International Journal of Recent Academic Research (ISSN: 2582-158X) Vol. 01, Issue 02, pp.043-045, May, 2019 Available online at http://www.journalijrar.com

RESEARCH ARTICLE

LOCATING THE BHOODAN MOVEMENT OF KORAPUT IN THE SPECTRUM OF INDIAN SARVODAYA MOVEMENT

*Bhagaban Sahu

Department of History, Berhampur University Odisha 760007,

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article History: The undivided district of Koraput (in Odisha) played a very significant role in the Bhoodan and Gramdan

Received 08th February 2019 movement of India. Out of total 11,065 Gramdan made in entire country by November, 1965 Odisha made a Received in revised form handsome contribution of 2807 Gramdans occupying 2nd place in the India. Koraput district alone contributed 07th March 2019 606 Gramdan villages. Similarly, the Odisha Bhoodan Committee had received land gifts to the tune of 95,000 Accepted 12th April 2019 th acres of land from 15,330 donors and out of them the share of Koraput alone was 93,000 acres of land. Biwanath Published online 19 May 2019 Patnaik was the chief architect of Bhoo Satyagraha Samaj of Koraput. The Bhoodan movement at Koraput inspired the whole country. Acharya remarked in a meeting held at Damuripadar that the villagers

of two hundred villages in Koraput had donated all their land to the Bhoodan Mahasabha.

Key Words: Bhoodan Movement, Gramdans.

Copyright © 2019, Bhagaban Sahu. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Biswanath Patnaik, Brundaban Chandra Hota (Mohanty, INTRODUCTION 2008). In response to nationwide call for Bhoodan movement by Vinobaji, Gopabandhu Choudhury, a veteran Gandhian Out of total 11,065 Gramdan made in entire country by leader and a distinguished Gandhian constructive worker in November, 1965 Odisha made a handsome contribution of Orissa and his wife Srimati Ramadevi started collection of land 2807 Gramdans occupying 2nd place in the India. By the time st for the landless in Orissa during the period 7.1.1952 to Vinoba left Orissa on 1 October, 1955 Koraput district alone 28.05.1952. Their first track of Padyatra for over four months contributed 606 Gramdan villages. The Odisha Bhoodan covering 1100 miles met with such tremendous response that Committee had received land gifts to the tune of 95,000 acres th 1626 acres of land were collected from 233 donors. On of land from 15,330 donors (The Samaj, 1955). On 18 April, 29.05.1952 a non official Bhoodan Yajna Samiti was formed 1976 the Bhoodan movement observed Silver Jubilee year of under the chairmanship of Gopabandhu Choudhury with its its launch in the country by which 10,611 villages were gifted Headquarters at Cuttack on 2nd October 1952 on the Gandhi in Gramdan in Orissa. Sarvodaya as Jaya Prakash Narayan puts Jayanti Day. They started their Padyatra by covering 427 miles it is “people’s socialism”. It is a sacred word, meaning welfare and collected 463 acres of land along with seven pairs of of all in a self-sufficient society. Sarvodaya aims at to put an bullock. Agriculture implements worth Rs.816/- were also end to all exploitation and inequality which pleads for “the collected as gift from 64 villages. Subsequently a greatest good of the greatest number”. It includes Bhoodan comprehensive programme was drawn and political parties, (land gifts), Gramdan (village gift), Sampatidan (wealth gift), constructive workers joined hands for collecting Bhoodan Kupdan, etc. Acharya Vinoba Bhave first coined the word lands. By their untiring zeal and joint efforts nearly 1 lakh Bhoodan which means voluntary donation of lands by the land acres of land were collected in Odisha during the year 1953- donors for equitable distribution among the landless. Gramdan 54. With tremendous enthusiasm most of the leaders and means the gift of entire village to the village community. In Bhoodan workers of Odisha remained busy and eager to join in this system the villagers surrendered their ownership right of Vinoba’s Padyatra in the state. Vinoba entered Orissa from their land to the village community which were distributed Bengal in the village called Laxaman Nath in Balasore district among the landless (Asirvathm, 1985). Bhoodan- the land gift on 26.1.1955. Prominent leaders of political parties, including movement was first started by Acharya Vinoba Bhave from Sri Naba Krushna Choudhury- the then Chief Minister of area of the old princely state of Hyderabad. He Orissa, age old renowned leader Acharya Harihara Das launched the movement there to remove the bitterness between welcomed him on behalf of people of Orissa. Gopabandhu the wealthy landowners and the landless. Being inspired by Choudhury, Gandhian leader of Orissa presented him one lakh Vinoba Bhave, a host of Oriya leaders dedicated their life for twenty two thousand acres of land donated by the forty the success of Bhoodan Movement in Orissa. The district of thousand donors as Bhoodan and 93 villages as Gramdan Koraput in Orissa occupies a prominent place in the Bhoodan collected during his Padyatra. Vinoba Bhave entered Koraput Movement of India. In the context of Bhoodan Movement as a crusader of Bhoodan movement on 6th June 1955. Out of Koraput district received the special attention of Vinoba Bhave, his eight months stay in Orissa, he spent four months in Rama Devi, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Malati Choudhury, Koraput district, travelling around the hills, forest, crisscrossed

rivers, witnessing the scenic beauty of the nature and the *Corresponding author: Bhagaban Sahu Department of History, Berhampur University Odisha 760007, India. simple life style of the tribals. On his first entry point into 044 International Journal of Recent Academic Research, Vol. 01, Issue 02, pp.043-045, May, 2019

Koraput 287 Gramdan villages were given as presentation. In time Vinoba Bhave left Odisha in Oct. 1955, the province had reply Vinoba said “I believe there will be flood of Gramdan in as many as 812 Gramdan villages out of which 605 were from Koraput district”. Gramdan was actually started in the year Koraput district only. In total, 2,57,277 acres of land had been 1952, when on 24 May, 1952 the entire population of the collected from 94,757 donors of the province. The collection village Mangroth in donated their lands. But, it of Gramdans from Koraput district were 605, Balasore-123, was only during Vinoba’s padayatra through Orissa the Ganjam-37, Mayurbhanj-37, Dhenkanal-5, Kalahandi-3, Puri-1 movement assumed mass support. Though the first Gramdan in and from Cuttack district only one Gramdan was received Orissa was obtained in Manpur in Cuttack district on 30 (Nilamani Senapati, 1966). On 1st October, 1955 Vinoba had to January, 1953, in the district of Koraput the movement take leave from Orissa to enter into Andhra Pradesh. A large received great impetus. The movement gained popular support number of Bhoodan workers, tribal villagers left the beloved in 1956, when Nabakrushna Choudhury resigned from Chief leader and bid fare well with a tearful eye and in response, Ministership and joined the movement. As a result, by the end Vinoba promised to come back to Orissa again. In one of the of 1960, 1946 villages were gifted in Gramdan in the State out important and remarkable incidents in Orissa after Vinoba’s of the total 4500 Gramdans made in the entire country. The departure was Sri Naba Krushna Choudhury’s resignation from response of the people of Koraput was so encouraging that the office of the Chief Minister and joined the Bhoodan and Vinobaji prolonged his Padyatra in the district for a few Gramdan movement in Koraput. This created a great impact in months more. It was the devotion and pointed effort of local the minds of people of Orissa and Sarvodaya workers. He workers like Sri Biswanath Patnaik and others and the devoted much of his time in Koraput and accelerated the inspiring presence of Vinobaji that brought about tremendous Bhoodan and Gramdan work. Under the learned guidance of success. On October 1, 1955 when he left Orissa, the number Acharya Harihara Das and leadership of Sri Gopabandhu of Gramdan villages had been 812 out of which 605 were from Choudhury all constructive workers of Orissa made untiring Koraput district alone (Bhoodan Yajna Samiti, 1965). A Bhoo- effort after Vinobaji’s departure from Orissa to make the Satyagraha Samaj was formed in order to protect the tribal Gramdan movement in Orissa a great success. At the end of people from the exploitation of money lenders and land 1956 it was seen that the total number of Gramdan villages has owners. Biswanath Patnaik was the chief architect of that reached 1575 and total collection of land was about 3 lakhs Bhoo-Satyagraha Samaj. Ratan Das, Nimai Charan Sahu and acres. While the Gramdan collection was progressing steadily, Baya Subudhi were his co-associates. Tribal activists mostly the sudden demise of Sri Gopabandhu Choudhury on from Saura as well as Kandha communities were the members 29.04.1958 gave a great set back to the movement and spell of of this Bhoo-Samaj (Kalyani Mishra, 2006). Gunupur region inactivity over shadowed the Bhoodan and Sarvodaya workers also the Bhoodan movement assumed a popular form. Under in the whole state. At this critical juncture of time Acharya the leadership of Biswanath Das, the Bhoodan workers Harihara Das, an age old saint of Orissa took the leadership collected land gift from different villages. The wealthy land and started his padyatra from 15.08.1958 to 31.06.1960. owners collected acres and acres of lands to the Bhoo During the 17 months he covered 2825 miles and all the 13 Satyagraha Samaj. districts of Orissa. This gave wonderful impetus to the workers to resume the Gramdan work with great sincerity as before The government took every possible step for solving the issue (Mohanty). The movement received a great momentum during of water scarcity by digging wells and ponds. Sevashrams were Vinoba’s second pad-yatra in the state, which started on 13 also opened to work for spreading education amongst the tribal August, 1963 and continued till 12 December, 1963. This pad- people (The Samaj 1953). To facilitate donations of land to the yatra which passed through 8 districts of western Orissa gave Bhoodan and Gramdan Movement in the State and to provide popularity to the movement in the region, which previously for the distribution of such lands, the Government of Orissa received no spectacular success. Even in the years following passed the Orissa Bhoodan and Gramdan Act in 1970. A Vinoba’s second visit to the State, the movement made Gramdan meeting was held in Bhairabguda, in Koraput which considerable progress in Orissa. This is evident from the fact was attended by villagers of thirty villages. Gopinath Nayak, that out of the total 11, 065 Gramdans made in the entire Sarat Das, Badrinath Malik, the president of Caste Union country by November, 1965, Orissa made a handsome and Arjun Khara were present in the meeting. In Koraput contribution of 2807 Gramdans and thus occupied the second district, nearly fifteen thousand one hundred and fifty donors position in the country in that respect (Bhoodan Yajna Samiti, had donated 93,000 acres of land. Besides, 240 Gramdan 1965). But the Bhoodan movement lost its momentum after the villages were received by the Bhoodan Committee of Koraput introduction of land ceiling act of 1976 soon after the (The Samaj, 1955).Vinoba remained at Koraput for months implementation of fourth five year plan. From the above together. Bhoodan Yagna Committee had received 181 analysis it is revealed that the district of Koraput in Odisha Gramdan and 78,000 acres of land from 13,000 donors in occupies a distinct place in the Bhoodan and Gramdan Koraput. More than hundreds of workers from Cuttack, movement in India. The number of Gramdan villages in Balasore, and Sambalpur worked at Koraput. Bhoodan evoked Koraput district alone was 606 out of 11,065 Gramdan in the a great deal of popular response in Koraput (The Samaj, 1955). country and the total collection of land gift as Bhoodan was The Bhoodan Movement at Koraput inspired the whole 93,000 acres of land out of 3 lakhs acres of land in Odisha. country. Vinoba remarked in a meeting held at Damuripadar that the villagers of two hundred villages in Koraput had REFERENCES donated all their land to Bhoodan with the resolve that there would be no landless in their villages. Addressing the meeting Asirvathm, E.Great Political Thinkers, Indore, 1985, pp.173- Vinoba held that the primary objective of Bhoodan Movement 176. was to abolish individual ownership from the land. In a prayer Bhoodan and Gramdan Movement in Odisha, Odisha Bhoodan meeting at Katirguma, Vinoba maintained that he would like to Sacrifice Committee, p.8. see the Grama-Rajya in Koraput and expected the world to Bhoodan Yajna Samiti, Bhoodan and Gramdan in Orissa, watch it and that all would follow it (The Samaj, 1955). By the Bhubaneswar, 1965. 045 International Journal of Recent Academic Research, Vol. 01, Issue 02, pp.043-045, May, 2019

Bhoodan Yajna Samiti, Bhoodan and Gramdan in Orissa, Mohanty, A.K.Bhoodan Movement in Cultural Heritage of Bhubaneswar, 1965. Koraput, pp.636-637. Ibid, p.635. Nilamani Senapati, Koraput District Gazetteer, 1966. Kalyani Mishra, Sarvodaya in India (a case study of Odisha), The Samaj 14 July 1955. Indian Publisher and Distributor, New Delhi, 2006, p.125. The Samaj, 19 August 1955. Mohanty, A.K.Bhoodan Movement in Cultural Heritage of The Samaj, 19 August 1955. Koraput, Bhubaneswar, 2008, p.634. The Samaj, 21 January 1953. The Samaj, 5 August 1955.

*******