Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669 Literary Significance Of History : Pandit Nilakantha Das’s Konarke (1919), a Case Study Dr. Shruti Das At the outset certain questions need to be posited; to relate World War II, historians used documents, what is literary about history and what is historical books and media such as newspapers, about literature? Since the beginning of time photographs, audio and video recordings of the history and literature have been intertwined and time. Similarly, to relate dynasties, cultures, enjoy a symbiotic relationship. This relationship monuments and activities they take recourse to has long been exploited when early literature, artifacts, historical events have been archeological findings, recounted as stories to teach religious and legal documents the younger generation etc. wisdom or lessons about Literature also their origins. These stories records events. But the focus sometimes stretch the truth is more on communicating to entertain the audience or the author’s intellectual and make them reflect further. emotional interpretation of The main difference between these events to the reader history and literature is the rather than on truthful purpose of each: History representation of historical intends to record events as facts. By using the example accurately as possible, while of World War II, a novel literature interprets historical such as Kurt Vonnegut’s or everyday events in an Slaughterhouse Five imaginative way with a (1991) presents a more specific purpose. Historians are responsible for personal perspective of the cannibalistic horrors accurately recording events that produce of war. The novel depicts the state of mind of a significant changes in the lives of people living in a soldier fighting to survive in a prisoner of war community, a nation or the whole world. To camp during the firebombing of Dresden, support their claims, they collect evidence of Germany. In writing the satirical novel, Vonnegut milestones as well as everyday life. For example, drew on his own experience as a prisoner of war August - 2016 45 ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review in Dresden. Literatures in all times and all With this anti-colonial agenda, Nilakantha languages have anchored upon historical events and his four friends founded the Satyabadi Jatiya for their intellectual and emotional impact on the Bana Vidyalaya, an open air school at Satyabadi, reader. The present paper is going to discuss the in Puri. Their mission was to educate young minds robust relationship between the allegorical that is and inculcate in them a nationalistic passion for literature and the archival that is history, by means their cultural heritage and to build in them a of a literary case study. As a case in point the rationalistic scientific temperament enabling them paper attempts to analyse the epic poem to become strong and empowered citizens of a Konarke, a text written in Odia in the pre- free India. They decided to arm themselves with independence India, by the great litterateur and self created literature for children, the future statesman, Pandit Nilakantha Das. generation of Odisha. Though he was a statesman, Nilakantha’s heart was always with young In the context it is worthwhile to note that children. He confesses to a friend, “the more I Pandit Nilakantha Das (1884-1967), whose epic gather experience as a teacher the more I like to poem Konarke (1919) is going to be discussed be with children, I wish to die on the chair of a here, apart from being a litterateur, was a great teacher. Always with bright sunny faces around freedom fighter. He was closely associated with me I now live in a fairy world. Here I see man in Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Subhas his purest essence, untouched by the sad Chandra Bose and many others and played a complexities of advanced life especially of civilized great and significant role in shaping the political race” (Mishra 34-35). Nilakantha saw children life in colonial and free India, especially, his own as men in their ‘purest essence’. He wanted these state Odisha. While still at school he had taken children to preserve their inherent purity and an oath on the banks of river Bhargavi, in the Puri simplicity that would eventually be the ingredient district of Odisha, with his friend, mentor and guru of a strong national character. This could be Gopabandhu Das to serve Odisha until death and possible by creating a literature for them that leave it a better place for the future generations. would ignite their imagination and cultivate in them To begin with they started serving the afflicted a desire for action. Nilakanta knew well that he people of Puri and its neighbouring areas in the could exploit and allegorize historical events time of devastating floods and terrible drought. through literature and influence the minds of Heedless, they walked miles with whatever food children. As a statesman and freedom fighter he and medicine they could gather, to take care of used literature as his weapon against the colonisers because literature which includes the cholera afflicted and the hungry people. People written records of events that are history allows were dying in hundreds but the British Government humanity to have a collective source of memories was callous in administering help. Pandit of events from the past. The hope was that people Nilakantha and his friends had to walk over stacks would be able to learn by reviewing those records of stinking dead bodies to reach those in need. and seeing patterns, making connections and This experience made their resolve stronger and generalizing about events or attitudes and they vowed non-violent vengeance on the colonial consequences of those occurrences. The writing rulers. down of archival history as literary text allows 46 August - 2016 Odisha Review ISSN 0970-8669 people to progress beyond one stage of thought Nilakantha) provided them a platform to mobilize or development, building on what has gone their human resources and express their spirit of before. nationalism (Mohanty 44). The stream of This was a time when early twentieth nationalism that flowed in various parts of the century Odia literature was undergoing a flux. The country also flowed to Odisha through the Indian “mood was ambivalent between Renaissance and National Congress and became a very powerful Revivalism. Changes in the West before and after force when Mahatma Gandhi launched the national the Great World War created a disillusion in our struggle for freedom. At the time, Nilakantha was mind about the Western civilization. The spiritual in his thirties and was deeply involved in a struggle and moral roots of ancient India was gaining specific to Odia Nationality which veered around ground in the wake of our struggle for freedom. a crisis that would lead to the annihilation of The Satyabadi School in Odia literature was a Odisha as a separate linguistic entity and thereby great experiment. Their aim was to serve the as a separate state. “What deserves mention in country through the spread of ideal and worthy this regard is that the Odisha that Nilakantha saw literature among the masses”(Mishra 19). during his life time under British rule was a Nilakantha, the vanguard of this experiment, with dismembered Odisha with Odia speaking tracts his visionary outlook studied the past and created being scattered in four Provinces …. An anti-Odia a literature intending to influence and mould the brigade even tried to annihilate Odias as a distinct younger generation. Here I intend to look at the linguistic entity trying to abolish Odia language and first part of Nilakantha’s epic poem Konarke, culture” (Sahu 120). Sahu further says that, to ‘Ramachandire rati o sakala’ (Night and get out of this identity crisis Nilakantha joined an morning at Ramachandi), as a revisionist poem organized struggle under the leadership of for children, where the poet has created a Madhusudan Das. Thus, Nilakantha had to play secondary or alternative world with an underlying a dual role- fighting for a separate state, Odisha anti-imperialistic agenda. Nilakantha, in his Province, and working in the National Struggle rediscovery of the past, of the rural community of for freedom.(120). the village, in turning to ancient Odia folk- lore, This had a great impact on Nilakantha. legends, the maritime history of Odisha and the As Sahu mentions, “Loving one’s own country is valour of the Princes and Princesses of Odisha natural but not common. How an individual has inducted the young minds into a modern world transcends his limited self and discovers an identity free from the dominion of absolutism. with the country and nation depends upon multiple Nilakantha was born at a significant time factors and forces. One such factor, whereby an in history when Europe, especially, Britain was individual can transcend his natural self and spreading the spirit of nationalism in distant Africa develop a sense of patriotism is the impact of and Asia. In India, the English brought with them persons and personalities which in a way shapes the education and enlightenment of the West and one’s mission and direction in life” (120-121). inspired the Indians to imbibe the spirit of With a missionary zeal Nilakantha tried to nationalism. The formation of the Indian National inculcate this philosophy reaching deep into the Congress in 1885 (one year after the birth of sleeping psyche of young children and adolescents. August - 2016 47 ISSN 0970-8669 Odisha Review Creating fantasies of the history of valour and fantasy that he has spun in the dreams of the romance of an Odia past, Nilakantha tries to children in the poem. He addresses the sleeping awaken the child’s mind to a heritage and a sense children and tells them that as they lie sleeping he of patriotism that would be instrumental in shaping is awake and thinking childlike, if they are afraid their mission and direction of life.