Orissa Matters

TIGIRIA SAMMAN CONFERRED ON ILLUSTRIOUS SONS OF THE SOIL

(Pictorial input from Harekrushna Pattanayak, Tigiria)

Tigiria Samskuti Parisad, hereinafter called the Parisad, founded by former Member of Parliament representing Orissa in the Rajyasbha, Subas Mohanty and young intellectuals of Tigiria, honored three of the illustrious sons of the soil on 28 December 2011 with Pranab Kishore Pattanayak in the chair.

Eminent persons from all parts of the Ex-State witnessed Tigiria Sammana presented to Dr. Debi Prasanna Pattanayak for being an author and linguist of international repute, to Sri Amulya Ratna Nanda IAS (Rtd) for being a distinguished head of administration in various departments and ministries in State as well as Central level and to Sri Lalit Mohan Pattanayak for being a guiding light in sports didactics, honored by the President of India for best of contributions to the Scouts movement in Orissa.

Eminent Dramatist, Advocate Suryanarayan Mohanty read out the citations to each of them as chief of orissamatters.com Sri Subhas Chandra Pattanayak presented the awards.

TIGIRIA DESERVES RECOGNITION AS BIRTHPLACE OF ODISSI

In presenting the Samman, Sri Pattanayak, by birth a Tigirian, recalled the glorious past of this ex-State and its matchless contributions to culture of Orissa. One of its contributions was the dance form that has developed into Odissi, he said.

Dwelling on the darkest phase of Orissa’a history when Sri Mandira of Puri had to suffer absence of the deities for 12 years, which, according to Pt. Kedar Nath Mohapatra in Khurudha Itihas, had begun on May 16, 1692, as on that day, the Gajapati (King Emperor of Orissa) had to concede defeat and allow the invading Muslims to take away the Jagannatha Trinity by desecrating the Ratna Vedi (The Lord’s podium) under orders of Aurangzeb, Sri Pattanayak said that in reality the Mogul General had taken away only duplicate images of the deities, willfully kept to deceive the invaders. The real images were kept hidden in Bimala’s backyard from where, according to Madala Panji, they were taken away into an unknown place. Madala Panji says, nobody knew whereto they went; but because of that, all rituals in Sri Mandira had stopped.

Recalling the scenario, Sri Pattanayak claimed that Shankarshan Tunga Mandhata, then the King of Tigiria, had, under a plan finalized with the Gajapati, secretly carried the images by trained elephants from the compound of Bimala up to Mahanadi and then in boats into his State, in recognition whereof the Gajapati had conferred on him the rank of Bada Pariccha, the second highest rank – below the Gajapati and above the Rajguru – in the deity’s protocol, with hereditary right, a position no other king of Orissa is ever bestowed upon with.

After twelve years, suffering heavy loss in pilgrimage tax as pilgrims had stopped visiting Puri due to non-existence of the deities in Sri Mandira, the Mogul Emperor commissioned new images of Jagannath Trinity in the Ratna Vedi and thus the original Trinity could not go back to Puri from Tigiria, he said.

This unexpected stay of Sri Jagannatha – called Prasanna Mani and Prasanna Purusottama Dev because of He having been pleased to stay in this small principality – not only made Tigiria the most densely peopled amongst all the princely States, but also gave rise to unprecedented cultural activities in Tigiria.

During the resultant renaissance, Prince Jadunath @ Jadumani Tung Rai Singh amalgamated Alasa Nrutya of coastal Orissa with Tunga Nrutya, the martial folk dance promoted by his family and known by his family name, as to him this must have seemed a must for maintaining agility and complete physical fitness of his subjects as they were to have been kept ready to protect the Trinity from enemy attacks at anytime, when the techniques of war including training of war animals as well as development and use of advanced weaponry was provided with in his father Gopinath Tunga’s unique work on warfare, ‘Veera Sarvaswa’, he said.

This new form of dance, that Jadunath created by amalgamating Alasa and Tunga Nrutyas, was having no name, but was in practice in Tigiria.

Jadunath had codified the process of the dance in a scripture he had authored under the caption ‘Abhinaya Darpana Prakasha’, which according to Pandit Kedar Nath Mohapatra in Descriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts of Orissa, was in vogue in Orissa as the grammar of the dance form now known as Odissi. But despite presence of this scripture, Odissi exponents are in dark about scriptural base of the dance, the classical status whereof they use to their benefit.

Kavichandra Kalicharan Pattanayak, whose singleminded endeavor finally fetched the national recognition of Odissi as a classical dance, had translated Abhinaya Darpana Prakasha into English with illuminating footnotes. Orissa Directorate of Culture had taken away all his manuscripts after his death for proper maintenance to facilitate their referral use. But sadly the same is no more available to scholars. This wrong must be corrected and Abhinaya Darpana Prakash be recognized as the scripture of Odissi and Tigiria its birthplace, said Sri Pattanayak, over and above many other aspects of Tigiria’s contribution to Orissan culture he dwelt upon.

The Best of Awards Ever Received

In response to the felicitation, Dr. Debi Prasanna Pattanayak said that he has been bestowed upon with various awards in the national and international level. But Tigiria Samman given to him by the soil of his birth, is certainly the best of awards ever received. He fondly recalled his childhood days and narrated how this land was a land of universal brotherhood. Those days are always desired, he said.

Sri Amulya Ratna Nanda recalled the romance of learning that teachers and classmates had generated, as he remembered Tigiria of his student days. Working life might have made him stay away, but the birthplace has remained always attractive. Therefore, Tigiria Samman would remain for him most cherished for ever, he said.

Sri Lalit Mohan Pattanayak recalled how unreserved cooperation of the people of Tigiria had helped him make his contributions to the world of sports in the region and inspired him to expand his interest into the scouts movement. The President Award that he got for the outstanding marks he made in Scouts was like a dream come true, but if, he said, there was anything to feel proud in that, he shared that pride with his villagers, because here in Tigiria, his priorities were shaped. He said that the youngsters must chase dreams of their own choice with social relevance so that a better world to live in would emerge. To him, no award was greater than the honor his birthplace gave him.

In his Presidential speech, Pranab Kishore Pattanayak informed that the Sanskruti Parisad would go on honoring illustrious children of Tigiria in the soil of their birthplace every year from now on.

Pujya Puja (honoring the worthy) is a major objective of the Parisad, said Advocate Bikram Keshari Dash, Secretary, in his report.

Advocate Surya Narayan Mohanty acted as the coordinator.

Amongst the eminent persons from different parts of Tigiria, present in the auditorium were: Bikram Pratap Singhdeo (2nd son of the King of Tigiria), Gopinath Dash (Retired Chief Engineer), Gobind Chandra Sahu (Retired Head Master), Naba Kishore Mishra, Gagan Bihari Pattanayak, Bijay Mohanty, Ramakant Panda, Durga Charan Das and Sushil Kumar Nanda. Advocate Pranakrushna Dash and Advocate Fani Bhusan Rath from Athgarh were also present.

Eligible for High School graduation, but financially disadvantaged eight students were given gift packets containing money towards their examination fees by Sri Pranakrishna Choudhury, Secretary of John Augustus Prison and Social Services, Athgarh, in course of the meeting. Sri Choudhury in a short speech apprised the audience of humane manners of Augustus.

The Parisad is a brainchild of former Rajyasabha member Subas Mohanty who witnessed the entire proceeding from the dais.

To Relations and Family Friends Asharani Becomes Omnipresent as Twelve Day Long Funeral Rites Come to an End

(Pictorial Inputs from Laxmi Prasad Pattanayak, Amulyaratna Das and Nigamananda Dash)

Funeral rites of Asharani Pattanayak ended on the twelfth day of her transformation into omnipresence on 27 December after obsequies at her native place Tigiria, when the tenth and eleventh day rites were performed at Bhubaneswar, where she passed away on the 16th.

Her eldest son Subhas Chandra Pattanayak performed the last rites. The family members and close relations numbering more than a hundred of both the genders spanning four generations attended Tutha (oblation ceremony) at a public waterbody at Bhubaneswar chosen for the purpose and offered sesame sprinkled water in libation known as Tila Tarpana on the tenth day of the rites on 25 December.

Before this ceremonial libation took place, all the participants irrespective of gender got their nails trimmed. The sons and nephews of Asharani clean-shaved their heads and beards and other male relations trimmed the hairs on their heads and shaved. The only exception was Subhas Chandra Pattanayak himself, who just tonsured because of certain medical advice.

Symbolic of eternity

Trimming of nails never stops the growth of nails, but instead, it always is followed by instant growth thereof. Similarly, trimming or shaving of hairs and beards generates new growth thereof. So, cutting of nails and trimming or shaving of hairs and beards or tonsuring are symbolic of continuous growth after end.

This is same with the sesame seeds. A sesame seed generates thousands of seeds when sown even on dry lands and contain oil that strengthens the nerve system and act as a refreshing agent. Therefore use of sesame seeds on the tenth day of passing away of a dear one is symbolic of renewable stamina and growth after end.

The tenth day is symbolic of the ten directions – the eight points of the compass and the two points above the head and below the feet of a person – whereinto, after cremation, the body, metamorphosing into elements, spreads and becomes omnipresent.

So, on the tenth day, during day time – as the Sun, synonym of Buddha the benefactor of all and proponent of death as a phase of life, must be then staying in the sky – the obsequial offering of sesame-sprinkled water in libation are made in honor of the departed dear one.

This particular rite, thus, is symbolic of eternity and therefore, most refreshing after the shock of bereavement, notwithstanding misguiding scriptural rituals coined by vested interest elements at various stages of evolution of an exploitive system.

Celebration of omnipresence

On the eleventh day on 26 December, about five hundred relations and family friends attended the funeral feast at Bhubaneswar and more than that at Tigiria on the twelfth day on 27 December in celebration of Asharani’s transformation into omnipresence. They very fondly recollected the affectionate personality that she was and most of them discussed how concerned was she for the well-being of everybody that was coming in contact with her.

Her passion for reading and learning as well as her devotion to traditions well known to relations, a solemn congregation of educated persons belonging and related to Brahmin villages (symbolic of centers of learning in ancient times) of Tigiria was conveyed at the residence of Sri Subhas Chandra Pattanayak at Bhubaneswar on December 26. Pandit Bhagaban Acharya, retired Deputy General Manager (Telephone Revenue) of Government of India, well known exponent of the Vedas in the region, led the congregation comprising Padmanav Mishra, Biranchi Narayan Mishra, Sridhar Mishra, Sarat Kumar Panda, Rama Shankar Mishra and Uma Shankar Mishra. Pandit Acharya recited and interpreted Vedic hymns to show how cycle of life goes on uninterrupted despite death and how death helps evaluation of life. Rama Shankar cited scriptures in this regard too.

Sri Malaya Kumar Pattanayak, Asharani’s son-in-law through niece Nirmala Pattanayak, gifted copies of Srimad Bhagavat Gita with containers to the Pandits on the occasion.

Prof. Biswaranjan, celebrated educationist, author, orator and editor of Khabara; Author and Columnist Prof. Jayanta Kumar Biswal; Poet Prof. Hara Prasad Parichha Patnaik; Author and Columnist Dr. Bibudharanjan; former member of Orissa State Public Service Commission, Hemant Kumar Das; Veterinary Scientist Kailash Chandra Pattanaik; Col. Mahi Pratap Mohanty; Secretary of Orissa Environment Society Prof. Sundar Narayan Patra; Former Engineer-in-Chief-cum-Secretary of Works, Er. Piyusakanti Quanungo; former Deputy Labor Commissioner marked for action against exploitive employers, Sura Narayan Patra; Karmayogi Sri Laxmidhar Mohapatra; Dr. Manoranjan Das; Prof. Nirmal Parija; Prof. Jugal Kishore Mishra; Eminent meteorologist and founder of Misra Technique Dr. Asok Misra; educationist Kiranabala Pattanayak; Prof. Yotsnarani Pattanayak; former Director of GRIDCO Er. Bijay Kumar Mohanty; present Director of GRIDCO Er. Alekh Mallick; Health administrator Dr. Nirmala Mallick; Prof. Asok Kumar Mohanty; Endocrinologist Prof. Dr. Binay Kumar Mohanty; former Chief Engineer and Power Consultant Er. Nagen Mohapatra; former Director of Orissa State Forensic Laboratory Dr. Basanta Kumar Das; Prof. Dr. Amiya Kumar Mohanty; Former Chief of Government Electrical Department Er. Rajkishore Sahoo; Historian Major Dr. Kumudini Barai; Author Asit Mohanty; Film Editor Deven Mishra; Senior Advocate Sarat Kumar Panda; Documentary Producer Padmanav Mishra; former AIFS (P&T) officer Bhagabana Acharya; former IFS officer Pratap Chandra Pattanayak; former IAS officer Pramod Chandra Pattanayak; Prof. Supriti Mohanty; eminent Homeopath Dr. Dinakrushna Nanda; eminent Textile Technologist Ratindranath Kanungo; Sanskrit scholar Dr. Pramila Mishra; Irrigation expert Er. Prafulla Pati; author Dr.Bijayalaxmi Mohanty; eminent Arboriculturist Damodar Pattanayak; author Gobinda Bhuyan; Prof. Priyambada Mohanty were a few amongst those who fondly recollected and bid adieu to Asharani in the evening of the eleventh day.

Prof. Dr. Rabindranath Kanungo, Dr. Shubhashish Sircar, Sri Tathagata Satpathy, eminent Journalist Sri Prasanta Patnaik, eminent Journalist Barendrakrushna Dhal, Editor of Samadrusti Sri Sudhir Pattanaik, Editor of Orissabarta Sri Manoj Kant Dash, Ms. Mohima Bose, Prof. J. N. Dash (Dash Benhur), Prof. Mrinal Chatterjee, Er. Lalit Patnaik, Sri Ajay Raut, eminent Journalist Soumyajit Pattnaik, Film Director and columnist Kapilas Bhuyan, Prof. Shailendra Narayan Tripathy, Sri Uma Ballav Rath etc were amongst those who could not attend the rituals but paid obituary oblations through condolence messages. Close friends and relations like Narayan Patra, Mrs. Smrutirekha and Mr. Jatindranath Kanungo paid obituary respects in person.

Grand son-in-law of Asharani, Sri Ajay Mohapatra organized the funeral functions at Bhubaneswar on December 26 whereas her eldest son Subhas with co-operation from her other sons – Suresh, Naresh, Harekrushna and Ramakrushna, nephew Paresh, sons-in-law Lalit Mohan Pattanaik, Rabi Narayan Pattanayak, Sudhanshu Das, Bijay Pattanayak and daughters Bijayalaxmi Das, Prativa Pattanayak, Sanjukta Das, Susama Manjari Pattanayak and Kanaka Manjari Pattanayak conducted the funeral feast at Tigiria on December 27. Her youngest daughter Bijayalaxmi, who had attended to her on her hospital bed day and night during the entire period of hospitalization offered Prasada from a temple to about a hundred of poor leprosy patients residing in Jagannath Palli, a Kusthashram (Leprosy colony) in Mancheshwar area of Bhubaneswar. Her eldest daughter Kanaka Manjari and grand daughter Nibedita also did similar offerings.

Active Participants

Maa Anuradha Bose, Laxmidhar Mohapatra, Asok Misra, Lalit Mohan Pattanayak, Sudhansu Kumar Das, Bijay Kumar Pattanayak, Manoranjan Das, Bikash Pattanayak, Jayakrishna Pattanayak, Sudhansu Mohanty, Baikuntha Bihari Pattanayak, Dillip Pattanayak, Udayanath Pattanayak, Priyanath Pattanayak, Dhiren Das, Bijay Kumar Raut, Banchhanidhi Pattanayak, Sushil Kumar Samantaroy, Pramod Kumar Pattanayak, Damodar Pattanaik, Karnenduraja Pattanayak, Pulin Bihari Mohanty, Prasanna Kumar Pattanayak, Ananta Kumar Das, Mihir Pattanayak, Swarup Pattanayak, Asok Kumar Pattanayak, Subrat Kumar Das, Shubhendu Kumar Das, Purnima Pattanayak, Bishwamohan Goswami Mahapatra, Col. Mahi Pratap Mohanty, Chitta Ranjan Pattanayak, Nibaran Mohanty, Rabi Narayan Pattanayak, Smruti Ranjan Das, Sribatsa Mohanty, Kalpana Roy, Sudhansu Mohanty, Manoj Kumar Das, Nila Madhab Mohanty, Shobhabati Dei, Dhaneshwara Pattanayak representing Purnima Pattanayak, Biraja Prasad Pattanayak, Debendranath Mohanty, Amulya Ratna Das, Amulya Kumar Tunga Samanta, Bishwamohan (Bishu) Pattanayak, Rabi Narayan Pattanayak, Hadibandhu Singh Samanta, Prashanta Kumar Das, Prasanta Kumar Pattanayak, Gagan Bihari Pattanaik, Hemanta Kumar Das, Ratindranath Kanungo, Shishir Ranjan Mohanty, Ratikanta Das, Chittaranjan Das, Pradyumna Kumar Pattanayak, Jagat Mohan Pattanayak, Piyusha Kanti Quanungo, Prof. Namita Pattanayak, Pradipta Kumar Pattanayak, Prof. Bishwaranjan, Malaya Kumar Pattanayak, Bibhuti Bhusan Pattanayak, Prafulla Kumar Pattanayak, Janaki Ballav Pattanayak, Naba Kishore Pattanayak, Major Dr. Kumudini Borai, Asoka Kumar Mohanty, Nirmal Parija, Dr. Basanta Kumar Das, Chinmay Chiranjibi Das, Indramani Mahalik, Goura Kishore Pattanayak, Ajay Kumar Mohanty, Dr. Binay Kumar Mohanty, Dillip Singh, Bijay Kumar Mohanty, Shashi Bhusan Mohanty, Sundar narayan Patra, Pratap Chandra Pattanayak, Bira Kishore Mishra, Gagan Bihari Pattanayak, Suryanarayan Mohanty, Pranab Kishore Pattanayak, Ramesh Chandra Tunga Samanta amongst others were conspicuous by their active participation in the function.

Loving villagers offered Kirtan as a mark of their respect for her at the end of the twelve day long rites.

A souvenir on Asharani, captioned Dahana Daha, was brought out on the occasion.

Odissi gone into Guinness Records Despite Filth Created by Orissa Government

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak with pictorial input from Aradhana Misra

Orissa Government has pathetically failed in preserving, protecting and projecting the true history of Odissi dance, which, with 555 artists performing for 28 minutes at a stretch at the Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar, on 23rd December, has gone into Guinness Book of World Records.

A dance is a classical dance, because of its creation by and adherence to specific scriptural codes. The scriptural codes of Odissi are provided for in Abhinaya Darpana Prakasha authored by Jadunath Rai Singh, then the prince of Tigiria belonging to Tunga dynasty, which, the famous scholar Pt. Kedarnath Mohapatra, in Descriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts of Orissa prefers to describe as “the Grammar of Odissi dance”.

To keep warriors of his State physically fit and agile for protection of the Jagannatha trinity that his grand father Sankarshana Chamupatisigh Mandhata – the King of Tigiria – had, under a plan prepared by him and the Gajapati Emperor of Orissa, secretly transported into his principality from the backyard of Goddess Bimala in the night of 16 May 1692 by misguiding the Moghul commander take away a duplicate set of images from the temple podium of the Lord (as per Pt. Mohapatra in Khurudha Itihasa), Prince Jadunath had amalgamated Alasa Nrutya prevalent in coastal temple systems and the martial dance called Tunga Nrutya developed by his own predecessors. And for the new form of dance thus created, though not named by him, he had prescribed the codes in Abhinaya Darpana Prakasha, the scripture he authored as referred to above.

Centuries after his death, the unnamed dance form metamorphosed into Odissi.

So, it is Jadunath Tunga Rai Singh, who alone should be recognized as the father of Odissi dance. Yet, he is not honored as the real creator of this classical dance or provider of its scriptural codes.

On the other hand, it is Kabichandra Kali Charan Pattanayak whose single minded campaign carrying his dedication to and concentration in revival of the dance system has earned the classical status for Odissi. He was the real man behind recognition of this system as a classical dance. The Odissi practitioners now-a-days do not remember this man, who, despite subterfuge resorted to by envious elements, had obtained for the dance the recognition of its classicality.

But sadly, a few famous artists like late Kelucharan Mohapatra and Kumkum Mohanty, taking advantage of the political Government’s sophomoric approach to culture of the State, have, in their own way and through cronies, exploited different forums and occasions to project themselves as creators of the dance form.

The Odissi Dance Festival that commenced with the Kalinga Stadium event and is scheduled to continue till December 30 in different halls at Bhubaneswar, wherein a USA based organization is collaborating, had the occasion even to accept without any grumble that it is Kelu babu, from whom the dance came into form.

This happens when a political Government remains addressed to benefits of the ruling party than to benefit of the State.

The political government of Orissa is so very averse to cultural environment of the State that it had made the mega event take place in obnoxiously filthy an atmosphere.

A conscious subscriber, Ms. Aradhana Misra, has sent us pictures of the Odissi dancers while performing for the purpose as well as of the filthy environment where they were forced to perform before the observers from Guinness Book of World Records.

All the seats of Kalinga Stadium – that had costed the State Exchequer Rs.103 crores, according to a functionary thereof – are littered by bird droppings with no attempt ever made to clean them up as a result of which the filth is standing for years on the chairs and on the floors and between the rows and wherever the eyes go.

It is claimed that an amount of Rs.10 crores is spent on costumes for the dancers on this occasion. In the prevalent environment of scams, whether or not the said amount is really spent on costumes is a different matter; but it is sure, had a portion thereof been drafted for cleaning the filth, the guinness records could have come in a befitting condition.

We congratulate the artists, because of whom, Odissi has created a landmark in the world records. But, we should be failing in our duty if we do not say: Odissi has gone into Guinness Records despite the filth created by Orissa Government.

Except resizing, the pictures used in this report are absolutely unedited for records.

Lokpal Bill: The Hoodwinking Art Contrived to Smash Mass Awakening against Corruption and Maladministration

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi’s close friend Ottavio Quattroche, whose black connection had blackened Rajiv Gandhi so filthily that the “Mr.Clean” Prime Minister had to get out of office under the stink of Bofors kickbacks, could not be punished, because the CBI withdrew its case against him with Mrs. Gandhi ruling the roost as the godmother of Manmohan Singh government. The Lokpal Bill drafted by the same government that runs under the control of the same Mrs. Gandhi, keeps the CBI out of purview of the Lokpal as if police officials would turn paragons of virtue instantly on being posted to this bureau by the political government!

Is it how corruption is to end?

Conditional inclusion of the Prime Minister is also of no utility in elimination of corruption.

Firstly, any condition riding a Law against corruption is a curtain legislatively contrived to provide a shrewd protection to the corrupt and secondly, corruption is congenital to the environment of capitalism, which the right viruses in politics bring about.

So, as long as the country stays under the grip of capitalism, no Prime Minister can end corruption and no amount of interference by a Lokpal can cause a change.

Prime Ministers may come and Prime Ministers may go, but corruption shall go on for ever till political economy of “inequality” as diagnosed by Dr. Ambedkar in his concluding speech on Constitution in the constituent Assembly of India, continues to keep the country engulfed.

Economy of inequality that post independence India has been forced to adopt by propertied politicians (as confessed by the President even in the Constituent Assembly) provides the mafia with the scope to loot public exchequer and accumulate personal wealth by any means, one of which is corruption as exemplified in the matter of Bofors kickback. The country could not punish the culprit in this first mega scam, because of CBI,manned by personnel, loyal like dogs to fellows in power, did not act diligently and ultimately killed the case.

Ever since Manmohan Singh’s arrival and rise in political horizon of India, the country has fallen in the labyrinth of scams and scandals involving lakhs of crores of rupees that has given birth to a class of neo-rich opportunists, who have no concern for the common man but have total concentration on multiplication of their own properties and creation and expansion of their private empires where a well paid executive layer serves as shock absorbers to keep steady the vehicles of exploitation of India.

These fellows execute their plans by bribing the politicians in power and officials in decision making positions as has come to light through CAG audits and JPC investigations and media exposures.

Harsad Mehta to Nira Radia, the period of India’s obnoxious economic offenses has seen the country ruined to its root by commission agents, lobbyists, body-entertainers, bribe givers and a section of media managers who act in nexus with the pet politicians or to net in politicians to be pet, in service of the capitalists – indigenous and foreign – ever since right viruses have infested the Government.

The scenario has not changed despite change in mandate. If Congress ministry under Narasingh Rao gave birth to Harsad mehta, BJP ministry under Atal Bihari Vajpayee pampered Ketan Parekh and no swindler is seen who is not prospering in the present regime of Manmohan Singh.

This is despite presence of rigorous laws, which, the Lokpal, if constituted, would “recommend” for implementation only.

For such a body, sadly, the attention of common man and administration is being encroached upon. Right viruses in politics, notwithstanding which party they belong to, are in their treacherous best to keep attention of the exploited masses engaged in this barren exercise, so that, collective consciousness would stay stymied away from examining if end of the political economy of inequality is the need of the day.

Be it aborted, rejected in the Parliament or adopted, the Lokpal bill is nothing but a hoodwinking art set to smash the new mass awakening against corruption and maladministration.

ATBN Advocates’ Association Celebrates Foundation Day

(Photos from Laxmi Prasad Pattanayak)

Advocates from the four Ex-States – Athgarh, Tigiria, Baramba and Narsingpur (ATBN) – belonging to Athgarh Sub-Division in the District of Cuttack, celebrated today the 17th foundation day of ATBN Advocates’ Association in the NALCO guest house auditorium at Bhubaneswar with F.B.Rath, its President, in chair.

Sarat Kumar Panda, President of Bhubaneswar Chapter of the Association, while welcoming and introducing the event, delivered the keynote address.

Advocates: Lalit Kumar Biswal, President of Narasingpur Bar Association, Surjyanarayana Mishra, President of Baramba Bar Association, Bikram Keshari Das, President of Tigiria Bar Association and Adwaita Charan Panda, senior advocate representing Athgarh Bar Association in absence of the President thereof gave views of their respective Bar Associations, when Sadayalaxmi Pattanayak, a Tigirian practicing in Orissa High Court, Jambeswara Das of Kandarpur, Athgarh, who heads the Cuttack Civil Bar Association and Banoj Kumar Pattanayak of Baramba, a High Court practitioner as well as Member of Orissa State Bar Council also addressed the conference.

The senior-most lawyer of Athgarh sub-division – Dhanurdhara Raut – was felicitated on this occasion. In his reply to the felicitation, he gave hint to now extinct Athgarh District created after independence.He recalled how Subhas Chandra Pattanayak of Tigiria, Pratap Chandra Pattanayak of Baramba and he together had initiated steps for its revival and urged upon the members of the Association to take up the issue.

Hemanta Kumar Das, eminent financial administrator and former member of Orissa Public Service Commission, addressing as Chief Guest, observed that in post independence India positive economic development has reduced poverty, but feeling of poverty generated generally by consumerism and specifically by neighbors’ envy has spread. This contradiction has been contributing to rising unrest in the country.

He eventually came to the current mass movement against corruption as led by Anna Hazare and even as he opined that Anna deserves support for his voice against corruption, the obstinacy he displays in the matter of constitution and scope of Jan Lokpal is counter productive inasmuch as no Prime Minister can function if every now and then he is to be dragged to a Lokpal. He emphasized on thus-far-and-no-more norm in agitations against administration, if a responsible democracy is to be built up and retained. He called upon the lawyers not to forget commitment to country in prosecuting and defending the under-trial persons in pursuit of financial gain and fame.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak of orissamatters.com, who was the chief speaker, stressed on legal steps to revive the lost district of Narasingpur that was one of the eight districts created with Princely States after they merged with Orissa giving the State its present form. He gave vivid details of how the district was created and lost because of lust for power of a person, who taking advantage of being a minister in the interim government despite pre-merger public rejection at Athgarh and being influential because of grip on the highest circulated daily of the day published from Cuttack town, had caused obliteration of the Narasinghpur district by using the Government to reduced it to a subdivision under the district of Cuttack, so that, from his residence he can pull the strings through the Collector of Cuttack. It is time to revive the district as the people thereof have been drastically discriminated against when the rest of the seven districts created with the merged ex-states are in existence and are getting profuse amount of district development funds whereas annexed to a highly developed district like Cuttack, the most undeveloped four ex-states have been perishing due to lack of due development funding, he pointed out.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Association had paid silent standing respects to the mother of Sri Pattanayak, passed away on 16 December, along with obituary respects paid to member advocates living no more since its previous meeting.

In expressing deep gratitude for the kind gesture, Pattanayak described, how she had to endure unbearable terminal illness for several months with no hope of survival on the strength of medical science. He then urged upon the legal community to cogitate as to why should there not develop legal provisions , even through case-laws, to ensure final journey into peace with dignity for terminally ill, incurable and entirely atrophied old citizens instead of subjecting them to tormenting and barren treatments, squeezed ultimately into paranteral feed and bottled oxygen.

Emphasizing on evolution of humane face of law and elimination of judicial blunders that encourage wrongful prosecution, he cited the case of Mili Panda, who, despite quashing of cognizance against her in a lower court by Orissa High Court, is perishing in prisons under various pretexts. Hatred generated towards activism against exploitation is helping hijackers of public exchequer in accumulating massive wealth when maximum majority of Indians are being forced to thrive on distress sale of anything they have, including agro-products and offspring. The legal community, therefore, should consciously work for protection of pro-people elements from the dragnet of law misused in the guise of maintenance of law and order, he said.

He found similarity between the current anti-corruption drive by Anna Hazare and the one of 1977 led by J.P.Narain and observed that this drive would lead to no remedy exactly as the movement steered by JP had failed, because there is no agenda in it to change the country’s political economy from pro-rich to pro-society, from capitalism to socialsm. If right to equality is what is to be ensured by Law, then lawyers must act against political economy of inequality, he underlined.

Dev Narayan Pattanayak, Secretary of the Association proposed vote of thanks and the participants were given a lively musical treat.