April - 2013 Odisha Review

Role of Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev in Creation of Odisha Province

Rabindra Kumar Behuria

Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the magnanimous contribution towards the former Maharaja of Paralakhemudi, a zamindari establishment of Sakhigopal School of Pandit estate of Ganjam in Madras Presidency was Gopabandhu was accredited by the nationalist born on 26th April 1892. Sri gour Chandra leaders of the time. He also helped establishing Gajapati was his father and Smt. Radhamani the Utkal Sahitya Samaj to foster new ideas Devi was his mother. He belonged to the of Nationalism through literature. ancient Ganga Dynasty of Orissa. His father In 1914, the Maharaja, a youngman of died when he was 12 years old. After the 22 years of age hosted the death of his father, 10th annual session of the Paralakhemundi Estate was Utkal Union Conference in his managed by the court of home town Paralakhemudi wards till he attained majority. with much enthusiasm and After completing his primary high hopes to accelerate the education he went to Madras Odia movement in Ganjam. for his higher studies. He then This session was attended by joined Nemington Residential a galaxy of the intellectuals College of Madras and and eminent leaders of Orissa acquired sound ideas on rural like Madhusudan Das, Fakir and agricultural improvement of Mohan Senapati, Gopabandhu Orissa. In 1913, Krushna Das, Biswanath Kar, Chandra took over the Godabarish Mishra, responsibility of his estate. In Sashibhusan Ray and the same year he married to Jagabandhu Sinha, etc. For princess of Kharasuan state. his meritorious services to the He immediately wanted the British Government during the amalgamation of the Odia-speaking tract- First World War, the British Government particularly the transfer of Ganjam from awarded him the title of Raja Saheb. Madras Presidency. He identified himself with the Odia Movement in Orissa and extended The voice of Krushna Chandra his financial help for the movement. His encouraged the Utkal Union Conference to

21 Odisha Review April - 2013 put forth the genuine demand before Philip- Commission. The Commission after due Duff Committee in 1924 to transfer Ganjam scrutiny of the memoranda opined that the to Orissa. He argued before the Committee demand of the Odias to annex Odia speaking that if it was not possible to transfer Ganjam areas under one special province is justified. from Madras then his estate Paralakhemudi It also suggested that all the zamindary and should be transferred immediately. Accordingly, princely states be annexed under proposed the committee recommended the transfer of Orissa Province. Ganjam to Orissa. In the year 1930, Bihar-Orissa Maharaja Krushna Chandra was Government nominated Parala Maharaja appointed as a mumber of the Royal Krushna Chandra Gajapati Dev to represent Agricultural Commission in 1927. Lord on behalf of Odias in the first Round Table Linlithgow, the Chairman of the Commission Conference. Maharaja Krushna Chandra had high estimation of the young Maharaja Gajapati presented firmly the justified and and was guided by his suggestions. He genuine demands of Odias and read thought contributed the amount earned by him as the - provoking statements. As a result in the salary for the establishment of the Nutrition Round Table Conference held in 1931 the Research Centre at Coonoor. He also instituted proposal to make Orissa a Separate Province some endowments for researchers on was approved. The Government in order to agriculture. determine the boundaries of Orissa had In the year 1919, Maharaja of Parala, constituted O'Donnel Committee. The Krushna Chandra Gajapati Dev (1892-1974) committee opined about the annexation of the met Montegue Chelmsford Committee to put areas of Cuttack, Sambalpur, Angul, Khariar, forth the demand the facility to Oriya residents Ganjam and Visakhapatanam and favoured in Madras to cast special voting rights. As a for formation of Orissa Province. But from result the Odia residents of Madras were the white paper published from India office capable enough in electing ten Odia members the zamindaris of Jeypore and Paralakhemundi to represent in Madras Assembly. But the were excluded from the proposal of a separate Government of Madras vehemently opposed and special province. But owing to relentless the demand to bring Odia under one province. and sincere efforts of Krushna Chandra Gajapati Dev, the Home Minister of Britain In the month of February 1928, Simon Samuel Hoare realised the justification of Odia Commission visited India. Madhusudan Das movement, constituted Joint Parliamentary met Commission at Patna and put forth the Committee to reconsider the proposal for the demand to bring all Odia tracts under one proposed formation of Orissa province. The province. In the same year the Maharaja of Joint Parliamentary Committee, in their report Parala, Krushna Chandra Gajapati Dev made in November 1934, added to the new similar demands before Commission at Madras province of Orissa as defined in the white and gave a call to Odias of Odia speaking paper, i.e. (i) that portion of the Jeypore estate tracts to fully cooperate with the Commission. which the Orissa Boundary Committee of 1932 As per the advice of Parala Maharaja, recommended for transfer to Orissa, (ii) Parala Sashibhusan Rath and Braja Sundar Das and Jalantar Maliahs; (iii) A small portion of presented similar memorandum before the the Parala Estate including Parala town. The

22 April - 2013 Odisha Review total area of the new Province of Orissa was Maharaja donated the entire salary drawn as now raised from 21,545 to 32,695 sq. miles. the Chief Minister to the Utkal University Joint Parliamentary Committee gave the final Fund. Due to some political differences with shape to the new province which emerged as his colleague, the Maharaja submitted the one of the 11 units of British India by the resignation of his Ministry in June 1944. The Act of 1935. The Order-in-Council regarding Maharaja died on 25 May, 1974. Last but the formation of the province of Orissa was not the least, the effort of Maharaja Krushna released both in England and in India on 21 Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev to make January 1936. His Majesty issued the Order Orissa a separate province is unparalelled and on 3rd March 1936 which was entitled as remain as a golden chapter in the history of "The Government of India (Constitution of modern Odisha. Orissa) Order, 1936." The new Province of Bibliography : Orissa came into existence on 1st April 1936 with Sir John Austin Hubback as its first 1. Das, P.C. History of Orissa, p.205-08. Governor. The districts which were merged 2. Patra, P.S.N., The Maharaja of Paralakhemundi. are Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur, Ganjam and Koraput to make Orissa the first 3. Orissa-Review, April, 2010. state formed on linguistic basis. 4. Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Bihar- In the 1937 election, the Maharaja was Orissa, Vol. XVIII, 1928, p.178. elected to the Legislative Assembly as the 5. Proceedings of the Legislative Council of Bihar- candidate of the Orissa Nationalist Party. On Orissa, Vol.XXVI, p.307. 1 April, 1937 he formed the first Ministry 6. Report of the Indian Statutory Commission, with Mandhata Gorachand Pattnaik and Latiful Vol.1, Cal, 1930, p.68. Rahaman. The Ministry worked up to 13th July, 1937 after which the Congress Party 7. Report of the Orissa Boundary Committee Cal, formed the Ministry with Biswanath Das as 1932, p.1 the Prime Minister of Orissa. Again after the 8. Report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on resignation of the Congress Ministry on the Indian Constitutional Reform, Vol.1, London, outbreak of the Second World War, the 1934, p.36. Maharaja formed a coalition government with Pandit Godabarish Mishra and Maulabi Saurav Khan on 3rd November 1941. This government extended cooperation to the British government during the War period. The government established Utkal University a long Rabindra Kumar Behuria, Organising Secretary, Utkal standing demand of the Odias in 1943. The Sammilani, Chandbali, Bhadrak-756133.

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