Barrister Madhusudan Das

April - 2013 Odisha Review Barrister Madhusudan Das Madhusudan Patnaik One day some students of Ravenshaw Collegiate Christianity that caused him boycotted in the School approached him for donation to celebrate village which he had to quit to erect a small house the Prize-giving ceremony of the School. He at the end of the village. This house was known emptied the entire box that contained rupees five as Madhukothi or Balipokharikothi, later on used hundred only. When it was objected by the family, as the State Office of the Kasturuba National his reply was, ‘It is my money, I gave’. He loved Memorial Trust, in a part of which was running the children so much that on the Christmas Day, the Anganbadi, Balbadi. he was feasting the English Medium School children. On one occasion it so happened that he In 1864 he passed Matriculation Exam, had no money to do so. But on the very day he from Cuttack and thereafter he was inclined to received an M.O. of rupees five hundred which teachership at Baleswar for three years. The year he utilised in the right way for the students on the 1866 was the year of acute famine in Orissa, X’mas Day. Mr. Gopal Chandra Praharaj, the called the “Naanka Durvikhya” when more than author of Oriya Bhasakosa Dictionary) was junior one lakh people died of hunger. In 1866 he passed to him. Once his father borrowed some money F.A. This year he converted himself to Christianity over a hand note only. When the father repaid it and changed his name as Madhusudan Das from through his son, he simply signed on the hand note his earlier name of Gobinda Ballav Choudhury. and returned the loan. Such are a few instances He stayed at Calcutta and achieved his of the merciful gifts throughout his life. He earned degree of M.A. and L.L.B. from Calcutta a lot and spent all ungrudgingly for others as result University. In no time he became a famous of which he had to face acute financial difficulties advocate. In 1870 he married Soudamini who towards the last part of his life. died only three years after. In 1881 he became a This man was the great Madhu Barrister, part-time lecturer in Law Department of Kulabruddha, the son of the century and Utkal Ravenshaw College and thereafter started law Gourav Madhusudan. practice. He was much aggrieved at the attitude of the British Government to make the Odias Born on 28 April 1848 from his father economically weak and uneducated. In this Mr.Raghunath Das in the village of context he inculcated the ideas of political Satyabhamapur, Cuttack, he was converted to consciousness in the mind of the people. In 1885 71 Odisha Review April - 2013 he inculcated the ideas of political consciousness of the English newspaper “The Odiya”. In 1919 in the mind of the people. In 1885 Mr. Das Mr. Das demanded a separate State before the became the Secretary of “Utkal Sabha”. In the Montague-Chelmsford Reformation Act, and same year Richard Temple, the Lieutenant- thereafter before O' Donnel Committee. On 8 Governor of Bengal came to Cuttack. Mr. Das March 1923 Mahatma Gandhi came to Odisha appealed him with a memorandum to annex and became the guest of Mr. Das at his home. In Sambalpur and Ganjam districts in Orissa. In the 1925 he observed the “Headless Day” of Utkal. same memorandum he demanded to set up In 1930 he took much strain to fix up the State Railways, Artisan education and various industries boundary line between Bihar and Odisha. Next in Odisha. In 1888 A.C. Belly the Lt.-Governor year he acted as a member of administrative of Bengal was given another memorandum for council of Odisha. He took all efforts from Odisha the unification of all Odia-speaking regions, spread to England to make a Separate State, but it a of woman education, smooth management of the matter of great grief and shock that he passed temple of Lord Jagannath and adequate aid to away on 4 February 1934 before Odisha came the acute famine- stricken people of Odisha. into being a Separate State on 1st April 1936. In 1896 Mr. Das was elected a member It is Mr. Das, the great Barrister who set of a legislative council of Bengal for two years to up the Odisha Art Ware to encourage the artisans Bengal, Bihar - Odisha State. In 1897 he went to of filigree workers of gold and silver where more England to raise his demands before the British than three hundred workers of gold and silver government. In 1902 the first Ganjam Samilani could create pure and soild ornaments and was convened under the active support and co- thereby earned their livelihood. operation of Rajendra Narayan Bhanja Deo, the king of Kanika, Rama Chandra Bhanja Deo, the The Shoe Industry known as the Utkal king of Mayurbhanja, Rama Chandra Mardaraj, Tannery reached its highest fame for the quality. the king of Khallikote and Krushana Chandra He strongly supported and materialised the Gajapati, the Maharaja of Parala to discuss about abolition of caste-division. He took much strain the issues relating to the Odia-speaking people. for the spread of woman education in Odisha. In 1903 the kings of Khallikote and Kanika highly His intelligence, bullet-like speech and inspiring praised Mr. Das for this Utkal Sammilani or the paper publications mobilized the people to Utkal Union Conference which was formed under heighten the glory of Odisha at that time. his leadership. In every meeting the Barrister raised Let’s pause a little to think over all his the affairs of Odisha. glorious achievements for Odisha. He is truly the In 1907 he was elected a member of son of the century and Utkal Gourav. legislative assembly again. In 1908 he went to England again and raised the demands of uniting all the Odia-speaking areas together before Lord Curzon who supported him wholeheartedly. In 1911 being separated from Bengal, Bihar-Odisha became one State that discomforted and aggrieved Mr. Das. In 1914 he became the editor Madhusudan Patnaik, Kaibalya, Dutta Tota, Puri. 72.

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