ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review

tkal Keshari Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab, was Ua great freedom fighter, politician, administrator, historian, writer, social reformer, journalist—all harmoniously blended in one. His entire life, beginning from the school career till his last breath, is a saga of his courage of conviction, inexorable tenacity of purpose, his unswerving self confidence and dogged determination. Being profoundly influenced by many eminent persons like Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Gopabandhu and Madhusudan he began his eventful career and he was not only an inspired person himself, but a source of inspiration for thousands of others.

Dr. Harekrushna Mahtab : A Multi-Faceted Personality

Balabhadra Ghadai

It was during his study at Revenshaw Charbatia in Balasore district. He availed of the College Cuttack that Dr. Mahtab was associated opportunity to discuss with Gandhiji about the with ‘Bharati Mandir’, an organization formed once flourishing salt industry of Odisha, which had at Bakharabad, Cuttack in 1919 for disseminating provided employment to thousands of families and nationalist ideas. The Bharati Mandir sent three how the monopoly policy of the British delegates namely Jadumani Mangaraj, Government subsequently reduced them to utter Bhaghirathi Mohapatra and Harekrushna impoverishment. In 1924 at its Lahore Session, Mahtab to attend the Calcutta Session of the the Congress Party resolved to launch Mass Civil in 1919. In response Disobedience Movement. Like Dandi on the to Gandhiji’s clarion call for non-cooperation in West Coast, Inchudi on the Balasore was selected 1921, he left his studies at Revenshaw College by the Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee for and devoted to organizational work in Balasore. breaking the Salt laws. The Committee under the During the visit of Gandhiji in December, presidentship of Dr. Mahtab decided to launch 1927 Dr. Mahtab arranged for his stay at the Civil Disobedience Movement. A batch of

114 NOVEMBER - 2017 Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669

21 volunteers was selected to proceed from in arresting most of the leaders, unleashing Cuttack on foot to Inchudi with Gopabandhu barbarous repression, censuring the press, Choudhary as the leader. Mahtab and outlawing the Congress Party and seizing the Gopabandhu Choudhury were arrested at Congress office and property. The Annual Session Balasore and convicted for one and half a years could not be held at Puri. imprisonment. From the Government fortnight report for the first half of May.1930, it is known In the year 1938 Dr. Mahtab was elected that in Balasore the Salt Campaign continued. President of Utkal Congress. He had an ample Two processions with 500 men in each were opportunity to lead the Congress Working intercepted by the police when conveying Committee by his sincere efforts.The Congress contraband salt to Balasore town.In the second Working Committee passed a resolution asking case. the aid of the military police was sought the British to quit India on 8th August 1942. before the cordon could be broken through and Gandhiji gave a call to the British in a mammoth the salt seized. However, the manufacture of salt meeting at Mumbai to quit India. He called upon continued ceaselessly in the Balasore coast till the people of India irrespective of caste and the advent of the rainy season in spite of the community to do or die to make India free. Dr. brutalities committed by the police and the soldiers. Mahtab was arrested in Mumbai along with Even the Government admitted that the campaign Pandit Nehuru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, has been pushed more energetically in Balasore Govind Ballabh Pant and other members of the than it has been in Bihar…. Next to Dandi, Congress Working Committee and they were Inchudi was the most important storm centre of imprisoned in Ahmednagar Fort. After being Salt Satyagraha in India. released Dr. Mahtab conducted the Orissa Assembly Election 1946 and led the Congress At Karachi Session of the Indian National to get absolute majority. He was unanimously Congress, Gopabandhu Choudhary and elected as leader of the Congress Legislature th Nilakantha Das proposed to host the 46 Annual Party and became the Premier of Odisha. Dr. Session of the National Congress at Puri. For the Mahtab’s first Premiership from1946 to1950 and next Congress Session at Puri, a reception again from 1956 to 1961 were eventful for the committee was formed with Nilakantha Das, province. It was during his Chief Ministership Gopabandhu Choudhury, Jagannath Mishra and that the decision to make the historic city of Harekrushna Mahtab as Chairman, General Bhubaneswar as the Capital of Odisha was Secretary, Treasurer and Sena Nayak (Chief of finalized. Dr. Mahtab ignoring all other Volunteer Corps) respectively. considerations got the following resolution Gandhiji attended the Second Round unanimously passed in the Odisha Legislative Table Conference held in London in September, Assembly on 30th September 1946.‘That the 1931. As his visit was futile, he had to come back capital of the province be located at Bhubaneswar in despair. Dr. Mahtab and his wife Smt. and steps be taken to construct the building of Subhadra Devi were arrested. As the Government the capital as early as possible.’Accordingly, the took the sternest measure to crush the movement capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar on 10th

NOVEMBER - 2017 115 ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review

October, 1949 when the Legislative Assembly Congress Parliamentary party. In 1967, started functioning in a temporary building. Dr. Mahtab resigned from the Congress and formed the regional party called ‘Jana Congress’ Dr. Mahtab’s keen interest in the and in the same year he was elected to the Odisha industrialization of Odisha resulted in the Legislative Assembly from both the Bhubaneswar establishment of the Odisha Textile Mills and and Basudevpur Constituencies. In the Assembly Kalinga Tubes at Choudwar. In this effort the Election of 1972 and 1974 he was elected from dynamism of Bijayananda Patnaik (Biju Babu) Bhubaneswar Constituency. was immensely helpful. The Odisha Mining Corporation, the Refractories at Rajgangpur and In order to spread patriotism among the Belpahar, the Ferro Manganese plant at Rayagada Odias he published a weekly paper named and Joda, the Kalinga Iron Works at Barbil, The ‘Swaraj Samachar’ from Balasore. Hereafter he Aluminium Plant at Hirakud and the large scale published an Odia daily ‘The Prajatantra’ in 1923 exploitation of the mineral resources of Odisha but this paper was stopped on account of his were Dr. Mahtab’s significant contributions. imprisonment in 1930. In 1941 he published another Odia weekly named “Rachana.” He During Mahtab’s Chief Ministership from patronized culture, history, literature, journalism 1946 to 1950 he pleaded with the Centre, and sports. He founded 'The Prajatantra Prachar particularly with the last two Viceroys - Lord Samiti' in 1947 which served as a socio-cultural Wavell and Lord Mountbatten for giving special museum of the Odias. On the eve of independence attention to Odisha in view of the fact that on the 9th August 1947, he revived his daily mouth economically Odisha had been neglected piece ‘The Prajatantra’ whose publication had throughout the British rule. Lord Wavell who ceased long back .Then he published the Eastern considered Dr. Mahtab to be a reasonable and Times (the then English daily) and the Odia monthly rather attractive person, has made the following ‘Jhankar.’ Every year ‘Vishubamilan’ is held on observation about Dr. Mahtab’s concern for the day of Vishuba Sankranti. It became a great Odisha’s economic development in his journal on literary annual event in Odisha in which he used 8th April, 1946, ‘Later came the Premier of to attend this function to exchange views with Odisha , Mahatab, to plead in rather a simple writers and poets. Different branches of engaging manner, for benefits for his poor Prajatantra such as Minabazar, a children’s province, a grant-in-aid of 5 crores for magazine, Nari Jagat meant for women and the development and education was the chief items, weekly literary editions of the Prajatantra and for which he seemed almost to expect me to write Mahtab’s own serial writings under the title ‘Gaon him out a cheque on the spot. Majlis’ have created literary,intellectual and political ferments in the public life of Odisha. He He was the Secretary of the Congress won the prestigious Central Sahitya Akademi Parliamentary Party from 1952-1954. He was award in 1983 for his collections of essays, the Governor of the erst while Bombay Province ‘Gaon Majlis’. from 1955 to 1956 and an elected member of the Parliament from 1962 to1967 and also acted Dr. Mahtab’s contribution to the literary during 1962- 63 as the Deputy Leader of the renaissance of the State was as significant as his

116 NOVEMBER - 2017 Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669 role in the political upheaval of Odisha. He was always remember you as maker of Modern an eminent poet, novelist, essayist, historian and Odisha, country will cherish you as one of its journalist. He was the first Odia to have written brave and dutiful son.”Truly speaking, Dr. Mahtab authentic Books on History of Orissa both in was the greatest personality with his splendid English and Odia. His other books in English are qualities of strong determination in the pre and Gandhi, the political leader, The beginning of the post- independence days of Odisha. end, call to Action, towards serving the Nation. Among the novels Prativa, Toutar, Abyapara, Nutana Dharma, Trutiya Parva and ‘1975’ are important. In recognition of Mahtab’s literary and intellectual achievements, the Andhra, the Saugor and the Utkal Universities conferred on him doctorates, honoris causa.

Mahtab was more than an individual. He was an institution. Sardar Patel, greatly enchanted by the Himalayan personality of Mahtab, wrote Balabhadra Ghadai, Principal, M. K. College, Khiching, on his fifty-first birth day, “While history will Mayurbhanj-757039.

Appliqué Work, Pipili

NOVEMBER - 2017 117