 2006 Vir Surendra Sai The Indomitable Hero of Orissa Braja Paikaray The heroes who fought against the Britishers to the British Government installed the widow queen keep the prestige and dignity of Mother India shall Mohan Kumari on the throne of Sambalpur be remembered by the countrymen for ever. Vir without caring for the legitimate right of Vir Surendra Sai who was a great Surendra Sai. Though queen revolutionary has glorified the Mohan Kumari was pages of Indian history for his completely unfit for the deep patriotism, rare courage, managing the State indomitable spirit and relentless Administration, she was struggle against the foreign appointed as the ruler of Sambalpur as because she rulers. could play to the tune of the The First War of Britishers. But on the other hand Independence, better known the British rulers had known it as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, pretty well that Vir Surendra Sai broke out all of a sudden. was not the person to follow the However the rebellion could dictum of the British not be sustained for long. But Government. The selection of it was Vir Surendra Sai who queen Mohan Kumari as the could sustain the flame of successor of Sambalpur throne revolution till 1864 due to his irked many Adivasi Zamindars uncommon mental strength and unique guerrilla who revolted against the decision of the British warfare. Government and it was Vir Surendra Sai who took the leadership of those Zamindars and fought Vir Surendra Sai was born on 23rd January against the foreign rulers to the last drop of his 1809 in Chauhan royal family in village Khinda blood. situated at a distance of thirty Kms, on the Surendra Sai spent 37 years of his life inside northern side of Sambalpur town. He had married the prison and had fought relentlessly against the the daughter of Hatibadi Zamindar of the-then Britishers for 20 years i.e. from 1827 to 1840 in Gangpur state and had become the father of a the first phase and from 1857 to 1864 in the son named Mitrabhanu Sai and one daughter. In second phase but had never bowed down his 1827 the King of Sambalpur died issueless and head before the enemies. 1 Orissa Review * January - 2006 'Surendra Sai was an able general whose In 1861 Major Impey was appointed as unique organizing capacity and sound military the Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur. He knowledge had become a constant source of followed the policy of peace instead of war and headache for the British rulers. The British stopped fighting with Surendra Sai. The mutineers Ramgad Battalion stationed at Sambalpur under who surrendered themselves were pardoned and the command of Captain Higgins could not be their confiscated properties were restored to able to face Vir Surendra Sai as he was an expert them. in guerrilla warfare. In order to crush the rebellion, When the brothers and only son of Vir another battalion of British soldiers rushed to Surendra Sai surrendered, Major Impey treated Sambalpur from Hazaribag of Bihar. Though the them with respect and dignity and allowed them rebelllion was crushed to some extent it could not to stay at their village Khinda. On 16th May 1862 be wiped out completely. Hence, the British Surendra Sai met Major Impey inside the dense Government under compulsion of the situation forest at night and surrendered himself. He was dethroned queen Mohan Kumari and installed also allowed to stay in his village. Narayan Singh, a distant relative of Sambalpur royal family as the ruler of Sambalpur. Once again In 1863 Major Impey expired and after the rebellion erupted at Sambalpur. his death the political situation of Sambalpur completely changed. In place of Major Impey, In 1837 Surendra Sai, Udanta Sai, Balaram Captain Cumberledge became the Deputy Singh and Balabhadra Deo, (the Zamindar of Commissioner of Sambalpur. He did not prefer Lakhanpur assembled together at Debrigada to to follow the policy of peace. In order to crush decide the future course of action. But the rebellion from the bud, Captain Cumberledge unfortunately all of a sudden the British Soldiers conspired with Captain Stewart and Mr. Berryel reached at the spot and killed Balabhadra Deo and ransacked the hide out of Vir Surendra Sai mercilessly. Fortunately Surendra Sai and his on 23rd January 1864 at midnight while he was followers escaped from the clutches of the asleep with his relatives and made them captives. Englishmen. They were taken to Rayapur at the dead hour of In the year 1840, Surendra Sai, and the night. Later on Vir Surendra Sai and his family Udanta Sai along with their uncle Balaram Singh members were sent to Nagpur Jail and finally to were caught and imprisoned at Hazaribag Jail as Asirgad Fort in the year 1866. On 28th February life convicts with rigorous imprisonment. 1884 Vir Surendra Sai breathed his last inside In 1849 when Narayan Singh expired Vir the Asirgad Fort prison. Surendra Sai was still a prisoner at Hazaribag Jail. On 30th July 1857 at the time of Sepoy Mutiny, the rebellious sepoys forcibly dashed inside the Hazaribag Jail and freed Surendra Sai along with 32 prisoners. Surendra Sai returned to Sambalpur Braja Paikray is an Addl. Govt. Pleader, Bhubaneswar and organised the people to fight against the Court and he lives at 342/B, Jagamara (Barabari), Britishers. Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar-30 2 Orissa Review * January - 2006 Biswanath Das, Patriot With A Difference Gurukalyan Mahapatra The people of Orissa even today remember Revenshaw College and Calcutta University. He Biswanath Das as a patriot and ace administrator was attracted to the personality of Utkal Gaurav who once dominated Orissa politics during the Madhusudan Das, who was then a renowned pre-independence period. In his role as a Prime lawyer in Orissa and West Bengal. After Minister of Orissa or a Governor completing studies he used to go or Chief Minister, he always to Madhu Babu regularly and got emphasized on morality, himself involved to the legal character building, honesty and profession. He preferred to be a integrity. Very few politicians of junior advocate under Madhu our state rose to the national level Sudan Das. After some time he in the past. He was one of them. returned back to Berhampur and Commenting on started the legal practice Biswanath Das, former Union independently. Steel Minister late Kumar In the meantime, he entered Mangalam once said, µhe is the public life. It was his ambition. By only person in the country at that time, the landlords and whose character no accusing zamindars were oppressing the finger can be pointed out.¶ royats or farmers. Biswanath Biswanath Das was born organised them and formed an in Belagan village of Ganjam district (Orissa) in union of Royats in the northern 1889. Some say that he was born on 8th March district of Madras Presidency. Biswanath became in that year and others claim that his date of birth the President of the Union and Varah Venkat Giri was 21st April in the same year. However, it is (V.V.Giri) was its Secretary (who later became upto the historians and research scholars to find the President of India) Eminent Professor, and out the exact date of birth. lawyer late Dr. Sreeram Chandra Das has narrated this event in one of his articles. "I have myself Biswanath, in his early life was educated at heard Giri addressing Biswanath Das as Bhaia Cuttack. He was a school student of the then (elder brother) when Giri was the President of Victoria High School (now it is Bhakta Madhu India and Biswanath Das was the Chief Minister Vidyapitha). Subsequently, he was educated in of Orissa in 1971-72. As Royats¶ 3 Orissa Review * January - 2006 representatives, both of them were elected to Many spoke high of the bold administrative Madras Legislative Council. Later, when the Raja measures taken by him for the smooth functioning of Bobbili who became the Chief Minister of of our democracy. Madras on behalf of the Justice Party wanted to His political maturity was conspicuous when contest election from the southern part of northern he first became the Prime Minister of Orissa on districts of Madras as a farmers' representative, July 19, 1937. He was elected from the Jagannath Biswanath advised V.V. Giri to give up Royat Prasad Assembly constitutency. There were two politics and seek election as a representative of other ministers in his Cabinet. One was Railway Labourers who were to be organised by Nityananda Kanungo and another was Bodhi V.V. Giri under Biswanath¶s advice. Thus under Ram Dube. He wanted to implement the the Government of India Act, 1919 when Government of India Act of 1935 during his Prime Montford Reforms were introduced, Shri Das, Ministership. In that Act, the provision was that Shri Giri and Raja of Bobbili were elected to the meeting of the Council of Ministers or the Madras Council ....... In later years Giri rose to Cabinet would be held in the Government House prominence as a leader of the Railway Men¶s and the Governor would preside over the Council Union in India and as a leader of the working or Cabinet meeting. But Biswanath deviated from class, he became the Labour Minister of the the prevalent system and he himself presided over Government of India, represented India in the Council of Minister's Meeting keeping the International Labour Organisation and finally his Governor in dark about that, which was informed eminence brought him the office of the President to the Governor subsequently. Sardar Ballav Bhai of India.¶ Patel known as the Iron Man of India (also former In fact, the eminent labour leader and Deputy Prime Minister of India) was the Chairman former President of India V.V.