Orissa Matters

ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ଆବିର୍ଭାବ
ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାଭାଷୀ ଅଞ୍ଚଳଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ଯଦି ଏକତ୍ର କରି ଗୋଟିଏ ପ୍ରଦେଶ ସୃଷ୍ଟି କରାନଯାଏ, ତେବେ କୌଣସି ଯଥାର୍ଥତା ନଥାଇ ଏପରି ଚାରି ଭାଗରେ ଭାଗ ଭାଗ ହୋଇରହିଥିଲେ ଏହି ସୂକ୍ଷ୍ମ ବୁଦ୍ଧିସମ୍ପନ୍ନ ଉତ୍କୃଷ୍ଟ ଜାତି ଯେଉଁ ସ୍ଵାଭାବିକ ଅଗ୍ରଗତି ପାଇଁ ହକଦାର, ହୁଏତ ତାହା ସମ୍ଭବ ହେବନାହିଁ ବୋଲି କହିଥିଲେ ମହାତ୍ମା ଗାନ୍ଧୀ ୧୯୨୦ ଫେବୃଆରୀ ୧୮ ତାରିଖରେ ୟଙ୍ଗ ଇଣ୍ଡିଆରେ (“This fine race cannot possibly make the natural advance which is its due, if it is split up into four divisions for no sound reason.” – Young India, 18 Feb.1920) । ସେ କହିଥିଲେ, ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାଭାଷୀ ଅଞ୍ଚଳର ଏକତ୍ରୀକରଣ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ ଏକ ସାଧାରଣ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ ନୁହେଁ, ଭାରତରେ ଭାଷାଭିତ୍ତିକ ରାଜ୍ୟ ଗଠନର ବୃହତ୍ତର ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗରେ ଏହା ଏକ ଯୁଗାନ୍ତକାରୀ ବିଭାବନା । (ଏଯନ) ।

କେଉଁ କାରଣ ହେତୁ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାଭାଷୀ ଭୂଖଣ୍ଡ ଏପରି ଚାରିଭାଗ ହୋଇଯାଇଥିଲା ? ‘ଓଡ଼ିଶା ପ୍ରଦେଶ ସୃଷ୍ଟିରେ ଗଣମାଧ୍ୟମ’ ବହିରେ ମୁଁ ଏହାର କାରଣ ଦର୍ଶାଇଛି । ଏହି କାରଣ ଥିଲା: ଭାରତକୁ ଦଖଲ କରିଥିବା ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ଅନୁପ୍ରବେଶକାରୀମାନଙ୍କ ମନରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଲୋକଙ୍କ ମିଜାଜ ପ୍ରତି ଥିବା ଭୟଙ୍କର ଭୟ ।

ସେମାନେ କୂଟକୌଶଳ ଦ୍ଵାରା ଆମ ମାଟିରେ ଦଖଲଦାରୀ ଜାରି କଲାବେଳେ ଯେଉଁ ଭୟଙ୍କର ପ୍ରତିଘାତର ସମ୍ମୁଖୀନ ହେଲେ, ତାହାକୁ ଏକ ପ୍ରାଣାନ୍ତକ ଝଡ଼ ବୋଲି ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା କରିଥିଲେ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ପ୍ରତ୍ୟକ୍ଷଦର୍ଶୀ ବିବରଣୀଲେଖକ ଜି. ଟୟନବୀ (“It was not long, however, before we had to encounter a storm which burst with so sudden fury as to threaten our expulsion, if not from the whole of Orissa, at least from the territory of Khurda.” – A sketch of the history of Orissa, G.Toynbee) ।

ଓଡ଼ିଶା ମାଟି ଏତେ ବୀରତ୍ୱବ୍ୟଞ୍ଜକ ଓ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଲୋକଙ୍କ ମିଜାଜ ଏତେ କଡ଼ା ଯେ, ମିଲିଟାରୀ ବା ପୋଲିସ ବଳରେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଆୟତ୍ତ କରି ହେବନି ଓ ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ବିରୁଦ୍ଧରେ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ସଂଘର୍ଷ ସବୁବେଳେ ଲାଗିରହିବ ବୋଲି ବିଚାରପତି ଡବ୍ଲ୍ୟୁ. ଫରେଷ୍ଟର ରିପୋର୍ଟ କରିଥିଲେ (“…..it is to be feared that, the nature of the country and the disposition of the inhabitants will always present formidable obstacles to the suppression of these disturbances either by military or police.” (Para 18 of W. Forrester’s Report to Commissioner Robert Ker, dt. 9.9.1818) । ଏହା ବ୍ରିଟିଶ ମନସ୍ତତ୍ତ୍ଵକୁ ଏପରି ଭୟାଛନ୍ନ କରି ରଖିଥିଲା ଯେ, କଳେ ବଳେ କୌଶଳେ ଓଡ଼ିଶା ଦଖଲ କଲା ପରେ, ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତିର ଐକ୍ୟ ଉଜାଡ଼ି ଦେବାକୁ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାଭାଷୀ ଭୂଖଣ୍ଡକୁ ଭାଗଭାଗ କରିଦେଲେ କେବଳ ନୁହେଁ, ସେହି ବିଖଣ୍ଡିତ ଭାଗଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ପଡ଼ୋଶୀ ପ୍ରଦେଶମାନଙ୍କରେ ମିଶାଇ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଭାଷାର ଆଧିପତ୍ୟ ତଳେ ସଂଖ୍ୟାଲଘୁ ହୋଇପଡ଼ିଥିବା ଓଡ଼ିଆଙ୍କୁ ତଳିତଳାନ୍ତ କରିଦେଲେ । (To be continued)

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Contents of this book will be serially published here from tomorrow everyday.

It is a report of investigation into how the Official Language Act has been subjected to wrong amendments in order to deny the people of Orissa their right to be governed in their own language.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Thought-provoking cartoonist Kishore Rath has succumbed to a sudden and very unexpected cardiac arrest last night in a government hospital at Bhubaneswar.

In his demise, Orissa has lost a very nice son.

He belonged by birth to Ex-State Khadapada and was very proud of his native place. Dhumpa, a folk music instrument, indigenous to Khandapada had a great participant and promoter in him.

We want to pay our tributes to the brilliant cartoonist by putting here one of his cartoons that had inspired many with the hope of resiliency during the dreaded days of Corona pandemic.

And to show how was he in his heart, here is the last loving touch he had given to his dear Dhumpa:

Sad that, the cruet Time forced this effervescent heart to stop.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Dear Visitors,
A friend, who studied Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC) under the Odisha State Open University, Sambalpur, is kind enough to send me a printed Book of Syllabus that includes a chapter on “New Media Journalism in Odisha.”

ORISSA MATTERS” is placed there with a few words on its distinction,such as,

Odisha-centric news web sites began to appear from the first years of the new millennium. One of the first such ventures was www.orissamatters.com. It started in 2001 as an “alternative media vehicle for Odisha‟.

I thank you, esteemed visitors for all the support you have given to this venture.

The soft copy published also by the Univ. is here for Records.

History of Journalism in Orissa (Oen Univ, Sambalpur)

theNEWSsyndicate

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has been called upon to stop using national exchequer as bonanza to a gang of language-mafia styled Institute of Odia Studies and Research, in the guise of producing engineering textbooks in Oriya.

This mafia outfit is exposed to have stolen away the copy-righted official document on Classical Oriya, over which an inquiry is going on in Odia Bhasa Pratisthan.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak, founder of Bhasha Andolan, who has exposed this offence in his well documented book MICHHA KEBE SATA HUENA, has, in a mail today, urged upon the Chairman of the Council not to proceed with the wrongful decision and to entrust the assignment to the State’s Bureau of Textbook Preparation and Production and/or the Odia Bhasha Pratisthan, if it wants the textbooks to be produced in right earnest.

The mafia gang had met the new education minister Darmendra Pradhan recently, after which the AICTE has showered this sudden favor on this gang, it is observed.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have developed a wrong notion that governance of Orissa in Oriya depends upon his mercy. His press-note of December 17 and full page display advertisement in major broadsheets of today force us to arrive at this apprehension.

In his December 17 press note it was declared that he had held a meeting with the five members of the ministerial committee on that day for the purpose of “strictly implementing the Orissa Official Language Act, 1954 in official and non-official level” to facilitate which a website has been floated by the government. In the full page multi-color advertisement in broadsheet dailies today, this is intriguingly missing.

The advertisement is designed to tell the people that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has taken historical steps to save and develop Oriya language, and has enumerated the steps he has taken. This is blatant lie. Neither he nor his government has executed any single item claimed to be “historical” in the official advertisement. The entire advertisement is nothing but false propaganda. What a shame it is, that, the people of Orissa are taken for granted by their Chief Minister! Read more →

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Legends are the most misguiding mischief aimed at superimposing lies on reality so that indigenous people of an occupied land are kept too dazzled to see the dark face of the rulers and the class of exploiters can keep its victims subjugated to its authority, while forcing them to forget the heroic history of evolution of their own philosophy of life, their own splendid spiritual realizations, their own socio-economic uniqueness, their own ancient culture, their own valorous past, their own way of social integration and their own civilization.

We see this mischief galore in the context of Navakalevara of SriJagannatha.

So, here, we are to rip apart the legends and bring the reality of the Navakalevara to light, as thereby alone we can reach the lost uniqueness of the people of Orissa.

We will use Puri Sankaracharya’s self-proclaimed authority over Navakalevara to proceed with our purpose.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

The Oriya daily SAMAJA founded by late Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, to which, out of their love and reverence for the great humanitarian leader, the people of Orissa had and have been giving their financial and moral support, is in a menacing maze of forgery and loot.

Sadly, two of Gopabandhu’s trusted men – Lingaraj Mishra and Radhanath Rath – who, because of being known so, had the opportunity of becoming cabinet ministers in Orissa, were the masterminds and/or makers of the forgery from which the paper is yet to be salvaged.

Both of them – Lingaraj and Radhanath – had partnered with each other in forging the last WILL of Gopabandhu to grab the Samaja, which being Gopabandhu’s paper was of superb credibility and the greatest political instrument of the day. They had performed this crime behind the screen of and in nexus with Servants of the People Society (SoPS), of which, while breathing his last, Gopabandhu was the Vice-President. Read more →