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ODISHA REVIEW

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VOL. LXXII NO. 5 DECEMBER - 2015

MANORANJAN PANIGRAHY, I.R.S.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary

SUSHIL KUMAR DAS, O.A.S, ( SAG)

Director

DR. LENIN MOHANTY

Editor

The Odisha Review aims at disseminating knowledge and information concerning Odisha’s

socio-economic development, art and culture. Views, records, statistics and information

published in the Odisha Review are not necessarily those of the Government of Odisha.

Published by Information & Public Relations Department, Government of Odisha,

Bhubaneswar - 751001 and Printed at Odisha Government Press, Cuttack - 753010.

For subscription and trade inquiry, please contact : Manager, Publications, Information &

Public Relations Department, Loksampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar - 751001.

Rs.5/- Five Rupees / Copy

Editorial Assistance

Bibhu Chandra Mishra

Bikram Maharana

Production Assistance

Debasis Pattnaik

Sadhana Mishra

Cover Design & Illustration

Manas Ranjan Nayak

D.T.P. & Design

Hemanta Kumar Sahoo

Photo

Kishor Kumar Sinha

Raju Singh

Manoranjan Mohanty

Asst. Editor

Puspanjali Paikaray

CONTENTS

Lord Jagannath : Sovereign Master of Universe Parikhit Mishra ... 1

Good Governance ... 3

Healthy Soil for Healthy Nation - A Key message of the P.K.Samant, M.Mishra

International Year of Soils, 2015 and B.B.Dash ... 6

Promotion of Tourism Through Event - Dr. Sarat Kumar Lenka

A Study on Konark Festival Alok Ranjan Mishra ... 9

Geetkudia & Geetkudiani : Competition by way of Song Ranjan Pradhan ... 13

Kalinga and the Transformation of Asoka Manorama Tripathy ... 17

Nobility, the Prime Objective of Sanskrit Learning in Odisha Bhubaneswar Pradhan ... 21

Parliamentary Activities of Surendranath Dwivedy Jugal Kishore Hota ... 23

Human Rights Violation in Relation to Women Dr. Antaryami Behera ... 29

Women in Developing Sustainable Livelihood System Dr. Purusottam Dash,

Through Sericulture in Rural India Subhashree Dash

& Dr. Sasmita Behera ... 31

Origins and Growth of Human Rights Dr. Nityananda Paul

Suchitra Mishra ... 36

Manifestation of Odia Nationalism in Jagannath Philosophy :

A Mythological Study Dr. Alekh Ch. Padhiary ... 45

Constitutional Necessity of Pre-School Education in Odisha:

A Critical Analysis Dr. Premananda Paul ... 50

Museum and Tourism: Overlapping Interests Manoj Mishra ... 56

Fly Ash From Thermal Power Plants -

Disposal and Management Dr. Manas Ranjan Senapati ... 60

A Brief Account of Gandhiji’s Odisha Visits Abhiram Biswal ... 64

Performance of Handicrafts Industry in Odisha Dr. Sudhakar Patra ... 67

Odisha Update ... 72

WE REMEMBER

Pathani Samanta

Maharaja Shriram Chandra Bhanja Deo

WE REMEMBER

Kantakabi Laxmikanta Mahapatra

WE REMEMBER

Editor’s Note

The Climate Conference at Le Bourget has come out with an ambitious final draft thatwill limit global warming to well below 2 degree centigrade and commit 100 billion dollars a yearfrom 2020 to help developing countries, an outcome India welcomed as balanced and a wayforward. However, as the world leaders have come forward to bring forth a positive changeduring the climate conference, it is the duty of each one of us to play our part to save theenvironment. It may be noted here that in a pioneering initiative, the State Odisha PollutionControl Board has exempted green category Industries from the consent Administrative process.

Amidst raging protests against the release of the juvenile offender in Nirbhaya gang rapeand murder case, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to put him back in the reformatorycentre, saying that there was no law to keep him confined anymore as he had undergone themaximum term of 3 years on being found involved in the gruesome crime. I personally feel theattempt to stop violence against women has to be multifold. In terms of law it has to be changedand made to be adaptive to changing times and at a personal level one has to be a change-makerand try to do the best as per one’s own means in changing circumstances. However, I would liketo reiterate that many measures are being taken by the State Government to improve the conditionof women in the State. Recently, the Government of Odisha has signed an MoU with WIPROGroups’ Philanthropic Wing the Ajim Premji philanthropic initiatives. Around Rs. 300 crore willbe spent in the next 10 years to reduce malnutrition in the State. Hon’ble Chief Minister hasurged Mr. Premji to consider a 2nd campus of Ajim Premji University and also to considerWIPRO- Healthcare Facilities.

The High Level Committee formed by the Centre to finalize central relief has sanctionedRs.924 crore for Chhatishgarh, Rs.1104 crore for West Bengal but has sanctioned only Rs.380crore from National Disaster Relief Fund for Odisha towards Phailin assistance after two years.This is another glaring reflection of the Centre’s step-motherly attitude towards Odisha. I personallyfeel the concept of Co-operative Federalism originally envisioned is not being respected as itshould be in a democratic set up.

In the meanwhile, historical steps have been taken by Hon’ble Chief Minister foraugmenting quality of Odia education and further enriching the classical Odia language. It has

been decided to use Odia language in all Government communications. Encouragement wouldbe given for research in Odia language. Apart from this, steps are being taken for Identificationof State level talents and extending felicitation to them, opening of Odia Open University andsetting up of Chair in honour of Odia language in reputed Universities outside Odisha likeJNU, DU and BHU.

It’s a privilege that under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri NaveenPatnaik, Odisha has transformed itself as a State on the move with the economy on a highgrowth trajectory. The focus of the reform effort of the State is to support more rapid andinclusive economic growth. Several business reforms have been undertaken by variousdepartments creating conducive business environment for the investors. It’s a matter of pridethat Hon’ble Prime Minister of India appreciated our State in terms of ease of doing business.

Preparations are on for the celebration of birth centenary of legendary leader andformer Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik. People from small hamlets in remote areas toinstitutions and people at Indonesia, U.K. and many other countries are eagerly waiting tocommemorate this event.

I would like to wish the people of Odisha a very happy Christmas and Happy NewYear. My best wishes to all the wonderful human beings who are associated with this Governmentof Odisha Monthly Magazine. Let us all join hands and help our State to fulfill the Vision of ourChief Minister to make Odisha one of the top 3 States in the country in next rankings inimplementation of business reforms.

Editor, Odisha Review

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December - 2015Odisha Review

Lord Jagannath :Sovereign Master of Universe

Parikhit Mishra

He is the living image of love, kindness, peace,truth and magnanimity. He is also redeemer, thedeliverer of mankind and punisher of evil. Justrecite the holy name of Lord Jagannath, draw Hisimage in your mind, you and for that any believeravails fountain of spiritual joy. Lord’s round eyeslikened to sun and moon, His colour the beauteousblack, His exuberant wide red lip, the steely strongstubby hands, the unformed ears, and unfinishedlegs make on you special effect. How they do it ?

Apanipada jaban grahita Pasyatachakshuh sa

srunotya Karnah

Sa betti bedyam nacha tasyasti betta

Tamahuragryam Purusam Mahantam.

The brief meaning of the above sloka isone Who has no hand and leg moves fastest,captures all, sees everything around, hears eventhe faintest sound, knows everyone, matter orbeing, but no one knows Him, is called great primalspirit.

The whole range of beauty emanates frombelief, the belief in God generates peace andmakes your life worth -living while misery, anxiety,pain and disease are common with everyone. Thebelief engenders positive thought which developsa highly benevolent attitude. This reminds you thatlife is ephemeral and you’re a non-entity in theKingdom of Lord Jagannath. The Jagannathphilosophy is noblest one as it embraces theprinciple of love for all, hatred for none.

A verse in the Kapil Samhita signifies thatBharat is the best among countries, a land calledUtkal, in other words the Jagannath Desh, bestloved by gods was the paradise on earth. That’s

why the Jagannath Desh or Purusottam Kshetradid receive spiritual recognition. On the other handof all places Purusottam Kshetra was the bestand of all gods Lord Purusottam was the greatest:King of places and King of gods.

To rein in our unbridled way of life, we’vebefore our eyes, an odd form we reverentiallycall God in the sacred wood idol of LordJagannath carved out of holy log or Daru (Neemtree trunk), His elder brother Lord Balavadra,younger sister Subhadra and the handy weaponChakraraj ( King of wheels) Sudarshan.

God is formless, birthless, deathless andincomprehensible even to highly congnitive man.God’s lila or divine act has no beginning, no end.He is inscrutable everlasting, present everywhere(omnipresent), the strongest force (omnipotent)and all-knowing (omniscient). The triumvir LordJagannath, Lord Balavadra and Maa Subhadra -is worshipped in separate mantras at ambrosiaofferings thus:

It’s Klim Krishnaya Govindaya GopijanBallavaya for Shri Jagannath, Aum NamohBhagabate Basudevaya for Lord Balavadra andAum Klim for Devi Subhadra.

The scripture elucidated that oncegoddess Parvati out of curiosity asked Lord Shivawhy the Purusottam Kshetra was the blessed evera place of pilgrimage? Lord Mahesh said He hadno existence, He had no shape or form. From theemptiness the ethereal Brahma gained cohesiveshape, and Narayan with a decent figuredescended Who gave birth to five-faced Brahma,and Madhav was born Who was none other than

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December - 2015 Odisha Review

the glowing Nilamadhav in Purusottam Kshetra.The transformation into Jagannath came about afterthe disappearance of Nilamadhav in a devastatingsandstorm in Nilagiri. The motto of the divinedeed aspired at eliminating suffering, and grantingdeliverance to the whole of mankind. That’s thereason the Lord Himself metamorphosed intoDarubrahma.

In ancient time Purusottam Kshetra wasalso known as Nilagiri (Blue Hill) where LordVishnu was worshipped by tribal king Viswavasu.Who was he ? Mythology said in treta yuga kingBali the greatest philanthropist of his time waskilled by Lord Rama. Bali’s son Angad was acommitted devotee of Lord Rama. The idea oftaking revenge of the slaughter of his father,nonetheless, was simmering in his head. Heardently prayed for a boon. Lord Rama, Whohad prescience, conceded and said that in DwaparYuga he would incarnate as Krishna. Angad wouldbe born as Jara Sabar who would kill Srikrishnashooting an arrow mistakenly. But in Kali YugaHe would take birth as a tribal lord namedVishwavasu and would turn out to be a greatservitor of Nilamadhav.

According to the legend the Pandavascremated the dead body of Lord Krishna but thetummy bottom part of the body was left unburnt.The Pandav warrior Arjun and Jara Sabarimmersed it in the sea. Over the ages Jara thegreatest devotee of Lord Vishnu was born asViswavasu. The remains of Lord Krishna wastransformed into a magnificent blue (gem) stoneidol. Viswavasu sighted it along the sea shore. Asordained he took the sacred idol ceremonially,sanctified and installed it by the Rohini Kundabeneath the Kalpabata tree. It was the centralplace of Nilagiri. The idol worshipped waschristened as Nilamadhav, and the place acclaimedas Purusottam. Here gods of heaven came downdaily in midnight, visited Nilamadhav, worshippedHim, prostrated before Him Whose other namewas Narayan and left before morning.

Religion and philosophy are a centripetalforce, one attracting the other, not running awayfrom each other, if the spirit of faith and devotion

is untainted, chaste and undefiled. Belief generatesenormous energy of devotion while you know thatGod is limitless, borderless and boundless,indescribable, unimaginable and mostly illusory,but the face to face darshan (meeting) of LordJagannath makes you spell-bound.

In the scriptural teachings of the sacredSrimadbhagabat Mahapuran the power of beliefand recitation of God’s holy feet for emancipationfrom the worldly anxiety is prominently highlighted,thus:

One who recites hymns of holy feet of Krishna

Worries don’t touch him

Adoring Govinda’s holy feet in heart,

If moves eyes shut

If runs without knowing the pathway

That being does never falldown.

It’s not gainsaying that God alone is themaker, sustainer and destroyer of what we seeand don’t see. He is the life giver, killer and healerof the mortals. Agnostics atheists, infidels are alsonot immortal, but subject to the same metabolicalchanges, disease, decay and death. God alone isfree from it. However, miracles take place at Hiswill. It is the believer’s result of years of prayer,devotion and meditation. And it’s Lord Jagannathat the centre of thought and imagination. You feelyou and he are one and inseparable.

The Jagannath philosophy is noblest one.It embraces the universally acceptable principleof love for all, hatred for none. But whenprovoked the Lord goes to any extreme to punishevil-doers. The warring demons meet their end inHis hand. Kansa, Ravan and their fellow devilswere killed in bloody war.

The Jagannath Puri has attracted saints,sages, mendicants, laymen, poets, thinkers,philosophers over the ages. They come here forpeace, solace and spiritual joy for this is a placeon earth to provide plenty of it apart from thebeauty of golden sea beach.

Parikhit Mishra, Rajendra Nagar, Cuttack.

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Odisha has transformed itself as a State on the move with the economy on a high growth trajectory.The focus on the reform effort of the State is to support more rapid and inclusive economic growth.Substantial progress has already been made in the implementation of initiatives to attract privateinvestment and to progressively address the challenges in achieving sustainable, shared economic growthand accelerating human development.

Our Vision 2019 for Industrial Development is to achieve 60% growth in manufacturing with year-on-year growth of 15%. We envisage Rs.1.73 lakh crore of new investments creating 3.30 lakh new jobs.To achieve this vision, the State Government has taken up a number of new initiatives for industrialdevelopment. A new industry-friendly policy has been launched recently along with a series of reformsin the regulatory environment.

The State has shown its commitment on improving the investment climate and making it easy for companiesto do business by securing 7th position, ahead of number of other industrially progressive states in thecountry, in the rankings made by the World Bank and Government of India.

I would like to mention some of the key business reforms implemented in our State :

1. In a unique initiative, the State has set up State Level Facilitation Cell, i.e. SLFC as a one-stopsolution for investment facilitation where senior officers from different Departments dealingwith various approvals / clearances have been deployed to a single location at the State levelinvestment promotion and facilitation agency i.e. Industrial Promotion and InvestmentCorporation of Odisha (IPICOL). In a short span of 5 months, 18 meetings of the SLFC havebeen conducted in which approximately Rs.20,000 crore of new investment proposals havebeen cleared.

2. The State Government has operationalised a first-of-its-kind Central Inspection Frameworkto synchronize the industry inspections by various Departments. Through this framework, theselection of industries and allocation of inspectors shall be done on a random basis through acomputerized mechanism. This framework will make the inspection transparent, objective andhassle - free.

3. A Voluntary Compliance Scheme has been designed for industrial and commercial establishmentsto simplify the porcesses involved in implementation of various labour laws in the State.Inspections under 18 labour laws and their rules have been included under this scheme. The

Deliberations made by Hon'ble Chief Ministeron "Ease of Doing Business" in Odisha

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industries / establishments covered under this scheme will be inspected once in 3 years and willbe exempted from multiple inspections under various labour laws.

4. In a pioneering initiative, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board has exempted GreenCategory industries from the consent administration process. The frequency of inspection andtime limits for grant of consent to establish and consent to operate for other categories havebeen substantially brought down. These commitments have also been brought under the purviewof Right to Public Services Delivery Act.

Several other business reforms have been implemented by various Departments, such as StatePollution Control Board, Directorate of Factories and Boilers, Labour Directorate, Commercial TaxDepartment, Housing & Urban Development Department, Revenue & Disaster ManagementDepartment, Energy Department and others creating conducive business environment for the investors.

We will continue to implement business reforms to make it smooth for the companies to dobusiness in the State. One of the key reforms planned to be implemented in the next 2 to 3 months is theoperationalization of Online Combined Application Form. Odisha is one of the pioneers inoperationalization of single window system and use of a Combined Application Form. The CombinedApplication Form and all the key approvals / clearances for setting up a new business shall be availableonline.

With the above initiatives, I am very confident that Odisha will be one of the top three States inthe country in the next rankings on implementation of business reforms.

However, I would like to highlight that a number of initiatives need to be taken up at the CentralGovernment level, particularly on bankruptcy laws, enforcement of contracts, etc. where the Stateshave limited control.

I would like to conclude by saying that Odisha will continue to formulate appropriate policyframework and implement of business reforms through a participative approach in achieving its goal oftransforming into a high growth economy and an inclusive society.

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1. Setting up of Odia Open University.

2. Improving the quality of Odia education.

3. Chairs for Classical Odia language in reputed Universities outside Odisha like the JawaharlalNehru University, Delhi University and Benaras Hindu University.

4. Using Odia language in Govt. Advertisements, Celebrations, Symposia, Workshops, TrainingProgrammes, Inaugural Boards and Invitation Cards.

5. Business Organizations to use Signboards in Odia language.

6. State level Debate Competition at High School, College and University levels will be organizedwith focus on eminent littérateurs of Odisha. Odia language Week will be celebrated in themonth of April.

7. Filling up of the post of Odia Lecturer/Teacher at different levels and creation of new postsbesides establishing Odia Chair in reputed Universities of Odisha.

8. The rare books written in Odia language will be placed in Odisha Virtual Academy, ifrequired rights of such books will be brought.

9. Encouragement for research in Odia language and award for excellence in Odia language.

10. Uploading Govt. Orders, Notification, and Policy Resolutions etc. in the respectiveDepartment’s Website in Odia language.

11. Facility for Post Graduation course in Odia language and higher research in the Universitieswhere Odia language is not in the curriculum.

12. Simplifying the Govt./Departmental/Technical terms in Odia Administrative Dictionary andmaking those usable for general public.

13. Introduction of user-friendly Computer keyboard having English-Odia translation facility.

14. On-line partnership with Odia people possessing the expertise in technology for developmentof Odia language.

Historical Steps taken by Hon'ble Chief Ministerfor Development of Classical Odia Language

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Soil can be defined as organic and inorganicmaterials on surface of earth that provides amedium for plant growth. Lives are sustained inthis earth basing on soil. More than 1000 years isrequired for making a centimeter (1/2 inch) of newsoil naturally from parent rock. One gram of soilcontains millions of living micro-organisms morethan the population of entire world performinginnumerable functions inside soil beneficial forgrowing plants and in turn supporting aboveground biodiversity as well. So, soil is consideredas a living material by the agricultural scientists.Almost 95% of food comes from soil. Twohectares of soil are sealed in every minute underexpanding cities worldwide and 805 millionpeople suffer from malnutrition. Healthy soilcontains plant nutrients, natural growth stimulantsand antibiotics for healthy food productionrequired for healthy life of animal and humanbeings. Soils are finite natural resource, difficultto expand to cope of with ever increasing humanand animal population. It is the only source ofmost essential 4Fs i.e food, fodder, fibre and fuelof the inhabitants nurturing on it, regulating theirhealth and wealth.

The soil covering the World’s surface issubject to increasing degradation due to erosionand poor management leading to desertification

Healthy Soil for Healthy Nation - A Key messageof the International Year of Soils, 2015

P.K.Samant, M.Mishra and B.B.Dash

apart from loss due to urbanization challengingour future food security. A well managed soil canplay a vital role in storing carbon that couldmitigate global warming and enhance greaterinfiltration of rain water in to its profile ultimatelyrecharging ground water thereby increasingirrigation potential and making availability of moredrinking water ultimately improving resilience tofloods and droughts. In an era of water scarcity,soils are fundamental for its appropriate storageand distribution. A healthy life is not possiblewithout healthy soils. Therefore, the soil is calledas the “Mother Earth” or “Matrubhumi” as evidentfrom ancient Indian Philosophy. In Odia literaturesoil is called as “Maa-ti” means the mother.Hence, a healthy soil can only nurture a healthynation.

According to FAO, at least a quarter ofthe world’s biodiversity lives undergroundincluding earthworm which is giant along withmicro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi andactinomycetes. Better management can assure thatthose usually unnoticed organisms boost soil’sability to absorb carbon and mitigatedesertification, so that more carbon can besequestered offsetting agriculture’s own emissionof green house gases. An uncared soil becomesdead which is incapable of sustaining life leadingto desertification.

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International Year of Soils-2015

Feeling the immense importance of soil,“Silent Ally,” 68th UN General Assembly declared2015, the International Year of Soils(IYS).Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of theUnited Nations has been nominated to implementthe International Year of Soils 2015, within theframework of Global Soil Partnership and incollaboration with Governments and the secretariatof the United Nations Convention to combatdesertification.

Objectives-

1. To create awareness among the people anddecision makers about the enormousimportance of soil for living organisms.

2. To educate people about the crucial role ofsoil for food security, climate changeadaptation and mitigation, essentialecosystem services, poverty alleviation andsustainable development.

3. To support effective policies and actionsthereof for sustainable management andprotection of soil resources.

4. To promote investments in sustainable soilmanagement activities in order to developand maintain healthy soils for different landusers and population group.

5. To strengthen initiatives in connection withSDG process (Sustainable DevelopmentGoals) and post 2015 agenda.

6. To advocate rapid capacity enhancement forsoil information collection and monitoring atall levels.

The International Year of Soils envisagesan opportunity for all different land users and

population groups to learn from one another toensure actions aimed at enhancing and preservingthe health and diversity of our soils for today andin future. According to DG, FAO “The

International Year of Soils will help us pavethe road towards sustainable development for alland by all”

World Soil Day

World Soil Day celebrates the importanceof soil as a critical component of the natural systemand as a vital contributor to the humancommonwealth through its contribution to food,water and energy security and as a mitigator ofbiodiversity loss and climate change.FAOobserves 5th December as World Soil Day

which is the birthday of His Majesty KingBhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. This date wasproposed by FAO to honour him for his efforts inpromotion of soil science, soil resourcesconservation and sustainable management. HisMajesty the king of Thailand was honoured asthe first recipient of the Humanitarian Soil Scientistaward for his dedication to soil resourcemanagement.

In response to UN decision, differentnations and State Governments are takinginitiatives to preserve soil health. In India, issueof soil health card for each and every individualfarming community has been accelerated for thepurpose of applying a balanced dose of fertilizers,micronutrients and organics to crops for gettinghigher yield and maintenance of soil health.

Status of Soils in Odisha

In Odisha, there are eight soil groupsnamely Red loam and Red sandy soil(46.8%),Red and yellow soil(34.8%) ,black soil(6.1%),laterite and lateritic soil(4.4%), deltaic alluvialsoil(4.2%), coastal saline and alluvial soil(1.6%),

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brown forest soil(1.1%) and mixed red and blacksoil(1.0%). Majority of soils of Odisha are acidic,low in available nitrogen and medium inphosphorus and Potash status due to heavyrainfall, washing and leaching loss of majornutrients which is limiting the growth of plants.There is a rapid decline in potassium content ofsoils over years due to mining resulting out ofexhaustive cropping with inadequate applicationof potassic fertilizers. All the soil groups of Odishawere having adequate amount of plant nutrientslike iron, manganese and copper and sometimesit becomes toxic at some locations. The soils likeblack, mixed red and black, red and alluvial soilsare found to be more deficient in zinc. Deficiencyof boron is high in most of the soil groups exceptsaline soils where it was found to be in toxicconcentration. More than 80% soils of differentgroups were found to be deficient in molybdenumexcept saline soils. Out of 30 districts 14 districtsshows boron deficiency to the tune of more than50%. Coarse textured red, laterite, mixed red andyellow soils are prone to boron deficiency.

Maintenance of Soil Health

Maintenance of soil health includesreduction of soil erosion, use of organic manures,biofertilizers, crop rotation, management ofproblematic soils with suitable soil amendmentsand use of balanced dose of fertilizers and

micronutrients for optimum growth of plant.Organic matter is the life of soil responsible forimprovement of soil physical condition, increasingrate of infiltration and water holding capacity,creating a healthy ambient atmosphere for soilmicrobes and holding plant nutrients firmly withreduced of loss nutrients. The organic matterstatus of soil needs to be conserved by reducingsoil erosion, cover cropping, zero and minimumtillage, residue recycling, insitu composting, wastemanagement and vertical cropping. Theconservation measures needs to be taken care offor the soils of uncared forest lands, seashore andriverbanks.

Conclusion

Awareness and capacity building of thestakeholders are required for maintenance of soilhealth for production of healthy food and foodsecurity of future generation along withdevelopment of healthy and wealthy nation. Letus preserve, protect and produce by maintainingour soil health for future generation.

P.K.Samant, M.Mishra and B.B.Dash, RegionalResearch and Technology Transfer Station, CoastalZone, OUAT, Bhubaneswar.

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In eastern India, Konark is one of the “WorldHeritage Sites” recognized by UNESCO and theplace is within one of the India’s 10 profitableheritage sites. It is also considered as the prideand glory of the people of Odisha. Beforeconcentrating on “Konark Dance Festival” as amajor event for promotion of tourism in terms ofdrawing the attention of the tourists, we have toemphasize on its significance as a prominenttourist site in the state. Though we have notfocused on the whole aspect of Konark but weshould have some knowledge in our mind aboutthe historical and mythological legend behind theconstruction of the temple, its rich art andarchitecture and above all how the monument willbe conserved in its present state and attitude ofall stakeholders should be focused on itsmaintenance, preservation so that it could be ableto extort wonder and admiration of all classes ofvisitors for all times to come.

The Legend:

Oral history and folk mythology havecreated layers of legends shrouding the genesisof the splendid example of Odishan architecture.As one of those legends goes, “Jambawati” andLord Krishna’s son “Shamba” worshipped thesun god at the holy spot of Konark to get rid of

Promotion of Tourism Through Event -A Study on Konark Festival

Dr. Sarat Kumar Lenka

Alok Ranjan Mishra

the affliction of leprosy caused by the curse of hiselders. Another legend has it that king NarasimhaDeva-I of the Ganga Dynasty had ordered thistemple to be built as a royal proclamation of thepolitical supremacy of his dynasty. A work forceof 12 hundred artisans and architects investedtheir creative talent, energy and artisticcommitment for an exhausting period of 12 years.The king had already spent an amount equivalentto the state’s revenue receipts of 12 years. Thenthe king issued a final command that the work becompleted by a stipulated date. The team ofarchitect headed by “Bisu Maharana” carried onthe work. It was then that “Dharmapada”, the 12years old son of the chief architect Bisu Maharanaarrived there as a visiting onlooker. He becameaware of the anxiety looming large among thearchitects. Although he did not have any practicalexperience of temple construction, he was throughin his study of the theories of the templearchitecture. He offered to solve the confoundingproblem of fixing the last coping stone at the topof the temple. He surprised everyone by doingthat himself. But soon after his achievement, thedead body of the adolescent prodigy was foundon the sea beach at the foot of the temple. Legendsays that Dharmapada laid down his life to savehis community.

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ART AND ARCHITECTURAL

EXCELLENCE:

Although located in Odisha and built bythe master architects, sculptures and craftsmenof Odisha Konark is the quintessence of Odishantemple architecture and arts. The Sun temple ofKonark has drawn the attention of art-lovers allover the world and has found place in the worldheritage list. From a distance on ground level thetemple appears as a massive pyramidal block ofstone, standing distinctively tall amidst all otherrecently built structures nearby. As one enters intothe enclave through the only gate, one faces thenow roofless dance hall on raised platform. Nextto this the audience hall which still retains itsoriginal form. The main temple that used to bethere beyond the audience hall is now in ruins. Asone moves on the paved path way surroundingthe temple complex one gets to see at eye level aseries of intricately carved figures. This figuressculptural narrative of all that life on earth had tooffer animals, birds, trees, flowers, creepers,snakes, men and women.

The free standing statues of damselsholding musical instruments adorn the top twotires of the entrance hall. These monoblack statuesare larger than life size for easy visibility from adistance. So, whatever one casts a glance or looksat intently, the temple has something or the otherto offer the onlooker. A writer who standsanywhere of the temple is instantly filled with amagical sense of awe and wonder. Konark standsas a rare specimen of artistic and architecturalgenius and abilities of a race that had nurtured thecraft for more than eight centuries. In fact it is theculmination of the cumulative talent and expertiseof the Odia artisans. It is a veritable repository ofall that is first rate in Odishan art and architecture.

The temple was conceived to resemble agiant-sized chariot with twenty-four wheels

attached to the base and seven horses harnessedin front of the entrance hall. It was a symbolicrepresentation of the abode of the Sun Godwhose movements are marked by division of timeinto months, weeks, days, hours, minutes andseconds. Each of the twenty-four wheels has eightspokes and queue axle-head bearing scenesdepicting daily chores.

Festival :

This monument of Ganga dynastyprovides an ideal backdrop to the festival revivinga scenario of regal splendour and flourishing artforms. Besides, a river by the name -Chandrabhaga - is supposed to have existed just3 kilometers away from the temple whereShamba got cured of leprosy after praying SunGod for 12 years. This spiritual legend drawspious and spiritual people across the country andabroad to be congregated in the ChandrabhagaMela (festival) and they take the holy bath in thesmall lake existing and they at the site every yearin memory of Shamba’s successful penance. Ifwe compare Konark Festival organized byOdisha Tourism with the famous KhajurahoDance Festival of Madhya Pradesh, we may findlot of similarities among these two UNESCOdesignated world heritage sites.

Khajuraho Dance Festival is organizedby Madhya Pradesh Parisada every year in themonth of February. It is a week long programmethat focuses on various classical Indian Danceforms. Khajuraho in the Chhatipur district ofMadhya Pradesh is famous for its temples whichare known for their archaeological excellence. Thetemples were built between 250-1050 A.D. underthe Chandela Dynasty. Those temples are primarytourist attraction of Madhya Pradesh and thiscultural event of dance makes them more popularamong the tourists. Artists from all over Indiacome to perform their dance of excellence in the

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open air auditorium of these temples. Theseperformances are held in the traditional way inthe temple premises. Several tour operators andtravel agencies design special cultural packagesin the month of February for the tourists to seethis festival. (Reference through net Google.)

But at Konark, tourists get scope toexperience two numbers of classical festivals atone destination but in different venues. KonarkDance and music festival of late Padmashree GuruGangadhar Pradhan is being organized at KonarkNatya Mandap since 1986 and Konark-festivalby Department of Tourism Govt. of Odisha inassociation with Odishi Research Centre (ORC)in the Open Air Auditorium from 1989. WhenKonark dance and music festival is organizedfrom 19th to 23rd February every year, the later isfrom 1st - 5th December. The festival organizedby Odisha Tourism enables one to appreciate thedifferent Indian classical dance forms at a singleplatform. The festival is graced by legendaryfigures from the world of classical dance formsand attended by many contemporary artists.Eminent artists who have enthralled audiences atthis festival in the past are Padmashree KelucharanMahapatra, Sanjukta Panigrahi, PadmaSubramanium, Radha Raja Reddy, MeenakshiSheshadri, Swapna Sundari, Sonal Mansingh,Kumkum Mohanty and Basanti Shreedhar.

To add variety, the festival also providesan element of folk rhythm. Interspersed betweenclassical recitals are dance performances bynumerous folk troupes from Odisha, Goa, Gujarat,Bihar, Assam and Rajasthan who make theaudience pulsating with their beats. The sole aimbehind this festival is to bring artists of nationaland international repute to perform and topromote the diverse Indian dance heritages aswell as the popularity of Konark Temple andOdisha as a major tourist destination. However

if we compare Konark festival as a major tourismevent at par to the Khajuraho festival of M.P.,the following record in detail of tourists flowrecorded by Tourism Departments of both thestates may be taken into consideration.

Tourists witnessed Khajuraho festival forpresent and last year.

Year Domestic Foreign

2014 22355 11270

2015 45600 9891

Number of tourists witnessed Konarkfestival for last few years.

Year Domestic Foreign

2010 8204 389

2011 12700 422

2012 8127 450

2013 11062 258

2014 13494 210

2015 14013 243

Suggestions and Conclusion :

Envisaging the comparison of both thefestivals, it is found that, Odisha is lagging behindin increasing tourist flow during the time of Konarkfestival from 01st - 05th December. Although thefestival has become a promotional tourism eventbut still some major lacunae and valid causes arefound responsible for wooing tourist attention fromnational and international level. However, thefollowing promotional strategy may be inculcatedin planning by the Govt. for organizing this galatourism event in their future endeavour.

1- Celebrity Cine artists specially fromBollywood equipped with classical danceknowledge may be invited to perform in the5 days programme at least for 2 times. This

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brand image could fetch good number oftourists to experience the festival.

2- Principal travel agent, tour operators, travelwriters of national and international reputemay be invited in a Familiarization TourProgramme to the festival , so that theycould realize the importance of festival anddesire to promote the nearby importanttourist destinations as well.

3- Wide publicity and advertisement of thefestival both in terms of visual and text shouldbe given in all prominent tourism relatedportal sites, magazines, journals etc. inadvance for information of the tourists anddance lovers of the globe.

4- Local communities may be sensitized to dealwith the delegates, tourists in an appropriateand tourism - friendly manner to bring outsustainable relationship or in other wordsthe flow of tourists to Konark and nearbytourist destinations will be more frequentedin future.

5- Basic infrastructures like way site toilet/washroom facilities in betweenBhubaneswar to Konark and Puri toKonark may be provided for the touristson payment of a token amount. This facilitywill gear up the frequency of travel to thedestination.

6- Beach activities like, Laser show,Fireworks, bonfire with music may be

organized in between Chandrabhaga andRamachandi beach which could beadditional attractions for the tourists visitingfestival. So the Government maycontemplate to facilitate such small eventsfor tourism promotion during that period.

7- Special Tour Packages for Golden Triangleand Chilka in the day time and witnessingfestival at Konark in the evening with nightstay may be introduced in the festival periodby OTDC and other Travel Agents / Touroperators and Hoteliers of this State.

References:

1. A. Journey to Odisha, P, 69 & 70. Published by -Sisukalam, Bhubaneswar.

2. World Heritage Series Konark, Text by DebalaMitra, P, 1 – 19 & 92.

Published by – The Director GeneralArchaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, 2003.

3. Information received from Madhya PradeshTourism Dept.

4. Statistical bulletin of Govt.of Odisha TourismDept.

Dr. Sarat Kumar Lenka, Nodal Officer, IITTM,Bhubaneswar.

Alok Ranjan Mishra, Marketing Manager, OTDC, Ph.DResearch Scholar of Tourism.

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There is sweet experience of distinct and fieryliterary and cultral life in ‘Geetkudia’ and‘Geetkudiani’ tradition of the tribal society. Whereimposing and lively songs come out of their mouthwhich is fresh, fascinating and heart-warming. Andthis gives rise to competition by way of songs,where there is no tinge of enemity. Only love andfriendship rule supreme. But, what is all tooregretable indeed is that such a lively tradition isnow on the wane due to dearth of properencouragement.

Understandably there is no inscribedsongs in the tribal society; whatever emerges fromthe mouth become songs then. This tradition playsa very crucial role in the tribal culture. The‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’ vent out thesuppressed feelings of the maidens and the youngthrough songs. It is otherwise known as battle ofsongs between the ‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’.So there is no iota of enemity in it. Just like‘antakshary’ whoever defeats the opponentsbecomes Mr. winner. The ‘Geetkudiani’ comesforward to vie with the ‘Geetkudia’ with herbasket of songs. So it will be better to regard itas competitive musical programme.

This programme is largely organisedduring Puspunei, Bali Yatra, Hunting festival, Dialifestival, Mondei Yatra and Dashara festival ofJayapur. It is on the occasion of naming ceremony

Geetkudia & Geetkudiani :Competition by Way of Song

Ranjan Pradhan

of the new-born and marriage ceremony that thisprogramme is solemnised across Koraput region.

But what is terribly shocking indeed is thatthere are handful of ‘Geetkudia’ and‘Geetkudiani’ in areas like Dabugan,Nabarangapur, Nandahandi, Papadahandi,Tentulikhunti and Umerkote under Nabarangapurdistrict. Some ‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’ arestruggling hard to survive like Danai Bhatara,Geetkudiani of Badamasigan under NabarangpurBlock, Satapati Bhatara from Deula village, IswarChandal from Saranpur village, Belamati Harijanfrom Chacharaguda village under Dabugan Blockand ‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’ from Karkivillage under Mokia Panchayat of PapadahandiBlock. It is paradoxical that such a prosporuscultural tradition exists in this region despite paucityof due encouragement.

It is generally during Puspunei, ChaitiParab, marriage ceremony and the like that the‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’ are invited andcompetition is held among them. And sometimesthey are specially invited to organise competitionamong themselves. Through-out the night thequestion-answer festival through songs goes onundisrupted. And most of the times the audiencepresent sing to the tune of the ‘Geetkudia’ and‘Geetkudiani’. During competition some‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’ take the support

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of musical instruments to make their music onlytoo enjoyable.

After taking the names of their god andgoddess the thread of songs gains ground. Eachof them grows competitive in heart and soulthrough attacks, counter attack and throughquestions and answers. And thus the competitioncontinues day in and day out with competitorsexhibiting no sign of fatigue and animosity.

There remains touches of countrylanguages in ‘Desia songs’ , however OdiaLanguage is largely used. The competition startswith the competitors reciting the Bhagabat Gita,mythology, erotic sentiment, old epic, tribal‘Sainlody’, Kindiri song etc. And this competitionby the way of song still runs throughout the night,even it lasts toward the day’s end.

We had gathered songs from such a Desiasong competition in Deula and Masigan villageunder Nabarangapur Block.

Song:

Geetkudia:

Muin na jani aam ki jam

sukati besara thane

belei soeila dhane

kai kata kaje kabar patailisi

A’ Masigaini

bhuta paiti ra’ dine

mohara jibana

agni hutasana

songaibi kai thane

tor para garakhi mor ghare thile

hansaiti mane mane

amruta bachan sunai diakai

aamar bucha bucha kane

hira, nila mudi gotki kane

gharara sian mane

Geetkudiani:

Banara niali basana gheni

bane phuti jhadi gala

kemante parkare aamar upare

Deulakaria tamara mana raigala

Rama Ravanka juddha apramita

sukhila kathe karata

kagaja patare kalama khadi

pritilekha prana natha

tame sina dhana chakunda saga

muin sina tama kolatha

Explanation:

Here in these songs lots of images, similesand symbols related to nature have been used.Here the maiden has addressed her dearyoungman as her husband and saviour. Besidesaddressing him the symbol ‘chakunda saga’(agreen leafy vegetable) and has considered herselfto be ‘kolath’ (horsegram which is used invegetable curry). These songs partake of sex-awareness. These also indicate that the youngmanhas been ignited with love for the maiden at thefirst sight, crazing for amrous desires.

‘Tor para garakhi mor ghare thile’

Here the young man has addressed themaiden as customer. He has made it clear that heworries about nothing if such a customer with him.Here sexual desire is all the more pronouncedand forceful. This awarness has been well-discerned in many tribal songs.

Geetkudia:

Dangare bunili dangar dhana

karigali sarasana

anya tiri thane

mana upu nahin

Ae Masigaini

tora thane uupila mana

Geetkudiani:

Dui angulia barasi bindhana

na angulia gholi

bhaja maizeeki hele na pacharet

muin boli dhara deli

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aaila gugula paila toke

chhot na bola moke

ratha chaligala bazara bele

Motimala dangari tale

toke milipare tiri hajare

mor para ek na mile

Geetkudia:

Ratha chale gele bazar tale

motimala tota tale

pachha bate hati khele

dui tiri misa dui hate nankrose

manus pila na rale

manus pilake hus has hele

mari hua gale gale

munduri bachhike

juati debi muin

mama ghara dhenki sale

udana chhataka na tare muin

thegili anantarale

Geetkudiani:

Tipiri paniki mandia pala

tipe lasi lasi gala

mor para nanike bhet pai galus

tor karame lekha rala

dhana (paddy) sukhailu, lathi lambailu

kukuda khedilu sa

mora sange tui gita mari mari

gita duita sikhira

Geetkudia:

Aasa aasa mora aasa poena

kancha dudhe debi

goda dhoena

basibaku debi pida

Aakuta ganra sakuta kali

na jiba ganku gali

tor lagire sanata butki

aadha pante jhuri mali

Geetkudiani:

Pani baunsara bhitare pola

banka nain salasala

surunina boli na kara hela

singi macha para jala

Geetkudia:

Gaai gala gala gaouda gala

goti bara gacha Indira jhola

Basini patara mala

kon bolikari

moke na janli

muin barata gurura chela

Explanation:

‘surunina boli na kara hela

singi macha para jala’

In these songs the maiden has not at allbeen callous to potrait her real beautiy speciallyfor her partner. As a rule, man invariably neglectshis wife and sympathise with her. Here a tribalmaiden says, warning her lover that she is noordinary ‘jalla mach’ (a small fish) rather a real‘singi macha’ (a big thorny fish).

‘Basini patara mala

kon bolikari

moke na janli

muin barata gurura chela’

In reply to this the young man is assertinghimself as very potent. He also asserts that he isno ordinary youngman. He has received trainingfrom dozen of teachers which has made him morecapable. The maiden, in reaction to that retortsthat nobody is ready to give his daughter inmarriage to such a fragile man and she has pitiedon him by choosing him as her partner. The youngman cann’t pucket this hurting comments andinstantly replies through songs.

Geetkudia:

Panike pabana duei saman

megha deuu achhi radi

tume ame sina sangara joli

jama nele chhadachhadi

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tame kaliake aame kalia

bhumi mati lale lia

tame aame kina eeka julia

paranube udulia

Explanation:

Just like the relationship between water and air,the cloud appeals his lover to make love. Theyremain closer to each other till their last breath.We are so intimate that even Yama (god of death)will hesitate to separate us.

Geetkudiani:

Aata chudangia baigan deti

nua judungia liti

aamar jugara raja leki pataila

uudulia jiba chiti

Explanation:

Maiden says, “You are behaving just likea little bird coached on a eight-branched brinjaltree. I cann’t elope with you. It is useless to enticeme. My dream-man has sent me a message that Iwill go with him.”. It is through songs that theyshare variety of images and symbols amongthemselves. It so happens at the time of Parab,Mondei and Chaiti Parab.

Generally they start their songs by offeringprayers to their god and goddess. Thereaftercommences the battel of arguments through songs.At last one of them comes out victorious. Thewinner is felicitated. But it is, in reality, very heart-rending that such a rich and wonderful traditionof the tribal people is on the verge of extinction.The number of ‘Geetkudia’ and ‘Geetkudiani’ issurprisingly decreasing and at the same time theyhave started getting hooked on to other culturegrowing awefully callous to their age-old cultureand tradition.

Now they have developed unboundedfascination for modern songs, throwing theirs intothe dungeon of oblivion. They are graduallygrowing addicted to listening modern Odia orHindi songs from radio, tape-recorders and CDplayers. This habit is not bad, but it is unfortunate,they are forgetting their own traditional songs.

Ranjan Pradhan, Researcher and Sr. Correspondent,Sambad, Bhubaneswar, E-mail: [email protected].

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It is well known to every student of Indian historythat the great Mauryan ruler Asoka invadedKalinga in the eighth year of his reign. The invasionled to deaths and destruction on a large scale.Such a massive human calamity seems to havebeen unprecedented in Indian history. Accordingto his thirteenth major rock edict, 100,000 peoplewere killed, 150,000 were carried away asprisoners and many times that number perished.This catastrophe brought about a personaltransformation in Asoka. His outlook towardssociety, politics and life underwent a deep change,and he became a keen follower of Buddhism andan apostle of peace. According to Pali chroniclesfrom Sri Lanka, the king transformed fromChandasoka to Dhammasoka.1

There is no text book on Indian historyor Odisha history which fails to mention this event.Ever since the discovery of his edicts in thenineteenth century, Asoka and his Kalinga invasionhave attracted the attention of historians, writers,thinkers, scholars specializing on Buddhist studiesand religion, nationalists, politicians and others.Hundreds of books and thousands of articles havebeen written about Asoka in English, French,German and several Indian languages. His edictshave been published on many occasions in variousbooks, papers, journals and other periodicals.Scholarly interest in Asoka has not subsided eventoday. In the year 2012 alone, Upinder Singhpublished an article on Asoka in the journal South

Kalinga and the Transformation of Asoka

Manorama Tripathy

Asian Studies, and Patrick Olivelle, JaniceLeoshko and Himanshu Prabha Ray brought outa volume of essays on Asoka.2 Among the otherscholars who have studied Asoka in recentdecades, the names of Romila Thapar, K.R.Norman, D. Devahuti, John S. Strong, S. Settar,Harry Falk and Etienne Lamotte stand out. Earlierscholars included European pioneers like G.Buhler, Vincent Smith and T.W. Rhys-Davids andIndian luminaries like D.C. Sircar, B.M. Baruaand H.C. Raychaudhuri.

It is rather surprising to note that none ofthese writers have addressed a very fundamentalquestion related to the invasion of Kalinga. Theinvasion of Kalinga was not the first militaryadventure of Asoka. He had served as governorof Ujjain and Takshasila under his fatherBindusara, before becoming king. During thistenure, he had led military campaigns on manyoccasions. It is also said that the throne ofMagadha did not rightfully belong to him.According to the Pali chronicles, he usurped itafter killing his ninety-nine brothers. The figure ofninety-nine is clearly an exaggeration. But thelegend brings to light the fact that before histransformation in Kalinga, Asoka was certainlycapable of carrying out aggression and did notshy away from killing. If this is true, what wasreally unique about the invasion of Kalinga whichchanged his heart?

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This question can be easily brushed asideon the grounds that the death and destructioncaused at Kalinga was far more colossal anddevastating than the damages caused by hisprevious wars. It involved the lives of lakhs ofinnocent people, as evident from the edicts.

This answer is not really convincing. Thefigures mentioned in the inscription are grosslyexaggerated. They are meant to inspire awe inthe readers and to highlight Asoka’s remorsethrough the literary device of hyperbole. The realreason behind the king’s repentance must havebeen different.

Historians generally refer to Asoka’sinvasion as the battle or war of Kalinga. It isconventionally dated to the year 261 BC. Manytheories have been propounded within Odishaabout the precise location of the battle, althoughthere is no clear evidence in the edicts about it.We have to ask a basic question here. Is thereany evidence in the edicts to show that there wasa battle or war of Kalinga? Battles are generallyfought between two rival parties. Each party mayconsist of a single power or a group of allies. Anymilitary encounter between the two rivals for ashort duration at a specific location is a battle. Ifit is protracted and is carried out over a longperiod of time, it is a war. A war need not befought in the same location. It can be fought atdifferent places at various times or evensimultaneously in a number of locations.

Who could have been the participant fromthe Kalinga side in this so called war or battle? Itis difficult to answer this question due to a lack ofconclusive evidence in any of the existing sources.In any case, the question already presumes thatthere must have been a state or chiefdom in theKalinga region at the time of Asoka’s invasion,capable of engaging Asoka in a battle. Was theresuch a state or chiefdom at that time?

In the existing text-books on Odishahistory, the question of state-formation is notaddressed. When did a state or chiefdom emerge

in Odisha for the first time? How did it come intoexistence? What kinds of resources were requiredfor the rise of such a political structure? Whendid Odisha transform from the Neolithic andChalcolithic stage of evolution to the Iron Age?When did agricultural production begin to expandin such a way that a strong political structure couldbe established on the basis of the surplusgenerated by agriculture ? None of thesequestions are taken up for discussion in any ofthe available text-books on the history of Odisha.3

The Buddhist Tripitaka literaturementions sixteen mahajanapadas which were inexistence in the sixth century BC. This list doesnot include Kalinga. Based on this we cannotargue that formal political structures had not yetarisen in Odisha at that time. However, it clearlyindicates that even if they existed, they were notvery powerful to be included in the list of themahajanapadas. The representation of sixteenjanapadas as mahajanapadas might have hadits own political rationale behind it. We must treatthe reference to the mahajanapadas as arepresentation rather than as a fact. It must alsobe noted that most of the sixteen mahajanapadasmentioned in the Tripitakas were not identifiedas territories which can be clearly demarcated,but only as tribes. Perhaps the first ever referenceto Kalinga is found in the BaudhayanaDharmasutra. Here it is stated that after visitingthe Kalingas, a person must perform either therite of punastoma or sarvaprishtha.4This isbecausethe Kalingas do not fall in Aryavarta.5Itis clear here that the name is mentioned in theplural, which shows that the reference is not to aspecific geographical territory, but to the locationof a tribe. Six other tribes are mentioned alongwith Kalinga, which are Arattas, Karaskaras,Pundras, Sauviras, Vangas and Pranunas. The dateof the Baudhayana Dharmasutra is not clearlyknown. But it is normally dated to the middle ofthe first millennium BC. It appears from theBaudhayana Dharmasutra that a state orchiefdom had still not evolved in Odisha at that

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time. But certain tribal groups of the region, likethe Kalingas, were already known to others.

The exact location and boundaries ofKalinga at the time of Asoka’s invasion is notknown. However, it is clear that the frontiers ofthe region kept changing from time to timeaccording to the new political and economicconditions.6At the time of Asoka, it might havebeen located between the Mahanadi and theRushikulya. Dhauli and Jaugada, where Asoka’sedicts are found, fall within this geographical area.In later centuries, the name of Kalinga was usuallyreserved for the region consisting of the Ganjamand Gajapati districts of Odisha and theSrikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnamdistricts of Andhra.

The oldest known political lineage ofOdisha is that of Kharavela, who belonged to theMahameghavahana family of the Chedi clan.Kharavela’s famous Hathigumpha inscription isfound in the Udayagiri caves in Bhubaneswar. Inall fairness to the existing evidence, we mustconcede that no other political family is known tous from Odisha prior to the house to whichKharavela belonged.

All these seem to point to the possibilitythat a state society had not yet evolved in Odishaduring Asoka’s time. In fact, the line of Kharavelaalso is not known to have ruled for a long time.Strong local states evolved in Odisha only manycenturies later with the Sailodbhavas and theBhaumakaras. Before them, very few rulingfamilies were known in Odisha. These include theMatharas and what historians like S.N. Rajaguruhave called Pitrubhaktas and Srirama Kashyapas.They were not powerful in any ways. Besides,their rule was limited only to southern Odisha.They exercised greater control over the northerndistricts of Andhra Pradesh and ruled from there.

At the time of Asoka, urban centres hadnot yet evolved in the Kalinga region in a big way.The process of urbanization had begun only inthe fourth and third century BC on a small scale.

A well-known urban centre of the period wasSisupalgarh.7 It was a fortified settlement. Somehistorians have surmised that Sisupalgarh was theheadquarters of Kharavela. We do not know ifthis is really true. A few other urban centres arealso known from early historical Odisha. Therecently discovered Radhanagar, near theBuddhist site of Langudi on the banks of riverKimiria, seems to be another important earlyhistorical urban site.

On the whole the archaeological evidencedoes not point to the presence of a state in Odishaat that time. The figures of casualty given by Asokaare extremely amplified. If 100,000 people killed,150,000 carried away as prisoners and manytimes that number who perished were soldiers,the figures can match those of the Magadhanswho according to Greek writers had a very largearmy. Had agriculture progressed in Odisha in thethird century BC to such a great extent that it couldsupport such a large number of soldiers? This isimpossible to believe. It is not proven by anypositive evidence.

The existing belief among historians thatthere was a battle or war of Kalinga is also notfounded on any clear evidence. The availablehistorical and archaeological records do not giveany indications about the existence of a state orchiefdom in Odisha in the third century BC. Theexisting level of agricultural surplus is unlikely tohave supported such a political establishment ora large army. Asoka himself does not speak in hisedicts of any war or battle fought by him.

In the edicts of Asoka, the terms we comeacross are vijita and avijita, which in theirrespective contexts refer to regions that wereconquered and those that remainedunconquered.8There is no need to expect that astate existed in all the unconquered regions whichthe Mauryans conquered. We are speaking abouta period in history when state societies had notyet evolved in many parts of India. States andformal political establishments do not exist in all

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societies at all times. States evolve under certainclear historical conditions. They are not naturalfeatures found in all human societies. In alllikelihood, Kalinga was an avijita where a statesociety had not yet evolved at the time of Asoka’sinvasion.

We can now offer a surmise why theinvasion of Kalinga changed Asoka’s heart whileall the bloodshed committed by him earlier hadnot caused any such transformation in him. Asokadid not fight a war or battle of Kalinga. In hisdesire to expand his empire, he carried out amilitary campaign against Kalinga. This was aninvasion of a region and not a war or a battleagainst an existing rival. The purpose of theinvasion was to integrate the region with Magadhaand introduce statecraft in a state where a statedid not as yet exist. Such an enterprise waspossible only by subduing a people who had sofar not known any form of political subordination.For the first time in history, a people were to besubjected to formal political control throughpolitical representatives, taxation etc. This wasnot an internal development of Odisha society,but imposed by an external invader. Obviously,such a situation could lead to unrest, resistanceand bloodshed on a large scale.

In all his earlier military campaigns, Asokahad fought against those who were familiar withstatecraft, formal political structures and institutionslike the army. Although Magadha enjoyed superiormilitary might for various reasons, these campaignswere led against those who knew the terms ofthe game. Such was not the case with the peopleof Kalinga. The ruler of a state society wasexercising his might over the people of a societywhere a state had not yet come into existence.The inequality between Magadha and Kalingawas not merely a military inequality or an inequalityof resources. There was also an inequality in termsof political institutions and other factors like worldviews, concepts, lifestyles, ethics and moralities.The grossly cruel nature of this unequal encounterand the resulting tragedy seem to have been the

real reasons behind Asoka’s great remorse andhis ultimate transformation.

This is only an attempt to offer areinterpretation of the Kalinga invasion of Asokaand his transformation to Buddhism. Theconclusion drawn in this paper is not final, butonly tentative. But this assessment is certainlydifferent from most of the other existing theories.It offers fresh avenues and possibilities forinterpreting the edicts of Asoka. Our knowledgeof the past can expand only through suchreassessments.

References :

1. But it must be noted that the Pali chronicles donot mention Asoka’s invasion of Kalinga.

2. Upinder Singh, “Governing the State and the Self:Political Philosophy and Practice in the Edicts ofAsoka”, South Asian Studies, 28 (2), 2012, pp.131-145, and Patrick Olivelle, Janice Leoshko andHimanshu Prabha Ray (eds), Reimagining Asoka:Memory and History, Oxford University Press,New Delhi, 2012.

3. The most popular among these textbooks is K.C.Panigrahi, History of Orissa, Kitab Mahal,Cuttack, 1981. Other textbooks includeHarekrushna Mahtab, The History of Orissa, Vol.I (upto Bhanja Dynasty), revised edition, Dr.Harekrushna Mahtab Foundation, Cuttack, 2000and N.K. Sahu, History of Orissa, Vol I: From theEarliest Time upto 500 A.D., Utkal University,Cuttack, 1964.

4. Baudhayana Dharmasutra, 1.1.2.14.5. Ibid., 1.1.2.9.6. Martin Brandtner, “Representations of Kalinga:

The Changing Image and Geography of aHistorical Region”, in, pp.179-210.

7. B.B. Lal, “Sisupalgarh 1948: An Early HistoricalFort in Eastern India”, Ancient India, 5, pp. 62-105.

8. The edicts of Asoka are in Corpus InscriptionumIndicarum, Vol. 1.

Manorama Tripathy, Plot No.464(A), Nuasahi,Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar-751012.

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Sanskrit is told to be a noble language becauseof its capacity to make a person pure in mind,body and word and provide a platform to achievethe highest degree of goodness of character ineach and every sphere of human life. The wordSanskrit1 stands for the refined or well performedand something which has been done very perfectly.The word mebmke=Àleced can be analised asthe word comprising prefix meced of root ke=Àand suffix keÌle .Hence something which has beenmade with every sort of perfection is Sanskrit.Nobility is that device of human activity, makinghuman being a supreme person and distinguishhim with other creatures of the world .Morality,ethics, sublimity are those value based educationof life which can only be cultivated throughSanskrit learning. It2 is the language which turnedthe bad conduct of Ratnakara to a goodnesscharacter of Valmiki. It is that language whichprovides grounds to the wicked son of a king togo on right path through hearing the stories of“Panchatantra” by Vishnu Sharma. It is that divinelanguage of the world which teaches us what todo and what not to do every day. How to be asuccess gainer through practicing the doctrine ofSrimad Bhagabat Geeta spoken by Sri Krishnato Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra . Further itis the language to make a man very noble bycultivating the highest value of human beings found

in the pages of Vedas, Upanisads Ramayana,Mahabharata and Neetisataka of Bhartruhari andother creative compositions of the poets and greatphilosophers Chanakya, Sukracharya, Vyasa,Vidura and new writers of modern time so it is,no doubt an epoch-making language to cultivatethe noble nature of life to be a very perfect man insociety. Veda is the holy book of all true wisdomof the world, it is also a very good source of ethics.Swami Dayananda Saraswati had rightly statedthis and gave us advice to go back to the Veda.Panchatantra by Vishnu Sharma and Hitopadesaby Pandit Narayan and Kathasaritsagar bySomadev also teach the process of being noblein the society. Some foreign scholars are also ofsame view. According3 to them Sanskrit is thebase of our great culture through utterance ofwhich the human mind becomes very expert andget the status of deep thinking and avail the powerof analysis and create the emotion of purity andspirituality. This language is also used as a lingua-franca for the smooth progress of learning.Moreover before the arrival of foreigner to ourcountry there was a wide range of moral teachingin schools and colleges of the country. Theknowledge4 of Sanskrit scriptures makes onecapable to gain these qualities in work and art ofliving possessed by the human beings. These areto keep patience and being bestowed open the

Nobility, the Prime Objectiveof Sanskrit Learning in Odisha

Bhubaneswar Pradhan

22


quality to forgive. To keep away mind fromindiscipline and false thinking and establish controlover the senses and the quality of not becomingangry with and the virtue of tolerance of troublesare also a symbol of such highness of goodcharacter. Not to steal others property and toacquire sufficient knowledge about the Sanskritscripture and attempts to avail sameacknowledgement, always speaking the truthkeeping one’s inner self clear and pure and beinginterested for worship of god are also significantfeatures of the noble conduct of a person. Notgiving tortures to anybody in mind body and workto keep the mind stable and not to speak againsta person and avoidance of supremacy inperforming some works can be the importantquality to be achieved. Not to see the faults butthe quality of goodness in others work and not tobe overwhelmed by own greatness and to seeeverybody equal are also such divine qualitieswhich take one from general quality to the great.All the qualities as cited above have been widelydescribed by the Rishies and scholars in theSanskrit scriptures written by them.

Hence nowhere in the world such alanguage like Sanskrit does exist with thesequalities to make human being capable ofattending godhood from common people. Otherliterature of the world by and large follow thetheme and facts of Sanskrit literature. Thevernacular literatures of India and foreign

literatures of western countries analyse ShrimadBhagbat Geeta and it is accepted as a world widescripture. Nobility is only possible by cultivatingthe great culture of Sanskrit literature and otherliteratures of the world owe to this literature forthese aspects of Sanskrit literature.

Nobility is the essence of true humanismand that can only be gained by going deeply tothe meaning of Sanskrit scriptures. This will helpus to bring peaceful and harmonious environmentand universal brotherhood, the long cherishednecessity for the mankind.

References :

1. M.R. Kale, A Higher Sanskrit Grammar, MotilalBanarasi Dass, Delhi(2007), P-01.

2. Gourinath Sastri, A Concise History of classicalSanskrit literature, Motilal Banarasi Dass, Delhi(2013), P-124.

3. Dolagovinda Kara, Why Do We StudyVedanta(Odia), Vidyapuri(2006),P-40-42.

4. Madhusudan Mohanty, Taittariya 11th Anubak,Dharmagrantha Store, Cuttack, P-30-36.

Bhubaneswar Pradhan, Research Scholar, UtkalUniversity, Vani Vihar and Sanskrit Teacher, KangaonHigh School, Bargarh.

23


Among the important leaders of India, SurendraNath Dwibedy occupies a significant position forhis invaluable contributions as a dedicated freedomfighter, born socialist, true democrat, veteranparliamentarian and a real friend of the poor. Asa parliamentarian Surendra Nath Dwibedy hadgreat reputation because he was committed tovalue-based politics. He got an opportunity towork with three Prime Ministers of India, namelyPandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Sastri andMrs. Indira Gandhi. All the three Prime Ministershad great respect for the veteran leader who wasextremely fearless and uncompromising in hisstand as a member of Parliament.

Born in an humble family on 11th Feb.1913 at Khandasahi 1 village of un-dividedCuttack to Maguni Dwivedy and Laxmi Devi,Surendra Nath left his imprint in the minds ofmasses of Odisha in particular and India in generalfor his selfless effort, undaunted morality andsocialist approach. His mission was to establishsocial justice, economic equality and universalbrotherhood. His childhood days passed in acutepoverty, that created a revolutionary mentality andDwivedy worked accordingly to wipe out hungerand poverty from Odisha till the last breath of hislife.2

The revolutionary attitude of S.N.Dwivedy was developed during his school days.

Parliamentary Activities ofSurendranath Dwivedy

Jugal Kishore Hota

When he was a student of Cuttack CollegiateSchool, the arrest of Pandit Nehru spread likewild fire. He came forward with his friends andprotested the arrest of Nehru and himself wasarrested in 1930. That incident suddenly changedthe course of his life. He remained in jail for fivemonths and gave farewell to his student careerforever. By the call of Gandhi he became a SwarajSainik and instead of going to school went toSatyagraha Ashram of Gopabandhu Choudhury.During his imprisonment period from 1930-33,he got an opportunity to read “Mother” of MaximGorky. This book brought a radical change in thelife of Dwivedy. He became a socialist and said,“Mother was an invaluable asset for me”3

The entire life of S.N. Dwivedy was fullof remarkable and adventurous activities. He wasalways determined and firm in his decision. Beforethe establishment of Congress Socialist Party inAll India level, the Orissa socialists led byNabakrushna Choudhury set up an organizationcalled “Utkal Congress Samyabadi KarmiSangha” in 1933 to discuss and propagate theprinciple of socialism. 4 The Karmi Sangha whichbecame the Socialist Congress party of Orissaunit later played a vital role for propagation ofSocialism in Orissa . A weekly magazine called“Sarathi” was edited by Nabakrushna Choudhuryto make the elite group conscious. Later another

24


magazine called “Krushak” was published inwhich Dwivedy raised his voice against theoppression of the Zamindars and the Garzatrulers.

In the Quit India Movement ,S.N.Dwivedy’s role was really praise-worthy. Themessage of Gandhi “ Do or Die” was translatedinto action. On the charge of circulating andtranslating the socialistic message of Gandhiji hewas arrested at Cuttack and later sent to KoraputJail. 5 After his release from Jail in 1946, he wasgiven the overall charge of Orissa Branch ofCongress Socialist party. He acted as the GeneralSecretary of the party and tried his best tostrengthen it in Orissa. In the meanwhile, an AllIndia Conference of the Party was held at Kanpurfrom 24 th Feb to 2nd March 1947. Thisconference under the Chairmanship ofRammanohar Lohia passed a resolution to dropthe word Congress and it led to the formation ofSocialist Party on the eve of independence. 6 Theconference also took another step not to join theConstituent Assembly. It was of course a wrongmeasure taken by the Socialists. Had they enterthe Assembly, there would have been a scope fortalented personalities like Jayaprakahsh Narayan,Acharya Narendra Deva and Rammanohar Lohiato establish a platform for a Socialist Nation. Butwhen India became independent, the Socialiststried their best to pressurize the All India CongressCommittee to pass a resolution declaring the mainobject of Indian National Congress should be towork for democratic Socialism. But the AICCrejected the proposal of the Socialists."

PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES

Jayaprakash Narayan, a leadingpersonality of Socialist Party was not in favour ofcontesting elections by the workers of the Party.Clarifying and convincing his ideas, he wrote aletter to S.N. Dwivedy on 25th August 1951. He

wrote: - “It was not possible to hold power in thestate or the centre only through contestingelections, rather it would be wise to inculcate thewhole masses through the mantra of Socialisticdoctrines and incorporating them in to themainstream of Socialist movement.” He furtherargued that there was no need of making entryinto the legislature by the prominent leaders asthe above said principle needed for spreading thecult of socialism and to popularise it among themasses. His philosophy was acceptable to S.N.Dwivedy, but the Socialist party as a whole wasnot in its favour. So in the first election to Loksabha,the party decided to enter the election fray.Contesting 255 seats it could win only 12 seats.The result was very disappointing for theSocialists.

In Orissa the Socialists decided tocontest the Assembly and parliament electionsonly to spread the message of Socialismthroughout Orissa. Dwivedy had to carry a specialburden and worked tirelessly and tenaciously. Atthat time out of 140 seats of Orissa Assembly thesocialists put up 89 candidates and five of theLok Sabha. In spite of the uncertainties of theresult, the Socialists came forward to makesacrifices for the sake of Socialism. At that timethere was no jeep or car for conveyance. So allthe candidates were moving with the help ofbicycles. Out of 89 seats the Socialists couldwin only 10 seats and one parliamentary seat .S.N. Dwivedy who contested from Salipur –Tangi Assembly segment was defeated.

The election result heralded a positivefuture for the Socialist party. There was no feelingof disappointment in the minds of the partyworkers. After election to Assembly andLoksabha the notification for Rajya Sabha wasdeclared. At that time Orissa had a quota of nineRajya Sabha members. So as per provision fifteenMLAs were required to elect one member to

25


Rajya Sabha. Having only ten members of OrissaAssembly the Socialist party decided to enter theelection. Accordingly S.N. Dwivedy filed hisnomination papers for Rajya Sabha. The electionresult was in favour of Dwivedy. He won theelection with the support of the independentmembers.8 The entry of Dwivedy into theParliament opened a new era in the history ofOrissa Socialist Party. The party workers wereeager to observe the parliamentary activities oftheir beloved leader. Dwivedy was also veryoptimistic to work in the Rajya Sabha. On 16th

May 1952 Rajendra Prasad, the then Presidentof India addressed the joint session of Parliament.As per traditions Dewan Chaman Lal of theCongress moved the motion of thanks.Participating in the discussion, S.N. Dwivedymoved an amendment motion elucidating thepolicy of the socialist party. He said that , thepresidential address did not disclose anyintegrated land policy to facilitate increasedproduction of food and the elimination of socialinjustice towards landless peasants andagricultural labourers.9 With this Dwivedy provedhis inner love and affection for the peasants ofOrissa. The workers of the Socialist Party werefighting for the upliftment of the poor peasantsand the landless people. Accordingly Dwivedymade this the main focus in his speeches. On 19th

May 1952 he had given notice for this motion.On the very next day he got the first opportunityto speak. Here are some excerpts from his speech“I want to say about this economic and socialequality, about the Constitution about which somuch has been spoken. I am constrained to sayin the matter of even honouring this Constitutionwhich has a very limited scope, the presentGovernment has violated its directive principlesof state policy. In this connection I want to citeone instance for your consideration. We say‘social and economic equality.' Social and

economic equality cannot be achieved byconcentration of money, concentration of land inthe hands of a few. Our Directive Principle inArticle 39 (c) of the Constitution lays down veryclearly: that the operation of the economic systemdoes not result in the concentration of wealth andmeans of production to the common detriment.

But what have we done? We haveabolished the Zamindari, they say. But the presentGovt. has deliberately left untouched thousandsof acres of land in the hands of ex-princes, ex-rulers and zamindars.

This Govt. is afraid of conflicts; so theyare going to give nothing to the agriculturallabourers, who has no right whatsoever on hisown land. Conflicts you have to face, if you wantto give social and economic justice, not with aview to increasing them but with view to resolvingthem in the best interest of the country. The presentGovt. is sitting tight over it. Escapism is not goingto solve any matter. That is what is happeningtoday. The Govt. may wait, but the people cannot.The Govt. is incapable of giving any social andeconomic justice to the people of this country.So the people must move and I am glad thereforethat Acharya Vinoba Bhave has realized theimportance of this and is going about the countryon his mission of redistribution of land. Whatevermay be its ultimate outcome, the problem ofredistribution of land has been focused upon theeyes of the people of this country. And the landproblem is assuming the urgency for which theSocialist Party has been agitating since the lastfour years. Therefore, the people are on the move.Either the Govt. will have to come down andtackle this very burning problem or else they willhave no place in this country, to rule so despoticallyas they are doing today."10

The Praja Socialist Party was formed in1952 with the merger of Kisan Majdoor Praja

26


Party of Acharya Kripalini with the Socialist Party.Some workers of the Socialist Party opposed themove. Dwivedy did not oppose the merger. Hewas given the responsibility of party organizationin Orissa. Under his leadership Praja SocialistParty contested election in 1957. In this electionthe Socialists got better results. The party couldwin two Lok Sabha and Eleven Assembly seats.S.N. Dwivedy was elected to Lok Sabha fromKendrapara.11 In all India level the party got 19seats and Acharya Kripalini, Ashoka Mehta andS.N. Dwivedy became leader, Deputy Leaderand Secretary of the parliamentary party.

In 1959 the Nepali Congress of B.K.Koirala got absolute majority in the Nepalparliament election. He was a close associate ofPraja Socialist Party during his study in India. SoS.N. Dwivedy got an opportunity to lead adelegation of Praja Socialist Party to attend anopen session of Nepali Congress, where he meta number of foreign delegates and exchanged hisviews and ideas with them.

In 1962 general election to the third LokSabha was announced. S.N Dwivedy filed hisnomination from the prestigious Kendrapara seatfor the 2nd time. All the attempts adopted by theCongress Ministry proved fruitless. Dwivedy gotelected to Lok Sabha for the second consecutiveterm though in a narrow margin of 456 votes afterrecounting.12 He played a vital role in the thirdLok Sabha as the leader of the Praja SocialistParty. The year from 1962 to 1967 were the mosteventful days. Lal Bahadur Shastri succeededNehru and after serving for only 18 months hedied at Tashkent in the Soviet Union. He wassucceeded by the 1st Women Prime Minister ofIndia Mrs. Indira Gandhi.13

During these years India encountered twoimportant wars. (Indo-China and Indo-Pak war)There was also the no confidence motion against

the Government. As the leader of the PrajaSocialist Party in Parliament, Dwivedy was closelyassociated with these events. He was also theDeputy Chairman of the Party in all India level.So he carried a heavy burden and had to facedifficult situations from time to time. As leader ofa opposition party in Parliament one has to taketough decisions on many complicated issues. Onehas to pay attention to public relations for the party.In these days reasonable arguments wereappreciated in Parliament. Members were givenrecognition for their performance. Newspaperpaid special attention to such members. Usuallythe veterans take all these chances and the newmembers envy them.14 There was greaterdiscipline in Parliament, because Pandit Nehru andother senior leaders were constantly present.

Now a days leaders have a little respectfor parliament. Members do not seem to be muchinterested in Parliamentary work. As a result, thecharacter of Parliament has changed to a greaterextent. Indiscipline, unnecessary controversies,shouts and counter shouts dominate Parliament.S.N. Dwivedy was very much sincere in hisparliamentary activities. He was always in favourof factual analysis and reasoned debates. Henever slackened in his determined opposition tothe Government. He always tried his best tomaintain democracy in his Praja Socialist Party.He gave equal opportunity to his party membersto take part in parliamentary committees,discussions and debates. So there was cordialrelationship among the members and Dwivedy gotrespect and affection from his colleagues. He wasvery strong against corruption in political life. Hedid not hesitate to raise the issue of corruption inhigh places in Parliament. The role played byDwivedy forced Nehru to drop K.D. Malaviyafrom his Cabinet. Nehru only announced theacceptance of Malaviya’s resignation “Withregret”, without referring to the fact that the judge

27


had opined against Malaviya. The statement ofNehru was objected by Dwivedy. He at oncestood up in the House and asked “Whether it wasnot true that in 65 page report, the Judge hadfound Malaviya guilty in two cases out of five.”This statement exhibits the ability and honesty ofS.N. Dwivedy as a Parliamentarian. Pandit Nehruwas greatly embarrassed, because he had notdisclosed the above fact relating to Malaviya’sresignation. The third Lok Sabha was veryeventful for Dwivedy. All the comrades of PrajaSocialist Party had good relationship with him.As the leader of the Party he got full cooperationof not only his P.S.P but also other oppositionmembers. The most significant event during thethird Lok Sabha was the Indo-China conflict.Long before it took the form of a war in 1962China had secretly occupied Indian Territory inLadakh by constructing roads.16 China annexedTibet in 1950 and crushed the rebellion in 1959.On 17th April 1959 the P.S.P had welcomed theuprising by the Tibetan people and supported DalaiLama, the Tibetan religious leader. The PSP leaderAcharya Kripalini and some other membersvoiced their protest against the Chineseoccupation of Tibet. Many Congressmen alsojoined the protest. For a long time Pandit Nehruthe then Prime Minister of India had keptParliament ignorant of the Chinese occupation ofAksai China. Later on the incessant Questionsmade Nehru to admit that he had not informedParliament.

Besides occupying Tibet, China venturedto show nearly 40,000 square miles of Indianterritory under the geographical location of herterritorial map. In spite of such seriousdevelopments Nehru continued friendlyrelationship with China based on Panchasheel.The Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai slogan ranted the air.Finally Nehru invited the Chinese Premier Chou-En- Lai to India for talks. S.N. Dwivedy strongly

opposing the move on 16th March 1960 in theParliament said, “while China had occupied morethan 12,000 square miles of our territory, whythe Prime Minister of China should be called fortalks” He further demanded “ The Prime Ministershould take the Parliament in to confidence andtell us about the scope of the forthcoming talkswith Chou-En-Lai.” In 1960 Dwivedy hadpersonally visited Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkimand Bhutan. Talking to the Jawans and others hecollected many facts and personally witnessed thedangerous situation in our border.17

The talks between the Chinese premierand Pandit Nehru became failure. But a jointstatement was released in which it was mentionedthat the respective Govts would consider theissues further. S.N Dwivedy vehemently opposedthe joint statement of the two premiers and themeeting of the Defence Minister Krishna Menonwith Chou-En- Lai. The works of the DefenceMinister became suspicious. Because when hemet the Chinese Premier no officials were present.Dwivedy severely condemned the Chinesepremier’s suggestion that both sides should acceptthe line of actual control. He also severelycondemned the suggestion to withdraw patrollingfrom the areas under Indian control. This wasreally a direct attack on the foreign policy ofPandit Nehru. When Krishna Menon also referredto the areas under Indian administrative control,he satirically said “Chou-En-Lai mention about aline of actual control up to which each sideexercises administrative jurisdiction. This is a verysignificant phrase. Almost the same words wereused by our Defence Minister sometime back.What the Defence Minister says today, theChinese premier repeats tomorrow. Sir, great menthink alike”18

On this remark of Dwivedy the Houseroared in laughter. Nehru was greatlyembarrassed. The intolerance on his face was

28


quite visible. Due to severe opposition ultimatelyNehru was forced to recommend the resignationof Krushna Menon for acceptance to thePresident of India.

In the general election of 1967 Dwivedyonce again was elected from Kendrapara to LokSabha. He won the election in a huge margin ofone lakh eleven thousand votes. Along with himthree others namely Srinbibas Mishra,Samarendra Kundu and Baidhar Behera wereelected to Lok Sabha. The term of the 4th LokSabha ended in December 1970. Indira Gandhithe then Prime Minister of India was forced todissolve the Lok Sabha due to a split in theCongress Party. In the general election of 1971Dwivedy was defeated from Kendrapara.

A close analysis of the Parliamentary lifeof S.N. Dwivedy clearly reveals that, he was agreat patriot, eloquent speaker, adventurouspersonality, an eminent statesman, a dedicated and

sincere worker. He was far away from dirtypolitics. His life was an open book and heexpressed his opinion independently and withoutfear. He thought more about the country and nevercompromised anything that hampers the nationalinterest. His long career as a lover of Socialismhas been very well reflected in his literary works.He wrote 17 books in Odia and 5 books inEnglish. His selfless service, dedication,determination, impartiality and inner love for thepoor and downtrodden sections of the societywill make him immortal in the Socialism historyof Odisha in particular and India in general for alltime to come.

Jugal Kishore Hota, Deptt. of History, JhadeswarMohavidyalaya, Tolkani and Ph.D Scholar, RavenshawUniversity, Cuttack.

29


Introduction :

The history of mankind is marked byefforts to ensure respects for the dignity of humanbeings. The concept of human rights wasintroduced and developed by thinkers fromvarious cultural and religious traditions. We areliving in an era of dramatic change and transitionthat is being transformed by complex financialsystem and revolutionary informationtechnologies. In this complex scenario, humanrights, which were embedded formally at theUnited Nations as a great international priority67 years ago through the December 1948,Universal Declaration of Human Rights, havegained prominence as a universally recognized setof norms.

One of the great achievements of theUnited Nations in the creation of thecomprehensive body of Human Rights law auniversal and internationally promoted code towhich all nations can aspire. The UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights is the corner stoneof the wide ranging body of human rights lawcreated over the decades.

Human Rights in India

India has a long history of human rights inthe form of tolerance, consideration andacceptance since the Vedic time. In modern times,one can trace the recognition of fundamental rights

Human Rights Violation in Relation to Women

Dr. Antaryami Behera

to the Indian freedom movement. This sloganbecame essentially a war against civil brutalitiesto uphold human rights.

After independence, Indians gave firmresolutions to secure its citizens and grant themjustice, liberty, equality and fraternity. However,it cannot be denied that India is free from theviolation of human rights. The principal concernsof human rights in India are rights of Dalit andatrocities against them, cruelty against child, childprostitution, terrorist activities in various states,custodial rape and torture, bonded labour, issuesof religious tolerance etc.

Human Rights Violation in Relation to

Women :

Although women constitute a majority ofthe world’s population, there is still no society inwhich women enjoy full equality with men.Women are still subject to widespreaddiscrimination in everyday life and often lackadequate representation in the public life ofdeveloping countries such as India.

The violation of human rights of womenis clear by the fact that crime against women hasbeen increasing at the rate of 20 percent perannum in India. Rape, molestation, teasing, sexualabuse, abduction, prostitution, dowry-relatedcrimes that are being inflicted on women, of latecrime against women have reached a horrendous

30


proportions. The United Nations, in fact hasalways affirmed that the promotion of the humanrights of women must eliminate all forms of genderbased discrimination and enable them toparticipate fully in all spheres of civil, political,economic, social and cultural life.

(a) The convention on the Elimination of AllForms of Discrimination against women wasadopted by the United Nations General Assemblyon 18th December 1979, and entered into forceon 2nd September 1981. The object of theconvention is to implement equality between manand women and to prevent discrimination againstwomen, in particular such specific forms ofdiscrimination as forced marriages, domesticviolence, health care and public life as well asdiscrimination at work. These issues wererecognized at an early stage by the commissionon the status of women, which was established in1946 with the mandate to further gender equality.It was also given the task of drafting theconvention. More recently, the commission hasbeen concerned with practical measures to ensurethe implementation of women’s rights.

(b) The Domestic Violation Act 2005 cameinto effect from October 26th 2006. The Act seeksto cover the women who are or have been in arelationship with the abuses where both householdand are related by consanguinity, marriage orrelationship in the nature of marriage or adoption;in addition relationship with family members livingtogether as a joint family are also included.

India’s first law to protect women fromdomestic violence has come into effect. Howevera leading Indian women’s rights group says thenew law, though powerful on paper, will fall preyto tax enforcement. The government has said itwould appoint special protection officers to attendto complaints but did not spell out how manyofficers will be recruited.

Social legislation is poorly implementedin India – a country of 1.1 billion people wherecount cases can drag for decades because of lackof resources. According to the IndianGovernment’s National Crime Records Bureauin 2004 more than 7000 women were killed indowry disputes, 18,124 were raped, more than175,200 suffered other crimes and at least 58,400women complained to police of cruelty by theirhusbands. Women’s rights groups say thepublished figures are less than 10 percent of theactual number of crimes that are committedbecause of women’s fear of social stigma andreluctance by police to get involved in familymatters.

Conclusion :

India is the home of human rights in theform of tolerance, consideration and acceptance.But the examples of human rights violation inrecent days have increased. Despite this, theconstitution of India gives security to its people interms of justice, liberty of faith, belief, thought,expression and worship. “The declaration of therights of women has become part and parcel ofour mental makeup. These principles have becomethe silent immaculate premise of our outlook.”

References :

1. Civil Service Chronicle, January 2007,

PP. 31 – 38.

2. Levinleah , (2005) Human Right, New Delhi.

3. News letter, Vol – 1, June 2007.

4. Sambalpur University (2006) Domestic Women

Violence Protection Act, 2005, some Aspects.

5. Sambalpur University (2006) Our Law.

6. The Hindu, April 5, 2006.

Dr. Antaryami Behera, Headmaster, Malti Gunderpur

High School, At/Po – Malti Gunderpur, Sambalpur–

768005.

31


Introduction

Once Gandhi told to call woman the

weaker sex is a libel, it is man’s injustice to

woman. Woman is immeasurably superior

than man in mental moral power. A woman is

more self sacrificing, greater power of

endurance, greater courage and as a whole a

greater intuition. And finally a woman make

more effective appeal to the heart. ( Mahatma

Gandhi)

The United Nation’s MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDG), which areconsidered to be the most successful global anti-poverty push in the history of development, itsvital goal is to promote gender equality andempowerment of women because where womenare not afforded equal rights as men can neverachieve development in a sustainable manner. TheUnited Nations Millennium Project has the aim

Women in Developing Sustainable LivelihoodSystem Through Sericulture in Rural India

Dr. Purusottam Dash,

Subhashree Dash

& Dr. Sasmita Behera

ABSTRACT

Demographic information of India indicates nearly 48.27% of the country’s population are women.

Sericulture being an agro-based industry provides employment to about 7.5 million persons in India, out

of which 3.9 million persons which is about 53% are women and thus can clearly be stated as a women

friendly sector. Women are involved in this sector from host plant cultivation to dyeing & printing of

fabrics, thereby deriving higher returns than men. Formation and activation of women SHGs can be

utilized as a launch pad for promoting women’s participation in sericulture sector. Adoption of sericulture

by women will make them empowered and will help transforming India into a developed country.

Key words:+ demographic studies + ILO + Indian census + MDG +women empowerment

to end world poverty by 2015. An ILO reporton Gender Equality reveals that women performs2/3rd of world’s work, yet they earn 1/10th ofworld's income, are 2/3rd of world's illiterateand own just 1/100th of the world's property. AnILO estimation reflects that women made up atleast 60% of the world’s working force. A surveyshows that 55% of women between 5-59 agegroup are economically active.

In 2012 the President of India launchedthe National Mission for the Empowerment ofWomen (NMEW) which has a five year mandateto achieve inter sectorial convergence of allwomen and women-centric programmes acrossMinistries.

Special initiatives for women like NationalCommission for Women, reservation for womenin Local Self Government, national policy for theempowerment of women has been formed to

32


prioritize the empowerment of women. TheGlobal Gender Gap report 2013 released by theWorld Economic Forum (WEF) which tries tomeasure the relative gaps between women andmen across countries has put India’s ranking at101 position amongst 136 countries.

Sericulture, being an agro based ruralindustry, is currently practiced in 27 states in India.India occupies 2nd position in silk production nextto China. Only India enjoys the monopoly ofcommercially exploiting all 5 varieties ofcommercially exploited silk worms namelymulberry, tropical tasar, temperate tasar, eri andmuga. The sector provides employment to about7.5 million persons in India. India being the 2nd

populous country in the world, enjoys the biggesthuman resource of work force.Sericulture is aninterdisciplinary activitity merged with agriculture,animal husbandry and this industry suits allcategory of women in India, where more than 60%of the population lives in the rural part of thecountry.

Women-Friendly Sericulture Industry in India

Studies indicate that over 53% of Indiansericulture workforce is women in comparisionto 35-40% in pre loom work in Handloomsector.Such a high proportion of womenparticipation in sericulture sector is mainly becauseof its unique features like;

� The sector involves mostly rearing activitiesin indoor with low requirement of physicalenergy and manual labour.

� The total working period is distributed in 3to 4 shifts and spread over 16 to 18 hours ina day.

� Silkworm rearing, reeling and spinningdemand soft skills , delicacy and care whichis an inherent women quality.

� Silkworm rearing can be taken up easily withother activities like cattle/sheep/goat/ chicks/

fishery in part and partial of integrated farmingsystem.

� It provides jobs at doorsteps and avoid longtravelling from the dwelling places and forwomen involved in these activities can easilytake up child rearing along with otherhousehold activities also.

� Landless farmers can gain full employmenton seasonal and non-farm activities likemulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, silkreeling, silk twisting, printing , dyeing andweaving etc.

� The sector involves low gestation period,needs minimum investment, providescontinuous job opportunities, frequent incomewith good profit margin.

� Organized labour demand prevents ruralmigration and increased urban floatingpopulation.

� The sector is eco-friendly and provides greencanopy in shorter duration which facilitate tocheck soil erosion, as a result stabilizes thenutritive status of the soil.

� Growing up of silkworm food plants can alsobe taken up in up lands/ wet lands whichremain barren and non productive for foodcrops.

� The leftouts of the sector used otherwise is asource for rural fuel, vermicomposting,handmade paper, biogas production etc andprovides scope of byproduct utilization andvalue addition and better earning which hasthe ultimate demand for rural and urbanpopulation.

� Innovation and introduction of womenfriendly technologies and reduction ofdrudgery in the working condition attractmore women towards the sector.

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Sericulture and women friendly activities in India

A major range of activities of soil to silk conversion is performed by women as below;

Sl No Type of work Women friendly activities

1 Mulberry cultivation Raising of nursery, planting, weeding, fertilizer application, leafharvesting etc.

2 Silkworm rearing Egg production, chawki rearing, late age rearing, picking up ofripen and dead worms, bed cleaning, cocoon harvesting etc.

3 Silk reeling Cocoon sorting, cooking, reeling in charkhas, in cottage basin, inmultiends, in automatic machines etc, Re-reeling and twisting andhand and book making etc.

4 Weaving Warp making, Porn winding , weaving in handlooms and powerlooms

5 Dyeing Dyeing and block printing, value addition in design making etc

6 Marketing Fashion designing, market promotion etc.

7 By-product utilization Silk spinning, Dupion reeling, cut cocoon handicrafts etc.

8 Seri dependant activities Silk and milk production. Silk and fish production, silk andbackyard poultry production

Women in different sericulture

activities in 2013-14

Name of the activities Percentage

of women

participant/

employment

Mulberry cultivation 50

Silk worm rearing 50

Silk reeling 49

Silk throwing 56

Silk weaving 49

Silk by-product utilisation 65

Silk spinning 80

Silk worm egg production 21

Silk dyeing and printing 41

Silk and milk production 75

Contribution of Sericulture in women income

in India

Studies by Chandrama Goswami andManisha Bhattacharya during March,2013indicate that in Assam agriculture contributes about37.40% of the family income of the house holdin rural areas followed by sericulture which is23.4%, the state which is a vanya silk producingstate predominantly. The higher contribution to ahousehold is from agriculture because the men ofthe households adopted agriculture as their primeoccupation whereas women besides child rearingand other ancillary house work practicedsericulture.

But the households in states likeKarnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, WestBengal and Jammu & Kashmir are moretraditional in mulberry produce. About 89 -90%of total silk production of India contributes moreto income of a household in rural sector.

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Fund flow out of Rs.100 for different categories of silk activities

Sl. No. Activities Average Share of women Share of men

(considering 53 %

work done by women)

1 Cocoon grower 59% 31.5% 27.5%

2 Silk reeler 11% 5.5% 5.5%

3 Re-reeler & Twister 4.5% 2.25% 2.25%

4 Dyeing & Printing 9.5% 4.75% 4.75%

5 Trader 11.5% 8.25% 3.25%

3. Lack of awareness facilities and lessinvolvement of non Govt. organizations inthe sector.

4. Non participation or inactive participation indecision making and benefit sharing.

5. Non accessibility/ non availability/ nonintroduction of women-friendly technologies.

6. Risk of occupational health hazards anddifferences in health awareness policies.

7. Lack of support and low motivation andencouragement towards self developmentand community development in a maledominated rural society.

8. Less publicity of successful women persons,women entrepreneurs of the country to be asource for inspiration and icon making.

9. Non availability of women-friendly singlewindow for establishment and selfsustainability programmes. No specialwomen oriented budgetary provision in thecountry.

10. Non availability of easy market supports andwomen supported resource centres andwomen -friendly technologies.

Graphical representation of fund flow for differentactivities of sericulture in pre loom stage showshigher returns to women than men in India.

Issues of women sericulturists in India

Although a huge number of women areinvolved in the sector numbering to 7.5 million inIndia, next to handloom sector which measuresabout 29,98,362 lakh workers as per thehandloom census of 2010, yet the work forcehave been left with many issues to be addressedfor their better development and transforming toa developed India. These are :

1. Disparity in wages and gender basedapproaches where male part is preferred.

2. Literacy is a barrier for accessing to theresources like credit and land ownership.

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Conclusion

Demographic information of Indiaindicates nearly 48.27 % of the country’spopulation are women. Majority of them arewithin the age group of 15 to 64 years. And theaverage literacy rate is 65.46%.India is an agro-based country and 50% of the population derivestheir livelihood from agriculture and its alliedsector. Sericulture being a non food crop attractsthe clinching eyes of the policy makers due to itswomen-friendly activities. In India after gold,silkis the second preferred article favouring to Indianwomen.Besides its popular domestic andinternational demand the sector is also known forits diversified uses in health, medicine, science,research, space and its aesthetic values. As aresult the sector is now a source of living for 2million households and seven million people livingin rural India. Formation and activation of womenSHGs can be utilized as a launch pad forpromoting women’s participation in sericulturesector. And adoption of sericulture by womenentrepreneurs will make them empowered andwill help transforming India to a developedcountry.

So we may say women in sericulturemeans women in development. Women indevelopment indicates developed India.

References :

1. Dandin, S.B Sericulture & WomenEntrepreneurship, 66-70, Indian Silk, September-November, 2014 Vol.5 (53 old) No 5-7.

2. Das S, Human Development vis-a-vis Women’sDevelopment: A Progress Analysis in Odisha,56-60, Odisha Review Vol. LXXI No.1 August-2014.

3. Deobhanj S Empowering India with GenderEquality, 97-101, Odisha Review, Vol. LXXI No. 1August-2014.

4. Gender Equality, UNDP.

5. Goel Chhaya and Goel Devraj (2014), WomenEmpowerment in India: Stereotyping andModernity, University News, Vol.52, No.25 June23-29,2014.

6. http//www.un.org/womenwatch/

7. National Institute of Public Cooperation and ChildDevelopment(2010), Statistics on Women in India2010, NIPCCD, New Delhi.

8. Patel A, Palo N Odisha State Policy for Girls &Women,2014- Key Features, 70-72, Odisha Review,Vol. LXXI No. 1 August-2014.

9. Shetty K.K, Sericulture-A tool for womenempowerment,4-6, Indian Silk, June-August,2014Vol.5 (53 old) No.2-4.

10. www.censusindia.gov.in

Dr. Purusottam Dash and Subhashree Dash, Directorateof Textiles and Handlooms, Odisha, Bhubaneswar.

Dr. Sasmita Behera, P.G. Deptt. of Home Science, RDWomen’s Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar.

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Origins and Growth of Human Rights

Dr. Nityananda Paul

Suchitra Mishra

The new phrase “Human Rights” was adoptedonly in the present century from the expressionknown as “Natural Rights” or “Rights of the man”1.The term “Human Rights” is comparatively recentin origin, but the idea of Human Rights is as oldas the history of human civilization2. Introducingthe concept of “Human Rights” it can be said that“Human Rights” is a twentieth century name forwhat has been traditionally known as natural rightsor in more exhilerating phrase, the rights of man3.It is a basic principle of jurisprudence that everyRight has a correlative Duty and every Duty hasa correlative Right. But it is subject to certainexceptions in the sense that a person may have aRight but there may not be an enforceablecorresponding Duty. “Right” is an interestrecognized and protected by moral or legal rules.It is an interest the violation of which would be alegal wrong4". Therefore the rights of a man hada place in almost all the ancient civilizations of theworld.

In the Middle East, the Babylonian laws,the Assyrian laws and the little laws wereprovided for the protection of the rights of man.In India, the Dharma of the Vedic period and inChina, the jurisprudence of LaoTze and Confuciusprotected rights. In the West, a number of rights,bearing some semblance of what we call civil and

political rights today, were available to a sectionof people5.

HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF

HUMAN RIGHTS

The origin of human rights is traced, bysome scholars, back to the times of ancientGreeks. The fact that the human rights wererecognized as natural rights of man is illustratedby a Greek play Antigone. In this play, Sophociesdescribes that Antigone’s brother, while he wasrebelling against the king, was killed and his burialwas prohibited by the king Creon. In defiance ofthe order Antigone buried her brother. When shewas arrested for violating the order she pleadedthat she had acted in accordance with the“immutable, unwritten laws of heaven” which eventhe king could not override6.

In philosophy the development of thenotion of natural rights of man was contributedby the philosophers. They first developed naturallaw theory and by virtue of it they explained thenature of human rights i.e., rights which everyhuman being possesses by virtue of being human.

However, it may be noted that the citizensof the Greek city States enjoyed some basic rightseven before the formulation of natural law theoryby the philosophers. These were in particular:(i) the right to freedom of speech (Isdogoria),

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(ii) the right to equality before law (Isonomia),and (iii) the right to equal respect for all (Isotimia)7.

The philosophers formulated the theoryof natural law after the break down of the GreekCity States8. The central notion of the philosophywas that the principles of natural law were universalin their nature. Their application was not limitedto any class of persons of certain State; rather itapplied to everybody everywhere in the world. Itwas the embodiment of that higher principle ofjustice which could be discovered by humanreason and as such were superior to positive law.The natural rights of man being its embodimentwere not the particular privileges of citizens ofcertain state, but something to which every humanbeing, everywhere, was, entitled in virtue of thesimple fact of being human and rational9.

They set forth further that men couldcomprehend and obey this law of nature becauseof their common possession of reason andcapacity to develop and attain virtue. In this waythe philosophers were able to preach the idea ofuniversal brotherhood of mankind and laid stressupon the equality and freedom for all.

The formulation of natural law was bestsuited to the Roman temperament for they, inprinciple, believed that man should improve himselfboth rationally and morally. Writing about naturallaw, Cicero (106-43) B.C., like philosophers, laidemphasis upon the universal application,unchanging and everlasting. It is not a sin to try toalter this law, nor is it allowable to attempt torepeal any part of it and it is impossible to abolishit entirely. We cannot be freed from its obligationby senate or people …………… And there willnot be different law at Rome and at Athens ordifferent laws now and in the future, but oneeternal and unchangeable law will be valid for allnations and for all times”10. Many principles of‘Jus Gentium’ were adopted from ‘Jus natural’

(natural law) which enabled them to humanizethese rules in such a way that a man of commonsense and good faith could approve them as justand reasonable11.

Roman law was divided into twocategories of rules ‘jus civil’ or Roman Civil lawdealing with citizens, things and actions and ‘JusGentium’ or the law of non-citizens, which signifiesthe rights of those who were not the citizens ofRome and they referred to those rights to whichmen were entitled in general. It also referred tothe rules of international law at the same time.

The social contract theory

The doctrine of social contract wasclosely linked with the theory of natural lawbecause the basis upon which the natural lawtheories were formulated was the same for thesocial contract doctrine also12.This doctrinebecomes popular during 16th and 17th centurythrough the writings of such political philosophersas Thomas Hobbes (1558-1679), John Locke(1632 – 1704) and Jean Jacques Rousseau(1719-1778).

In general, they took the help of the notionof social contract to explain the relationshipbetween individual and society. Initially, the socialcontract writers claimed that a superior power,rather manual or legal was established inpursuance of the social contract under which thepeople collectively undertook to obey thecommands of such superior power so long itgoverned them in their common interest and keptitself within the terms of contract.

However, in the 17 th century, theprotagonists of social contract theory, particularlyRousseau, undertook to explain that state was anartifact, an artificial creation of individuals, or theresult of the social contract. Rousseau began withthe state of nature, in which man was free and

38


independent in all respects. From this state ofnature according to him there emerged a politicalsociety by the separate acts of individuals,whereby they undertook with one another to setup government which would be responsible topromote their common interests. The politicalsociety, so created would, by majority will,proceed to appoint Governors who would governin accordance with the terms of contract or theinstrument of trust or an act of delegation by whichhe was so empowered. The Governor was to acton the behalf of the people thus protecting theirgeneral interests and respecting their natural rights.The violation of the terms of social contract onthe part of the Governor would justify not only itsdisobedience, but also rebellion against it13.

The upholders of the social contracttheory considered human rights as the naturalrights for the reason that human rights are basedupon the contract concluded by the people withthe state. They explained that when men enteredinto contract to form political society, theyrenounced some of their natural rights which hadpreviously been enjoyed by them in their free stateof nature but certain basic rights, such as; the rightto life, freedom and equality were preserved bythem. These rights so preserves constituted their‘natural and inalienable right’ which must berespected by the state or Governor. Thus is effectone of the purposes of the social contract was topreserve the natural inalienable rights to men andat the same time to prevent the state frominterfering with the exercise of those rights by thepeople14. In this way the concept of inalienable,natural and imprescriptibly nature of human rightswas established.

The Middle Ages: In the Middle Ages,the scholastic philosophers15 like Abelard (1079– 1142) and Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274), themost original thinkers of their times laid stressupon the concept of natural law as the higher

principles of law to be derived from reason. Butthey did not go in quest of making the humanpersonality as the main concern of law and sociallife.

Thomas Aquinas, like Aristotle, justifiedthe existence of the practice of slavery16. Thusthe ‘man’ was dispensed with as central notion ofmediaeval philosophy of law. Much attention wasfocused on the development of the principle ofthe sovereignty of sate rather than on thedevelopment of respects for human qualities.These principles led to the international protectionof human rights17.

Again, a set-back was also caused during16th century to the development of the conceptof natural rights by Machiavelli’s teachings. Hewas opposed to the concept of natural law andsupported absolute monarchy. His philosophy wasnot based on any mystical thought such as that ofnatural law; rather, it was ‘here-and-nowphilosophy’. For him human nature was bad andselfish which necessitated the establishment ofstate to curb and crush the anti social elementsexisting in human mind.

Influence of American Revolution:

American Revolution originated in the colonialrevolt of 1763. There were many factors whichcontributed towards the rise of this revolt, forinstance, the growing importance of the notion ofnatural rights, teachings of the writers of socialcontract doctrine, the British Bill of Right of168918, and the coercive actions of George 11(1760-1820) and his predecessors.

The American notion of independence,and their determination to overthrow the authorityof the imperial tyrannical government had led themto make the Declaration of Independence on July4, 1776. This famous document was drafted byThomas Jefferson. It mounted attack not onlyagainst the divine right of the king to rule, but also

39


against a government which did not reflect thewill of the people. The document says:

We hold these truths to be self-evidentthat all men are created equal, that they areendowed by their creator, with certain inalienablerights, that among these are life, liberty and pursuitof happiness. That to secure these rightsGovernments are instituted among men derivingtheir just powers from the consent of thegoverned, that whenever any from of Governmentbecomes destructive of these ends, it is the rightof the people to abolish it and institute newGovernment19.

Thus, Americans made their claim forindependence on the basis of inalienable rights ofman, popular sovereignty and the right ofrevolution, but at the time of drafting theconstitution in 1787 they did not include a Bill ofRights for them. They did it in 1781 by a spitingten amendments to the constitution. Theseamendments are known as Bill of Rights and formpart of their constitution. Again Amendments from13 known as ‘Civil war Amendments wereadopted at the end of the civil war. Since the Billof Right was not applicable to the newly freedNegroes, these amendments extended the civilright liberties to them and imposed obligation uponthe state to respect these rights.Theseamendments may be discussed as follows:

The 13th Amendment prohibits slaveryand involuntary servitude, the 14th Amendmentwidens the base of American Citizenship byconferring citizenship on all persons born ornaturalized in the United States. They becameentitled to the citizenship of United State as wellas of the states in which they reside. It is furtherprovided that States shall neither make nor enforceany law which shall abridge the privileges andimmunities of citizens of the United States, nordeprive any person of life, liberty or propertywithout due process of law nor deny to any

person within its jurisdiction the legal protectionof the laws. The 15th Amendment lies down thatthe citizen’s right to vote shall not be denied orabridged by the United States or may state onthe grounds of race, colour or previous conditionof servitude, and the 19th Amendment was addedin 1960 providing that this right shall not beabridged or denied.

Impact of French Revolution:

The French Revolution was based uponthose principles which were set in motion by theEnglish and American Revolution. It differedmainly in that it was basically the result ofeconomic and social inequalities and injustices ofthe French ancient regime. These inequalities wereconspicuous not only among the third Estate(lower classes), but also in the first Estate (clergy)and in the second Estate (clergy) and in the thirdEstate (nobility). It had caused the greatest amountof concern among the writers20, who wereapparently influenced by the teachings ofRousseau. They enthusiastically claimed that itmarked the dawn of new age for the right reasonand natural and imprescriptibly right to life, libertyand the pursuit of happiness. The government, intheir opinion, must preserve and safeguard theserights and if it fails to do so it has no right to remainin existence.

However, it was not the writers orphilosophers who had influenced the course ofevents, but it was the covering of the FrenchEstates General which produced the desiredresult. As a matter of fact, it was on 17th June1789, when Third Estate in defiance of Louis XVIproclaimed itself the National Assembly and threedays later they took the famous the Tennis CourtOath never to separate until the constitution ofthe kingdom shall be established. It was joinedby more than half of the clerical deputies and 47nobles21.

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A list of inalienable rights of free citizenswas prepared which was proclaimed as the“Declaration of the rights of Man and of thecitizen.” In it the philosophical teachings ofRousseau permeated to its full extent. Thisdocument was of the rank of the English MagnaCarta and the Bill of Rights in the constitution ofthe United States of America22.

The proclamation of the Declaration ofthe Right of Man and of the Citizen was annexedto the constitution when it was adopted in 1791.In the words of Gaius Ezejiofor, “this completedone of the most crucial epochs in the developmentof human rights. Before the American and FrenchRevolution it had what was for all practicalpurposes only a philosophical appeal, but afterthe declaration and the constitutional Bill of Rightsthe concept assumed a positive importance23.

Opposition to the Concept of Natural rights:

The notion of natural rights as having beenarisen under the influence of natural law theoryhas been opposed by various authors. It has beenargued that human rights are not the product ofthe so-called, natural law theory; rather, they arethe product of the needs of society and itsprevailing social conditions.

Imer Szabo, for instance, has opposedthe idea of explaining the development of humanrights on the basis of natural law theory, hemaintains that:

“Law founded on reason is pure fiction,as is the assumed existence of a social contract.On the other hand, the economic development,and correlatively, the political developmentspecific to the 15th and 16th centuries is by nomeans a fiction since it corresponds to the realdevelopment of society. On this account, therelations between natural law and positive lawappeared to be the relations between needs and

reality that is to say positively law as it wassubsequently to be established”24.

Marxist philosophers saw in the State thehighest and ultimate value. In the words of Ritchie,“the person with rights and duties is the productof society and the rights of individual musttherefore be judged from the point of view of thesociety as a whole and not from the point of viewof the individual”25.

The argument that the human rightsevolve out of social needs and prevailing socialconditions is further supported and strengthenedby the fact that as a result of industrial revolutionwealth increased at a very rapid speed andbecame concentrated in the hand of fewindividuals. Along with it there arose severalproblems, such as, that of sanitation, health,sickness, poverty, diseases and ignorance whichwere difficult to solve. It led to the rise of feelingthat national wealth should not be concentratedin the hand of few individuals to the exclusion of alarge number of individuals who suffer underpoverty, disease and ignorance. This in turnresulted in the recognition of certain neweconomic, social and cultural rights as naturalrights of man26.

Universalization of Human Rights:

Although at the end of First World Warsome attempts on modest-level were madethrough the Treaty of Versailles to promote anduniversalize human rights but it met with nosuccess. Since the judicial conscience of thecivilized world was very much in the favour ofsafeguarding the rights of individuals against itsviolation by states, it was consistently realized thatthe rights of individuals must be universalized sothat it may be guarded against its violation byone’s own state. Influenced by such desires theinstitute of international law initiated measures tostudy and formulate the human rights provisions.

41


This institute of international laws was a privateorganization whose members were elected fromthe authorities on international law in Europe,America and Asia. Its pronouncements had novalidity except the prestige of the members whichthey held. Its chief aim was to extend to the entireworld international recognition of the rights of man.Accordingly a proclamation of the right of manwas issued by it in 1929.27 In all, six articles wereadopted which prescribed the duties of every state:

� To recognize the equal rights of everyindividual to life, liberty and property and toaccord to all within its territory the full andentire protection of this right withoutdistinction as to nationality, sex, race,language or religion28.

� To recognize the right of every individualboth to the free use of the language of hischoice and to the teaching of suchlanguage29.

� To recognize the right of every individual tothe free practice, both public and private, ofevery faith, religion or belief, provided thatthe said practice shall not be incompatiblewith public order and good morals30.

� To recognize that no motive based directlyor indirectly on distinction of sex, race,language or religion, empowers states torefuse to any of their nationals, private andpublic rights, especially admission toestablishments of public institution, and theexercise of the different economic activities,and of professions and industries31.

� To recognize that except for motives basedupon its general legislation, on state, shallhave right to withdraw its nationality fromthose whom for reasons of sex, race,language or religion, it should not deprive ofthe guarantees contemplated in thisproclamations32.

� To recognize that the equality ascontemplated herein is not to, be nominal,but effective. It excludes all discriminationdirect and indirect33.

Thus, the proclamation states in bold andunequivocal terms the rights of human beings,without distinction of nationality, sex. race,language and religion, to the equal right to life,liberty and property together with all the subsidiaryrights essential to the enjoyment of thesefundamental rights. It aims not merely to assureto individuals their international rights, but it aimsto impose on all nations a standard of conducttowards all men including their own nationals.Such a revolutionary document cannot fail,however, to exert an influence on the evolution ofinternational law. It marks a new era which is moreconcerned with the interests and rights ofsovereign individuals than with the rights ofsovereign states”34.

Another milestone in the universalisationof human right, of course, in disguise wasoppressive and brutal practices adopted by Naziregime in Germany. The individuals on the groundof their race or religion were subjected topersecution, tyranny and brutality. They weredeprived of their civil and political rights.

It caused global concern for theprotection and promotion of human rightsuniversally, and with the progress of the SecondWorld War deep concern was shown for theinternational recognition of human rights and forestablishment of world organization for theprotection and promotion of human rights. It wasbelieved that no permanent peace could beestablished without securing internationalsafeguards for human rights and fundamentalfreedom. President Roosevelt took the lead in thematter and in his message to Congress on January6, 1941, he referred to the four essential human

42


freedoms to which he looked forward as thefoundation of a future world –

� Freedom of Speech and expression.

� Freedom of every person to worship Godin his own way.

Although the list of rights herein describedis not very exhaustive but still it had exercisedimmense influence on the movement of humanrights35.

The British Prime Minister, Mr. WinstonS. Churchill was equally concerned with theviolation of human rights and racial persecution.He proclaimed that racial persecution would cometo an end with the end of Second World War andhuman rights would be promoted.

The Atlantic Charter :

The Prime Minister Mr. Winston S.Churchill and the President of the United StatesMr. Franklin D. Roosevelt had met at the sea andissued a social Declaration on August 1944known as the Atlantic Charter. Through thisDeclaration that two leaders deemed it right tomake known certain common principles in thenational policies of their respective countries onwhich they use the hopes for a better future forthe world36. It was agreed among other thingsthat they respect the right of all people to choosethe form of government under which they will live,and they wish to sovereign rights and self-government who have been forcibly deprived ofthem rather the final destruction of the NaziTyranny, dwelling in safety within their ownboundaries, and which will afford assurance thatall the men in all the lands may live out their livesin freedom without fear and want37.In the editorialcomment, L.H. Woolsey asserted that:

“We have, therefore, in the AtlanticCharter a statement of principles and in theDeclaration a further statement of human freedoms

and rights to being which 30 nations committedfor war guidance and achievements”38.

The above declaration of the UnitedNations was affirmed by the three powerfulnations (United States, Soviet Union and GreatBritain) in their conference of March 3, 1943. Inthe pursuit of internationalization of human rightsthe International Labour Organization and otherprivate organizations played crucial andconstructive role in the development of concensusof world community in this respect. ThePhiladelphia declaration of the InternationalLabour Organization at its 26th Session adopted,inter alia, the following resolution:

“All human beings, irrespective of race,creed or sex, have the right to pursue both theirmaterial well being and their spiritual developmentin conditions of freedom and dignity of economicsecurity and equal opportunity.”

Jurists of high repute, professor HerschLauterpacht, once professor at CambridgeUniversity had lent their support for the formationand implementation of universal human rights. Infact, professor Lauterpacht prepared a draft of‘International Bill of rights of Man’ and suggestedfor its acceptance by the United Nations as a partof the fundamental constitution of the worldcommunity39.

In the circumstances it was notunexpected that the question of internationalizationof human rights received adequate attention ofworld powers at Dumbarton Oaks Conferenceof 1944, where it was resolved that with a viewto the creation of conditions of stability and wellbeing which are necessary for the peaceful andfriendly relations among nations, the organizationsshould facilitate solutions of internationaleconomic, social and other humanitarian problemsand promote respect for human rights andfundamental freedoms. Responsibility for the

43


discharge of this function should be vested in theGeneral Assembly and in the Economic and SocialCouncil40.

Finally, it was the San FranciscoConference held from 25th April to 26th June 1945at which the Charter of the United Nations hademerged incorporating numerous provisionsproviding for promoting and encouraging respectfor human rights and fundamental freedoms forall without distinction race of sex, language, orreligion41.

The General Assembly has been assignedwith the duty of initiating studies and makingrecommendations for the purpose of assisting inthe realization of human rights and fundamentalfreedoms42. The Economic and Social Council isauthorized to make recommendations to theGeneral Assembly, to the Members of the UnitedNations and to the concerned Specializedagencies for the propose of promoting respectfor and observance of, human rights andfundamental freedoms for all43. The Economic andSocial Council is further empowered to preparea draft convention for submission to the GeneralAssembly44, and to set up commission for thepromotion of human rights45 Ibid, Article 13 (1)(b).

The Economic and Social Councilconstituted the Human Rights commission in itsfirst session with the responsibility, inter alia, toformulate an International Bill of Right.

The Universal Declaration of HumanRights was adopted by the General Assembly onDecember 10, 1948, which formed the basis forthe preparation of other documents on humanrights. The most prominent among them are theInternational Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civiland Political Rights and the Universal Declarationof Human Rights.

References :

1. See Attar Chand,Politics of Human Rights andCivil Liberties – A Global Survey, (1985) p.45.

2. See Kanan Gahrana, “ Human Rights: AConceptual Perspective’ Indian Journal ofInternational Law, Vol. 29, Nos. 3 and 4, July-Dec.1989, p-367.

3. Ibid., p.22

4. Xv. Z AIR, 1999 SC 495

5. See Kanan Gahrana, Op. cit., p.371

6. Sophocles: Antigone “The unwritten, unchanginglaws of the gods”.

7. Gaius Ezejio for Protection of Human RightsUnder the Law, London, Butter Worth, 1964. p3.

8 . Ibid.

9. Cranston,. M., Human Rights Today, 1962, p. 9

10. De Republic, III, xxii, 33,quoted Ind’ Entreves,Natural Law, 1960, PP. 20-21.

11. Swain, J.E., History of World Civilization, 1947,pp. 172-173., It may be noted here with concernthat in the Graeco-Roman system of thoughts,particularly in the teachings of Aristotle theslavery was recognized as valid practice-Aristotle,politics, Book one.

12. Seed Entreves. Natural Law (1960), p. 56.

13. John Locke, Civil Government, Book II.

14. See In general Imre Szabo. supra, n. 16. pp. 13-15

15. Scholastic Philosophy was the most remarkablecultural development of the Middle Ages. ‘It wasa combination of Augustiniam theology andAristotelian logic- an attempted union ofrevelation and reason in one Philosophy-Supra,n. 13. p. 325.

16. Swain, J.E., A. History of World Civilization, 1947,pp. 172-173., It may be noted here with concernthat in the Graeco-Roman system of thoughts,particularly in the teachings of Aristotle theslavery was recognized as valid practice-Aristotle,politics, Book one.

17. Imre Szabo, “Historical Foundation of HumanRights, Vol. I, English Ed., By Philip Alston.,

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18. British Bill of Rights of, 1689 established the ideaof representative government formally andbecame a charter of library for England.

19. Friendrich and Mc. Closkey. From the Declarationof Independence to the Constitution. 1954. p. 3quoted in supra, n. 7, pp. 6, 7.

20. Fergusson and Brun, A Survey of EuropeanCivilization, pp. 565-612; Martin, French Liberalthought in the 18th Century.

21. Swain J.E., Supra n. 13, p. 473.

22. Ibid., p. 475

23. Gaius Ezejiofor, Supra n. 7, p. 10.

24. Imre Szabo, Supra, n. 16. p. 15.

25. Ritchie, Natural Rights, (1898), pp. 101-102.

26. Bean and Peters, Social Principles and theDemocratic State (1958), p. 104

27. See, (1941) 35 AJIL pp. 663-665

28. Article I

29. Article III

30. Article II

31. Article IV

32. Article VI

33. Article V

34. Philip Marshall Brown (1930) 24 AJIL, p. 127

35. (1941), 35 American Journal of International Law,p. 662

36. Ibid, p. 192

37. (1941), 35 American Journal of International Law,P.662.

38. Ibid, p. 192

39. Ibid.

40. These include the United States, Russia, China,the British Common Wealth of Nations and India,the eight conquered states of Europe and nineCentral American and Caribbean Republics. Tothese Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia and the PhilippinesCommon-wealth have since been added, see(1942), 36 American Journal of International Law,p. 626 supra n. 9.

41. Editorial Comment by L. H. Woolsey. Ibid, p. 626.

42. Gaius Ezejiofor,Protection of Human Rights Underthe Law, London, Butter worth, 1964. p. 55.

43. U.N.C.I.O., Vol. 3 p. 690: Dumbarton OaksConference was held in two phases. In first phase(21 August-28th September), representatives ofthe United States, Soviet Union and UnitedKingdom participated. In the second phase (29thSeptember-7th October) representatives of theUnited States, China and United Kingdomparticipated. They agreed on number of proposalsknown as the Dumbarton Oaks Proposals, SeeU.N.Y.B.. 1946, pp.4-9.

44. Charter of United Nations, Article 1(3)

Dr. Nityananda Paul. At/Po- Khuruntia, Via- Nalagaja,Dist- Mayurbhanj -757073.

Suchitra Mishra, Mahanadi Vihar, Cuttack.

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Down the ages, Lord Jagannath has emerged asa symbol of Odia Nationalism. The image of thisnationalistic consciousness can be realized byunderstanding how the aboriginal tribes, deitiesor harbinger of ostrich culture known as Jagannathhas been recognized as Maha Boudha, MahaJaina and Lord of Brahmanistic Hinduism throughcataclysm of history. In different branches andsub-branches of Brahmanism, such as Saiva,Shakta, Vaisnavism and Tantrik philosophy, wefind Lord Jagannath occupying a pioneering place.One can realize the entire universe by seeing LordJagannath and Lord’s existence can be realisedwithin the vast universe. In fact in the entireuniverse, there is one Lord in Whom the soul ofentire unitary universe is epitomized.

The culture of Lord Jagannath originatedduring the period of primitive communism, whichis called as the early civilization of human race bythe social scientists. Later on, the Lord wasperceived as belonging to different religions,different culture and different philosophies. If oneanalyses that colour scientifically, it appears thatLord Jagannath is the God of the entire Universe.One cannot understanding the Jagannathconsciousness or Jagannath itself by understandmere devotion or mere mythology. One cannotcatch the point where national integration orhuman integration is how embedded in the

Manifestation of Odia Nationalism in JagannathPhilosophy : A Mythological Study

Dr. Alekh Ch. Padhiary

Jagannath cult by adopting this attitude. For thatwe have to leave the unquestionable devotion ofthe mythology. In this regard, the writer ofcommunism Sri Guru Charan Pattanaik said“generally mythology” is written by the BrahmanPurohits. Whatever may be the differenceregarding the time of writing the Puranas, there isno divergent opinion regarding the fact that it is amatter of history. Human faith is shattered byconsciousness so also the sanctity of mythologyis broken by the question of history. So bothscience and mythology are antithetic to religionand live side.

We understand the origin of LordJagannath and its evolution by interpretation ofthe mythology but we never question theauthenticity or logic behind the mythologicalevents. Religion stipulates that mythology shouldbe heard without questioning its authenticity. Soalso for realizing Lord Jagannath, interpretationof mythology is also similarly essential. Becauseby removing blind belief from one’s mind one canrealise the feeling of Lord Jagannath. Dr. R.C.Hajra in his book has mentioned the origin ofmythology and history under the title “Study ofPuranic Record on Hindu Rites and Customs”.From all these, he comes to the conclusion thatall the mythology is created after the birth of JesusChrist.

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Lord Jagannath establishes that the spiritof nationalism is above the limitation of time, spaceand object of human being. Its land andgeographical limits are of no value in the cataclysmof time. Realisation of Lord Jagannath has greatfeeling, the time is super time and limits areunlimited. The culture of Odisha and the traditionof literature have its importance on this beginningfrom the Mahabharata of Sarala Das or DeulaTola of Nilambara Das till the devotional lyric ofBhima Bhoi or modern poet Madhusudan thatgreat feeling and consciousness are being realised.If we interpret evolution of society, it will appearthat Jagannath consciousness is quite old. Sri G.C.Pattanaik adopts a new attitude while discussingthis aspect of Lord Jagannath, “the division ofclass emerged at the time of development of Sindhcivilization, so it has come after the Jagannath Cultdevelopment. From the point of view of socialevolution, Jagannath society is ancestral to HinduDharma development on the remnance of IndusValley Civilization. So also both Indus ValleyCivilization has developed on the remmance ofJagannath Culture or developed on the remnanceof old communist society. These two civilizationsare two stages of social evolution Former or later,they admit the inevitable consequences of socialevolution.

Jagannath consciousness gradually emergedwith national feeling and national integrity at thetime of king Ananga Bhima Deva and it attendedits complete form at the time of king KapilendraDeva, who belongs to Solar Dynasty. AnangaBhima Deva was a popular administrator amongthe Gajapati kings. During his time, the boundaryof Odisha was extended from Kanga Banga toriver Doreibudi. This has been mentioned inMadala Panji. Similarly as per Madala Panji, inthe west it was extended from BhimnagarDandapat to Sonepur. From the vast territory of

Odisha, i.e. Utkal at that time, revenue to the tuneof Rs.20 lakhs (Madha of Gold) was collected.Ananga Bhima Dev prepared necessary plan forincurring proper expenditure of these collectedgold. Addressing his successor monarch, he hasmentioned that if any of the kings makes anyexception to the arrangement he has made forexpenditure of this treasure, he will be a culprit inthe eye of Lord Jagannath. By this, the king hashis loyality to the estate. Madala panji recordshow the income and expenditure has beenprojected by the king for the nation as well as theLord of the nation. During the time of AnangaBhima Deva, Lord Jagannath has already attainedthe status of State Deity, i.e., Rashtra Devata.

During the time of Gajapati Ananga BhimaDeva, Jagannath temple was not only constructed,it was working as a promoter of unity in political,social and cultural consciousness of Odisha. AfterAnanga Bhima Deva, many legends, folklores andstories concerning Lord Jagannath is being heard.If we interpret and analyse these legends, we canrealise how cultural and spiritual unity is embeddedin those stories. It may be noted that there maynot be historical truth behind these stories, butthis contribution for maintaining the integration andintegrity of Odias could not be denied. As a result,though not supported by history, these hearingand folktales have been able to unveil the greatertruth behind the history. Not only history andlegends have been created to establish the supernatural power of Lord Jagannath, but also theblessings of Lord Jagannath had been sought formaintaining political stability of Odisha. Again foradministration of Odisha and selection of differentGajapati Kings, blessings of Lord Jagannath hadbeen sought. One Mattabhanu Deva, who washaving no children, prayed the Lord to know, whowill be his successor after him, the Lord informedhim in his dream that “tomorrow while

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worshipping Goddess Bimla, you will find abeggar eating the Prasad from a broken earthenpot and running away on seeing you, he will beyour successor”. And Kapilendra Deva, who wasdoing this work, became the successor ofMattabhanu Deva. Similarly, on 35th years of hisreign, King Kapilendra Deva sought blessings ofLord Jagannath and prayed to know his successor.That night, he was informed in his dream thatPurusottam Deva will be the next successor,Kapilendra Deva was surprised.

The Gajapati kings of Odisha are theservants of the people as well as Lord Jagannath.So his pride is a pride of entire Odias. To keepup that pride, Lord Jagannath and Balabhadrahave gone to the war field riding white and blackhorse. He sweeps at the time of car festival asservant of Sri Jagannath. The ego of monarchy issacrificed when he works like a common sweeper.The idealism in loss of kingly pride and ego canbe observed here. The King of Kanchi saw thissweeping in a different way and he refused to givehis daughter Padmavati into marriage withPurosottama Deva. As a result, PurusottamaDeva started his campaign against Kanchi beingassisted by Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadraand the kingdom of Kanchi was defeated. Whilegoing on Kanchi campaign, on the way the Lordstook curd from one milkmaid, namely Manika toquench their hunger and thirst and gave theirdiamond rings to her. The king later while goingfor Kanchi Abhijan could saw the diamond ringand got confirmed about the blessings of theLords. This is a story which has tremendousimpact on the mind of the people of Odisha. Fromthis story, how Lord has come down to commonman and takes revenge on the insult flattered tohis devotee is clearly depicted. In old mythology“Chakoda Pothi” this story is described in adifferent manner. Purusottam Das has written alyric, namely Kanchi-Kaveri, where this has been

described beautifully, so also in the writings ofUtkalamani Gopabandhu Dash. This has alsobeen described in various literature of Odisha,some of which are Kanchi-Kaveri of RamasankarRoy, Purusottama Deva of Godabarish Mishra,Abhijana by Kalicharan Pattanaik. These dramashad a great role in controlling the national life ofOdias.

Prataparudra Deva succeededPurusottama Deva to become the Gajapati king.During his time Lord Chaitanya came to Odishaand the spirit of Vaisnavites cult prevailed. ThePancha Sakha played a pioneering role inspreading devotional cult of Lord Jagannath. Alltheir writings hovered round Lord Jagannath. Theconcept of Gyana Bhakti and Prema Bhaktibecame integrated in the soil of Odisha. WhenPrataprudra Deva during his 17th years of reignwas in a sojourn to south India, the Moguls fromGouda kingdom attacked Odisha during this time,taking advantage of absence of the king. Theservitors saved Lord Jagannath by secretlycarrying the Lords to Chadheiguha hill in boat.Getting information, Prataparudra Deva camefrom South and removed Moguls from Odisha.But one Gobinda Bidyadhar taking the advantageof the volatile political situation killed 32 sons ofPurusottama Deva and adorned the throne. Buthe could not live in peace. Thereafter continuouslyOdisha became victims of the attack of Moguls,Marathas, Afghans and Britishers.

During the period of despair and distressin the lives of Odia nation, Lord Jagannath hasbecome a symbol of national unity and security.Hence, attempt was made to plunder theornaments of the temple and to remove the idolsinside and destroy them. But despite that, attemptwas foiled by the Odias. Many a times the Moguls,Afghans, Muslims have attempted to ransack thetemple and the Lords. During British time also

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they tried to establish their suzerainty over thetemple. But in course of time all these attemptshave become futile. Jagannath consciousness andnational integrity of Odias have remainedunbeaten during the period of such nationaldisaster and distress. The flag Neela Chakra isflying as usual and spreading the eternal messageof unity and integrity.

During the time of Mukunda Deva, the king,Kalapahada attacked the temple. The king hidthe Lord to save from aggression. But Kalapahadacould detect the Lord and carried on the back ofthe elephant. The Madala Panji records thisincident like this: “During this time DivyasinghaPattanaik hid the Lord at Chhapali Sathi Pada.But Kalapahada detected and crossed the riverconfluence (Muhana), carried away the Lord onthe back of elephant and ransacked the temple,carried the Lord to the bank of river Ganga andburnt the wooden idol in fire. During that time,the body of Kalapahada broke into pieces.Hearing this, the son of Kalapahada threw theremnants to the river Ganga. When remnants ofDaru was floating on the river, one Dhibara tookit as a piece of fire wood and threw in his courtyard. While taking the Lord, Biswar Mohanty waswith him. For eight months, he stayed there,performed musical and lyrical activities, hadkirtan and brought back the Daru inside hisMridanga, came to Kujangagada, hid both theLords inside the paddy pot.

The book Madala Panji contains a cleartestimony of attempts made by outsiders duringforeign rule. After Odisha lost its independence,Mansingh, the lieutenant of Akbar helped to makeRam Chandra Deva, the Gajapati king of Odisha.He brought the sacred Brahma from BiswarMohanty and constructed the idol of LordJagannath to be installed in the temple. Historycorroborates that the 2nd Ramachandra Deva in

order to save Jagannath from the invader TakiKhan adopted Islam religion and was named asHafiz Quadir Beg and married the sister of TakiKhan Razia. Hence, Lord Jagannath hasirresistible influence over the religious feelings ofOdia and had also saved Odias during nationalcrisis and disaster. During 19th Century, whenBritish Government wanted to establish rights bysending Ramachandra Deva in exile, advocateMadhusudan Das being invited by the queenSuryamani Pattamahadei studied the MadalaPanji and other religious literature preserved inthe palace and fully realised that the BritishGovernment can not take over the managementof the temple (Books & Books – page – 131written by Dr.Baisnab Charan Samal).

The dance and music of Shree Mandir hasgreatly influenced the religious consciousness andmusical tradition of India. Specially the beautifulsongs of Geeta Gobinda written by Odia poetJayadev contains patriotic ethos of indianism. Hispoetic talent had completely overshadowed thecivic life of Indian populace. His lyricism andpoetic eminence extended from Gujurat to Bihar,Kerala to Nepal. In the procedure of worship,Geeta Gobinda has been expected as aninseparable element. In all Jagannath Temple ofIndia, this procedure has been recognized. In thebook Bhaba Binodini of Udayanacharya andSarbanga Sundari Tika of Narayan Das this hasbeen mentioned. In the 12th Century, the bookSadukti Karnamruta and in 14th Century, the bookSahitya Darpana contains citation from bookGeeta Gobinda. The book Rasika Priya Tika ofRana Kumbha of Gujurat also contains citationfrom Geeta Gobinda. The citations rituals ofJagannath temple, where Geeta Gobinda is notonly sung, but also exhibited in dance form hasenriched the dance tradition of India such asManipuri, Kathakali, Bharata Natyam and Odissi.No dance programme can be complete without

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Geeta Gobinda. This is a clear example of nationalintegration. The symbol of Odia integration andnationalism has also become a symbol of Pan-Indian consciousness. The great poet PanditGopabandhu Das has written in his poem “nowork is stopped in the absence of a leader; theboat of religion moves with the influence ofreligion. There is no need of leader in Great Utkal;as Lord Jagannath is the leader of the land”.

The researcher, Dr. Shubhakanta Beherahas commented on Lord Jagannath that “as wesaw, the Jagannath cult has a mythic pastconstructed in the legend of its origin; it is highlyeclectic, able to accommodate all Hindu faiths andtraditions, even Buddhism and Jainism and it hashad a long history of the God-Kings relationship.In consequence, Vishnu/Purusottama wastransformed from Pan-Hindu deity to an Odiadeity called Jagannath, although His Pan-Hinducharacter was retained. He came to assume themeaning of unifying force of common religiousexperience of the people inhabiting in the region.So it may be argued that these aspects of theJagannath cult, namely, a constructed if mythicpast, eclecticism and king cult nexus gave to LordJagannath, a new meaning of collectiveconsciousness (Construction of an IdentityDiscourse – Page – 42-43-; Dr. S. Behera, M.M.Publisher Pvt.Ltd.-2002).

Jagannath is not the Lord of the soil ofOdisha. He is the promoter of the thought andconsciousness of Pan-Indian feeling and thesymbol of universal unitarism. His philosophy isthe philosophy of the universe and His existence

is embedded in various philosophies of the world.The critic Guru Charan Pattanaik has righty said"ethics, justice, integrity and principle are the basicthings. Those are elements of humanity. Man isstriving relentlessly to acquire those idealism. Buthe has no balance to measure. In that society,man expresses humanitarian by nature. SimilarlyJagannath expresses His greatness when LordJagannath in every society uses its greatness, manalso loses humanitarian ties. Hence, men becomeJagannath and Jagannath transcend to men. Menattain salvation by realising Lord Jagannath,similarly Lord Jagannath also gets salvation bydissolving himself in the vast humanitarianhumanitarianism (Book Jagannath Darshanare-Jagata by Guru Charan Pattanaik, Odisha BookStore-1998 Page-353).

The Jagannath consciousness is embeddedin the universal consciousness and has a greatmantra of humanitarianism. Down the ages it hasgiven a clarion call of mingling with the soul ofuniverse. This Jagannath philosophy, which hasgiven shape and colour to universal life containsand manifests truth down the ages that promotesOdia nationalism and integration, complementsand supplements pan-Indian nationalism andcorrelates the feeling of unity and integrity all overthe world.

Dr. Alekh Chandra Padhiary, Plot No. 1727/2652,Nilakantheswar temple area, Baramunda, Bhubaneswar-751003.

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Education occupies a significant place in ourConstitution and culture. There has beenconsistent emphasis on free and compulsoryeducation for children in this country for a longtime. The Hunter Commission in 1882-83, almost125 years ago, recommended UniversalEducation in India. It proposed to make educationcompulsory for the children.

The Government of India Act, 1935provided that “education should be made free andcompulsory for both boys and girls”. Whiledebating in a bill in Imperial Legislation Councilin 1911, Shri Gopal Krishna Gokhale stronglyadvocated that elementary education should beboth compulsory and free. The framers of theConstitution placed free and compulsoryeducation ‘in the Directive Principles. The un-amended Article 45 provided that:

“The State shall endeavour to provide, withina period of ten years from the commencement ofthis Constitution, for free and compulsoryeducation for all children until they complete theage of fourteen years.”

The Kothari Commission on Education setup by the Government of India in 1966 stronglyrecommended free and compulsory education forchildren up to 14 years. The Commissionobserved that there is no other way for the poorto climb their way out of this predicament.

Constitutional Necessity of Pre-School Educationin Odisha: A Critical Analysis

Dr. Premananda Paul

Rationality of Pre-School Education Reviewof research on Pre-school Education suggests thatpre- primary education is very important for thedevelopment of young children before they enterformal school1. This education restructure thecognitive development of children at the earlygrades of primary education and it has strongbearing on attendance and participation ofchildren once they enter primary school. Pre-primary education is considered to be veryimportant for the child as it is the first step towardsentering the world of knowledge as well as ahealthy and purposeful life2. Pre-primaryeducation helps children become moreindependent and confident as well as promotingthe all round development of the children.3

Children who have been inducted in to pre-primary schools tend to learn more rapidly throughan organized curriculum, learning aids and byinteracting with other children. The main purpose,of pre-primary education is to prepare childrenphysically, emotionally, socially and mentally forformal schooling and to prevent poor performanceand early drop out. It also helps older children,particularly girls, to attend their schools makingthem free from responsibility of sibling care4. Withincreasing numbers of nuclear families and a lackof family support, pre primary school educationis gaining importance. Availability of quality pre-primary education will promote inclusiveeducation and meaningful access to school

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education by increasing enrolment and reducingthe vulnerability of children to failure and dropout at later stages of education.

Policy Initiatives for Pre-SchoolEducation in India: India has 158.7 million childrenin the 0-6 age group as per the 2011 Census5.The approximate coverage is about 34 millionchildren by the pre-schooling initiatives underICDS. According to Annual Survey of EducationReport (ASER) 20116, Around 25,453 millionchildren enrolled in 456994 ICDS Centres ofIndia but only 31 percent of them attend andparticipate there in a regular basis. Five of theeight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) inthe UN Millennium Declaration relate to the health,nutrition, and education of the young child. TheGovernment of India recognizes the significanceof ECCE, which has been included as aconstitutional provision through the amendedArticle-45 (The Constitution Act, 2002) whichdirects that “The State shall Endeavour to provideECCE for all children until they complete the ageof six years”. The National Policy on Education(1986), recognizing the crucial importance of earlychildhood education, recommended strengtheningECCE programmes not only as an essentialcomponent of human development but also as asupport to universalization of elementaryeducation and a programme of women’sdevelopment.

The Human Resources DevelopmentMinistry is looking at ways to bring pre-schooleducation, which covers children between fourand six years, within the ambit of the Right toEducation Act. This is in consonance with thesuggestion made by the Sonia Gandhi-led NationalAdvisory Council.

However, the logistical and financialpressures of the inclusion of approximately fourcrore children under the RTE appears to be amajor concern for the State. But, it is argued thatthe inclusion of pre-school learning under the free

and compulsory education law could pave the wayfor reforming early years of learning. However, afinal decision on increasing the ambit of the RTEis expected to be taken by the end of July, 2013.The inclusion of children between the ages of fourand six years will mean reworking the ambit ofthe Ministry of Women and Child Development,which administers Integrated Child DevelopmentSchemes (ICDS) targeting children below the ageof six years. An inter-ministerial taskforce headedby Planning Commission member has beenconstituted to study at restructuring ICDS.7

The Integrated Child Development Services(ICDS) and the Balwadi programme of SarvaShiksha Abhiyan (SSA) focus on ECE andchildhood development. However, theseprogrammes have been limited in their scope.ICDS was conceived as a comprehensive earlychildhood intervention, but it faces a number ofchallenges in its delivery. In implementation it isprimarily a nutrition and health programme and8

the preschool aspect has been neglected or atbest, poorly delivered’. The quality of provisionis largely dependent on the skills and commitmentof community Anganwadi Workers who, alongwith the Anganwadi helpers, are responsible formost aspects of management, enrolment ofchildren and the daily programme held at theAnganwadi Centre. Anganwadi Workers havemostly completed secondary education andreceived some level of training, whilst helpers areoften largely uneducated or have only gonethrough basic primary schooling. Studies havehighlighted that workers are overburdened andunder-skilled to meet the demands of theprogramme: They have little time and capacity tofocus on stimulating and developmental 9 activitieswith the children. As the Eleventh Five Year Planstated, the lack of universal pre- 14 schoolingmeans that even enrolled children are lessparticipative in class. In addition there has beenno national level comprehensive policy or clearbenchmarks to drive the delivery of ECE.

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Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)and Early Child Education (ECE) schemes such10

as creches and the Balwadi programme,preschool education is limited and does notcurrently provide the requisite inputs for optimalgrowth and development11. Nationwide studiesshow that less than half the Anganwadi Centresof the Integrated Child Development Services12

(ICDS)programme in India actually have learningmaterials for children and many states report13

‘nil” yearly expenditures of preschool kits allocatedin the regular ICDS budget . Research has shownthat the poorest and most marginalized are morelikely to drop out of primary school when thefoundations of school readiness are not strong.Therefore, quality of early learning has become agrowing concern for children in India.

The NAC is of the view that the ministry’sAnganwadi programme should cover children upto the age of four. Simultaneously, the PlanningCommission’s sub-group on elementaryeducation is examining the possibility of wideningthe reach of the Right to Education to includechildren between the age of four and six years.The sub-group of the Central Advisory Board ofEducation, which is examining the possibility ofextending the free and compulsory education lawto cover secondary education, will also be askedto look into the inclusion of pre-school learning.14

In its present form, the Right to EducationAct, 2009 covers school education from classes1 to 8. The biggest impediment to include childrenbetween the age of four and six years under theRTE is the logistical and financial pressure that itwill entail. The move will mean adding four crorechildren to the free and compulsory educationrecipients. It will also require setting up additional10 lakh classrooms, and hiring at least 10 lakhtrained nursery teachers. An estimate suggests thatit will cost at least 2 lakh per classroom toimplement the expansion plan. There will also berecurring costs such as teachers’ salaries, learning

materials. The biggest cause of concern wouldbe about trained nursery teachers. There is alsoapprehension about evolving a new system ofconvergence with the health sector to ensure thegrowth monitoring component of the ICDS is notlost.15

Pre-School education in Odisha:

There are a number of problems with theOrissa Right of Children to Free and CompulsoryEducation Rules. At least 76 per cent of the statechildren within the age group of three and six yearsare deprived of pre-school education, which isinstrumental in ensuring a child’s readiness toattend primary education at the subsequent stage.“The Odisha government has intentionallyintroduced the term ‘Pre-Primary School /Anganwadi Centre’ in the Rules. This does notreflect the pre-school provision in conformity withprovisions of the Right of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Act,” “As a result, severalchildren belonging to disadvantaged communities,particularly those from indigenous communities,will be deprived of quality early childhoodeducation which is a strong foundation forrealization of Right to Education Act,” Some ofthe key issues of ECCE that needs to beaddressed inter alia includes -

a. Imbedding the Early Childhood Care andEducation in the “Right of Children to Freeand Compulsory Education Act 2009 as anintegral part.

b. Facilitate dialogue between the Centre andStates for accelerated implementation of theRight to Education Act, to compensate forthe missed deadlines.

c. Generating appropriate push on respectiveministries under your control to strengthensynergy between multiple departments andministries to ensure smoother implementationof key provisions.

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d. Universalize and mainstream Early ChildhoodCare and Education (ECCE) as a fundamentalright.

e. Making necessary amendment to include 0to 6 and 14 to 18 years aged children in theright of children to free and compulsoryeducation Act 2009 which will take care ofour own commitment as well as Educationfor All goals.

f. Ensurance of mother-tongue based pre-school education for 3-6 years children andallow scope to make Anganwadi centresvibrant through qualified and trainedAnganwadi workers who can deal withpsycho-social cases of the children.

g. Creation of child-friendly atmosphere inAnganwadi Centres and assure an enhancedbudget under ICDS in the state.

Heading towards Positivity:

Odisha’s ICDS intervention indecentralization of Supplementary NutritionProgramme for ICDS centres has beenappreciated by Commissioners of Supreme Courtof India. Efforts made by Government of Odishain W & CD Dept. to decentralize the productionof supplementary nutrition involving communitythrough local women group is the best practiceand the Planning Commission has recommendedthe model to be followed by other states. Inanother development the Evaluation Report onICDS by Planning Commission has alsodesignated Odisha as a ‘High Performing State’.The Report has mentioned that Odisha’s frequencyof delivery of SNP services is more than 80%.The Planning Evaluation Organization (PEO) ofPlanning Commission in its quick evaluation studyof Major Developmental Programmes in left winginfected districts also found out high level ofsatisfaction among people for AWC services inleft wing affected areas. The State has advised toempower the Janch committees and Mothers

committees with more knowledge and informationon nutrition and stressed for their orientation andtraining at block level through reliable NGOs. TheDepartment has been advised to develop acomprehensive plan for communication onnutrition in consultation with experts from StateInstitute of Health and draw up a year longcalendar or communication activities. The statehas instructed the departments to undertaketraining programmes for SHG engaged in THR(Take Home Ration) production and ICDSsupervisors about how to maintain nutrition levelin THR.

The Government of Odisha has launchedtwo programmes ‘Shakti Varta’ and Arunima atthe State Secretariat. Shakti Varta is targeting forthe Self Help Groups and ‘Arunima’, is aprogramme for pre-school education. ShaktiVarta programme will cover a total of 1 lakh 40thousand Self Help Groups (SHGs) in 24 thousandvillages across the state. Shakti Varta’ will focusmainly on problems relating to malnutrition, health,safe drinking water and sanitation in the respectiveareas. ‘Arunima’, a programme is jointlyproduced by the State government and UNICEF,the project focuses to create a friendly educationalenvironment for children16.

Constitutionality of Pre-School Education :

Article 21A, which reads as follows, placesone obligation primarily on the State: “The Stateshall provide free and compulsory education toall children of the age of six to fourteen years insuch manner as the State may, by law, determine”.By contrast, Article 51A(k), which reads asfollows, places burden squarely on the parents:Fundamental duties - it shall be the duty of everycitizen of India who is the parent or guardian toprovide opportunities for education to his child.or, as the case may be, ward between the age ofsix and fourteen years.”

The Constitution directs both burdens, toachieve, one end; the compulsory education of

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children, free from the fetters of cost, parentalobstruction, or State inaction. The two articlesalso balance the relative burdens on parents andthe State. Parents sacrifice the education of theirchildren, by sending them to school for hours ofthe day, but only with a commensurate sacrificeof the State’s resources. The right to education,then, is more than a human or fundamental right.It is a reciprocal agreement between the Stateand the family, and it places an affirmative burdenon all participants in our civil society.17

In Ashoka Kumar Thakur’s case the Apex

Court observed :

It has become necessary that theGovernment set a realistic target within which itmust fully implement Article 21A regarding freeand compulsory education for the entire country.The Government should suitably revise budgetallocations for education. The priorities have tobe set correctly. The most important fundamentalright may be Article 21A, which, in the largerinterest of the nation, must be fully implemented.Without Article 21A, the other fundamental rightsare effectively rendered meaningless. Educationstands above other rights, as one’s ability toenforce one’s fundamental rights flows from one’seducation. This is ultimately why the judiciary mustoversee Government spending on free andcompulsory education”

The Right of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Act, 2009 was enactedto provide the following:

a. that every child has a right to be provided fulltime elementary education of satisfactory andequitable quality in a formal school whichsatisfies certain essential norms andstandards;

b. “compulsory education” casts an obligationon the appropriate Government to provideand ensure admission, attendance andcompletion of elementary education;

c. “free education” means that no child, otherthan a child who has been admitted by his orher parents to a-school which is not supportedby the appropriate Government, shall be liableto pay any kind of fee or charges or expenseswhich may prevent him or her from pursuingand completing elementary education;

d. the duties and responsibilities of theappropriate Governments, local authorities,parents, schools and teachers in providingfree and compulsory education; and

e. a system for protection of the right of childrenand a decentralized grievance redressalmechanism.”

In terms of Section 2(c) a child is definedas a male or female child of the age of six tofourteen years. It is not in dispute that “the Acthas been enacted in terms of Article 21A of theConstitution. That Article makes free andcompulsory education a fundamental right tochildren of six years of age to fourteen years ofage. The above Article does not deal with thefundamental rights for free and compulsoryeducation to children of less than six years of age.Rather Article 45 of directive principles of StatePolicy only provides that the State shall endeavourto provide early childhood care and educationfor all children until they complete the age of sixyears. Therefore pre-school education is notcovered under fundamental right. However, thestate is under legal obligation to facilitate pre-school education under the Directive Principlesof State Policy. The ambit of Education in the earlychildhood years is much broader than pre-schooling, incarcerating learning through earlymotivation, guidance and a range ofdevelopmental activities and opportunities. Youngchildren’s experiences in the first years producethe groundwork for successive learning in laterphases. Therefore, no society should leave anychild behind. ECCE is potency for human poisethat transports advantage for the entire life. In

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terms of Right to Early Childhood Care andEducation in the Right of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Act 2009 there is an urgentneed to recognize the whole process of childcare,childhood and education as one organic stagewithin which mutually complimenting andsupplementing stages like pre-natal, post-natalcreches, pre-school, primary, elementary,secondary higher secondary etc. has beenvisualized in order to make the process moredynamic and continuous. Child development andeducation are inseparable organic process ineducation. It is important to mainstream EarlyChildhood Care and Education in the Right toEducation Act till 18 years that includes all earlychildhood care and education. Internationalcovenants like United Nations Convention ofChild Rights (UNCCR), Education for All (EFA)2000 and many other commitments where Indiais a signatory are obligations to rethink the earlychildhood care and education. This serves as aschool readiness programme. There is a need ofcontinuous debate and putting pressure on thesystem so as to make it a political agenda. ECCEcan be very effective for drop-out and out ofschool children. There should more advocacyinitiatives for its inclusion in the Act so that it canbe realized like RTE Act 2009.

References :

1. Mehta, A.C. (2010) Analytical Report 2007-08,Elementary Education in India: Progress towardsUEE, New Delhi: NUEPA.

2. Jyotsna Pattnaik, Early childhood education inIndia: History, trends, issues, and achievements,Early Childhood Education Journal FALL 1996,Volume 24, Issue 1, pp 11-16

3. V., Jandhyala, K. and Saihjee, A. (2003) Throughthe Life Cycle of Children-.Factors that Facilitate/Impede Successful Primary School Completion.Economic and Political Weekly, 22-28 November,38(47) pp. 4994-5002.

4. Govinda, R and Madhumita Bandopadhyay (2008)Access to Education in india county analyticalreview. New Delhi Brighton NUEPA anduniversity of Sussex.

5. http:// censusindia .Gov. in.

6. www. Asercentre.org/Report of the interministerial group on ICDS restructuring, 2011planning commission of inida, government ofIndia. New Delhi, http://planning commission.gov.in/reports/genep/rep-icds2704pdfy

7. India’s undernourished children: a call for reformand action, health, nutrition and population serieschapter 3 enhancing the impact of ICDS MicheleGragnolati Caryn Bredenkamp, Meera Shekar,Monica Das Gupta, Yi-Kyoun lee, The World BankWashington DC, 2006.

8. Pathways through early childhood Education inEthiopia, India and Peru-Rights Equity andDiversity, Working paper 54 Young Lives, MartinWoodhead, 2009.

9. Position paper national focus group on earlychildhood education, National Council ofEducation Research and Training (2006).

10. Three decades of ICDS appraisal (http://wcd.nic.in).

11. ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme for earlychildhood development of the government ofIndia incorporating package of nutrition and earlychildhood education services, services convergeat an Anganwadi cnetre which is managed by anAnganwadi worker.

12. Sub Group report on early childhood educationin the 11 five year plan paragraphs 82-84 http://Wcd.nic.in wgearlychild.pdf.

13. Statement showing status of procurement of pre-school kits during the year 2004 to 2009 http://wcd. nic.in/ (ICDS Data tables)

14. http://articles.economictimes indiatimes.com/2011-07-22 news/2980357 -1compulsoryeducation act-school education.

15. http:// www.orissadiary.com/current news.aspid40990

16. Avinash mehrotra v. Union of India & Ors 2009(6)SCC398.

17. Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India (2008)6SCC-New Delhi.

Dr. Premananda Paul, Khuruntia, Nalgaja, Mayurbhanj-757073.

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Tourism is essentially a pleasure activity whichinvolves the movement of people outside of theiroriginal place of residence for a short stay duringwhich the tourists should never be involved in anykind of earning activities. It revolves around threeP’s (i.e. People, Product and Place) and all kindsof possible interrelationships that can exist inbetween them. Tourism is comparatively a biggeraspect and it takes into it’s fold so many differentstream of studies like archaeology, wildlife, hotels,transportation, museology etc... The ultimatesuccess of tourism depends on the individualsuccess of all that it encompasses. The conceptof tourism is as primitive as the human civilizationitself. Seeing new places is an inherent humandesire. With the change of time and technology,travelling has become easier and faster andtraversed a journey from an unconscious affair toa very much focused and conscious affair.

All the places in the world can never beconsidered as tourist destinations. Only thoseplaces having certain features that are appealingand catch the fascination of the potential touristscan be referred as tourist destinations. Adestination may have multiple number of touristattractions. Again a tourist attraction may bebroadly categorised under two heads and thoseare (a) natural tourism attractions like all thosebounties of nature (mountains, rivers, lakes,

Museum and Tourism: Overlapping Interests

Manoj Mishra

waterfalls, deserts, rivers, hot/cold springs, forestsetc……). (b)Manmade tourism attractions and(like staged exhibits in a museum or art gallery,temples, handicrafts, handlooms, culturalperformances, zoos, local cuisines etc…. Thetourism product is composite in nature andincludes everything that the tourists purchase, see,experience and feel from the time they leave homeuntil the time they return. The tourism product alsoinvolves experiences and expectations which arenot directly purchased but which nevertheless, stillform part of the overall package. Thus museumsstand as the most sought after manmade tourismproduct being looked for by the tourist communityin every destination. A growing number of visitorsare becoming special interest travellers who rankart, heritage and / or other cultural activities asone of the top five reasons for travelling. Travellerswho engage in cultural tourism activities visit thefollowing –

Art galleries, theatres and museums.

Historic sites, communities and landmarks.

Cultural events, fairs and festivals.

Ethnic communities and neighbourhood.

Architectural and archaeological treasures.

The demographic profile of the culturalheritage travel segment today is younger, wealthier,more educated and more technologically savvyin comparison to the past profile.

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Now let’s switch over to the definitionand the related aspects of museums. A museum

is an institution that conserves a collection ofartifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic,cultural or historical importance and makes themavailable for public viewing through exhibits thatmay be permanent or temporary. Most largemuseums are located in major cities throughoutthe world and more local ones exist in smallercities, towns and even the countryside. Museumshave varying aims, ranging from servingresearchers and specialists to serving the generalpublic. The continuing acceleration in thedigitization of information, combined with theincreasing capacity of digital information storage,is causing the traditional model of museums (i.e.as static “collections of collections” of three-dimensional specimens and artifacts) to expandto include virtual exhibits and high-resolutionimages of their collections for perusal, study, andexploration from any place with Internet. The citywith the largest number of museums is MexicoCity with over 128 museums. According to TheWorld Museum Community, there are more than55,000 museums in 202 countries.

From the above said descriptions about‘TOURISM’ and ‘MUSEUMS’, it is very muchapparent that Museums and Tourism are generallyconsidered two functionally separate fields.Museums are driven by the preservation andexhibition for the purpose of learning and Tourismis associated with the business of leisure andpleasure with vacations. While one requiresattention, the other entails relaxation. But on amore fundamental level both museums andtourism result from a common denominator andthat is travel, as the objects, traditions and thevisitors all travel, to and from the site. Thoughmost often leisure predominates over othermotivations for most of the visitors and that places

tourism attractions and museums at opposite endsvying for the same pool of audience, resulting in acurious mix of opportunities and threats.

In many cases the distinction between amuseum and a tourist site is not always distinctand the two often overlap. This situation meansthat museum and a tourist site must face similar ifnot the same set of challenges and prospects,when it comes to the management of the resourceand the visitors. Being products of a particularsocial context and period, embedded in the politicsof their settings, they follow the establishedconventions and practices of their genre. Butbecause they both rely on the common resourcei.e. the cultural heritage of the nation and bothrely on the same pool of audience/visitors/tourists,it is essential and even inevitable that they workin synergy, borrowing and sharing freely,experiences and “best practices” with each other.

It is certain that the growth of tourism hascontributed to the radical changes in museumsover the past few years, having direct reciprocalrelationship in terms of generating a positive twoway economic impact on each other. But whetherthese changes have been welcomed or evenunderstood by the entire museum and tourismcommunity is less certain.

Tourism and museums are certainlydifferent operations, but there are certain issuesthey hold in common. Though the objectives ofthese two sectors and disciplinary mandate arenot the same, it is an overstatement to say thesocial role and stakeholders are totally different.As I have demonstrated these two fields overlapand share some fundamental interests. Bothmuseums and cultural tourism do have certainsocial obligations or responsibilities in common,for instance regarding increased culturalaccessibility and understanding – and cross

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cultural communication. The same thing can besaid regarding other stakeholders, both local andnon-local, they are often the same and in manycases their interest in the success of these twosectors overlap. The resource that museums andcultural tourism share is the cultural heritage – andeven though each sector approach it in a differentway, a sustainable and responsible use of it is ofutmost importance for both of them. Tourism tendsto see the resource from the users perspective,while museums represent the conservationdimension. The overall challenge is to find thebalance between using and conserving theresource – and to my recognition, the platformwhere these two fields meet is related to theconception of sustainable development of thecultural heritage. The development of sustainablecultural tourism is the aim for the tourism sector,while sustainable cultural development might beseen as the vision for museums and theirstakeholders. Tourism’s concern on sustainabledevelopment draws it closer to the coreconceptions in the museum world, while the recentfocus on the public dimension in museums,including audience development and itsconceptions, gives them the opportunity to havea dialogue with the commercial world of tourism.The key to success is to develop a practicalrelationship, beneficial to both sectors, based ona solid theoretical ground and understanding.Tourism must develop an awareness of museumconcepts and practices, while museums have toseek to understand tourism and how it function.Communications are important since both sectorshave a lot to mediate to each other regarding thetheoretical approach as well as practical solution.A co-operation with the museum world isimportant for tourism, since most museums havecertain potential to attract visitors, includingtourists and as well to accommodate them.Museums offer unique opportunity for consuming

and experiencing cultural heritage withoutdamaging the resource. This is a businessopportunity. One example can be cited over here.That is all those tourists who are visiting theKonark Sun Temple are not positively visiting theASI Onsite museum in Konark. If at all, a singleprice ticket can be initiated and that would allowa tourist to visit both of them, then the footfall inthe ASI onsite museum at Konark will be definitelyhiked.

For tourism and its development, theresponsible use of the resources or the assets hasalso been recognised as a major topic in recentdecades and that discussion does even addressthe use of the cultural heritage. Theseconsiderations do overlap with the museums aimsand interests, since conservation and a responsibleuse of the cultural heritage is one of theirfundamental duties. This makes the museum amajor stakeholder in the development of asustainable cultural tourism as a key-actor inpreserving and promoting cultural heritage.

Co-operation with tourism is alsoimportant for museums. Cultural institutions asmuseums have to be able to take notice of andadapt to changes in their environment. The globalmarket-place and post-modern culture serve todissolve the distinctiveness of both ’culture’ and’leisure’”. It is possible to say that tourism standsfor users’ or the consumers’ values towards theresource that are represented by marketing andbusiness oriented approach.

Therefore tourism can introduce to themuseum world certain understanding of the profitsector methods, which deepens museums’ publicdimension, for instance related to audiencedevelopment. But multicultural nature of tourismcan also bring in the global dimension and cross-cultural perspectives, which are vital for museums

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to consider. It is important to recognize that themuseums are not only local phenomenon, theyare part of a global unit. The cultural heritagethat each and every museum represents is a partof the world cultural heritage and therefore it isimportant that in museums we are not onlyrepresenting us to ourselves. For the museums,tourism represent a variety of visitors withdifferent needs and expectations and when itcomes to audience development, his diverse andextensive group of audiences has to be recognisedand should never be seen as “the others”.

Perhaps all this seems to be obvious –and in fact I believe that the relationships betweenmuseums and cultural tourism is in most casesgood and practical, as earlier described. I alsobelieve that in the coming years there will be aneed for a closer examination on the theoreticalperspectives of this relationship. In that case, theconceptions of stakeholders, resource andsustainable development are of utmost importance– and since the disciplinary relationship betweenmuseums and tourism has been described as aparallel existence, the conception of sustainabledevelopment might be seen as the tangent, wherethe core ideology of both fields come together.

References:

1. U.N.E.S.C.O 1960 The Organization of Museum:Practical Advice, UNESCO Publication, Paris.

2. Thompson, J.M.A(ed) 1984 Manual ofCreationship : A Guide to Museum Practice.

3. Sahasrumbudhe, P (ed) 1966 Museums inCommunity Service, Delhi.

4. Ghoshmaulik,S.K and Basha,K.K (ed) 2001Understanding Heritage: Role of Museum,Academic Staff College, Utkal University,Bhubaneswar.

5. Mishra,Manoj( April, 2015). “Artisan Villages ofOdisha: A Concept of Open Air Museum” OdishaReview, Department of I & PR, Govt. of Odisha. pp80-83.

6. Sarkar, Tamal (May, 2011) “Artisanal Clusters:Towards A Brighter Future”, Yojana.

7. Sharma,K.K (2004) Tourism and Socio CulturalDevelopment, Sarup and Sons, New Delhi.

Manoj Mishra, S/O Dr. Narayan Mishra, At :Amalapada, Po : Nimapada, Puri- 752106.

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Energy requirements for the developing countriesin particular are met from coal based thermalpower plants. The disposal of the increasingamounts of solid wastes from coal fired thermalpower plants is becoming a serious concern tothe environmentalists. The coal ash, 80% of whichare very fine in nature and thus known as fly ashis collected by electrostatic precipitators in thestacks. In India nearly 90 million tones of fly ashare generated per annum at present and largelyresponsible for environmental pollution. Indeveloped countries like Germany, 80% of thefly ash generated is being utilized, whereas in Indiaonly 3% of fly ash is being consumed.

Coal based thermal power plants havebeen major source of power generation in India.In India 75% of the total power obtained, is fromcoal based thermal power plants. The coal reserveof India is about 200 billion tons and its annualproduction reaches 250 million tonsapproximately. About 70% of this is used in powersector. In India, unlike in most of the developedcountries, the ash content in the coal used forpower generation is 30-40%. High ash coal

Fly Ash From Thermal Power Plants -Disposal and Management

Dr. Manas Ranjan Senapati

means more wear and tear of plant and machinery,low thermal efficiency of boiler, slogging, chokingand scaling of furnace and most serious of allgeneration of large amount of fly ash. India is thefourth in the world to produce coal ash as the byproduct waste after USSR, USA and China inorder. Fly ash is defined in Cement and ConcreteTerminology (ACI Committee 116) as the “finelydivided residue resulting from the combustion ofground or powdered coal, which is transportedfrom the fire box through the boiler by flue gases.”Fly ash is fine, glass powder the particles of whichare generally spherical in shape and range in sizefrom 0.5 µm to 100µm. Fly ash is classified intotwo types according to the type of coal used.Anthracite and bituminous coal produces fly ashclassified as class F. Class C fly ash is producedby burning lignite or sub-bituminous coal. ClassC fly ash has self cementing properties. There areabout 82 power plants in India, which form themajor source of fly ash in the country.Theestimated thermal power generation, coalconsumption and ash generation in India is givenin Table-1.

Table-1: Thermal Power Generation, Coal Consumption and Ash Generation in India.

Year Thermal Power Generation (MW) Coal Consumption ( Million Tones) Ash Generation

( Million Tones)

1995 54,000.00 200 75

2000 70,000.00 250 90

2010 98,000.00 300 110

2020 1,37,000.00 350 140

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EFFLUENT AND DISPOSAL:

Disposal and management of fly ash is a majorproblem of coal fired thermal power plants. Thefly ash emissions from a variety of coalcombustion units show a wide range ofcomposition. All elements below atomic number92 are present in coal ash. One 500 MW thermalpower plant releases every day 200 MT SO

2, 70

T NO2 & 500 T fly ash approximately. Particulate

matter (PM) considered as source of air pollutantconstitute fly ash. The fine particles of fly ash reachthe pulmonary region of the lungs and remain therefor long periods of time and behave as cumulativepoisons. The submicron

Fig.1. Penetration of tiny particles into lungs

particles enter deeper into lungs and are depositedon alveolar walls where the metals could be

transferred to blood plasma across the cellmembrane (Fig.1). The residual particles beingsilica (40-73%) cause the disease Silicosis. Allthe heavy metals (Ni, Cd, Sb, As, Cr, Pb etc)generally found in fly ash are toxic in nature(Fig.2&3). Table-3 shows different diseasescaused due to the presence of these toxic metals.

Fig.2. Clean lungs of a patient from Himachal

Pradesh Fig.3. Dirty lungs of a patient from New

Delhi

Fig.3. Dirty lungs of a patient from New Delhi

Table-3: Diseases due to the Presence of Heavy Metals in Fly Ash.

Metal Content(ppm) Diseases

Nickel(Ni) 77.6 Respiratory Problem, Lungs Cancer

Cadmium(Cd) 3.4 Anaemia, Hepatic Disorder

Antimony(Sb) 4.5 Gastroenteritis

Arsenic(As) 43.4 Skin Cancer, Dermatitis

Chromium(Cr) 136 Cancer

Lead(Pb) 56 Anaemia

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Fly ash can be disposed off in dry or wetstate. Studies show that wet disposal of this wastedoes not protect the environment from themigration of metal into the soil. Heavy metals cannot be degraded biologically into harmlessproducts like other organic waste. Studies alsoshow that coal ash satisfies the criteria for land filldisposal as according to Environmental Agencyof Japan. According to the hazardous wastemanagement and handling rule of 1989, the flyash is considered as non-hazardous. With thepresent practice of fly ash disposal in ash ponds(generally in the form of slurry) the totalrequirement of land for ash disposal would beabout 82,200 Ha by the year 2020 at anestimated 0.6 Ha per MW. Fly ash can be treatedas a by-product rather than waste.

FLY ASH UTILIZATION:

The ash generated from volcanoes wasused extensively in the construction of Roman

structures. Colosseum (constructed in the year100 AD) is a classic example of durabilityachieved by using volcanic ash. Fly ash isgenerated in artificial volcanoes (coal fired).Volcanic ash acts just like fly ash obtained fromcoal fired thermal power plants.

THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM

During the last thirty years, extensiveresearch has been carried out to utilize the fly ashin various sectors, as this is not considered as

hazardous waste. Broadly fly ash utilizationprogrammes can be viewed from two angles i.e.mitigating environmental effects and addressingdisposal problems (Low value-High volumeutilization).

Following are some of the potential areasof the use of fly ash,

a) Fly Ash Bricks:

The Central Fuel Research Institute,Dhanbad has developed a technology for theutilization of fly ash for the manufacture of buildingbricks. Fly ash bricks have a number ofadvantages over the conventional burnt claybricks. Unglazed tiles for use on footpaths canalso be made from it. The awareness among thepeople is required and also the government hasto give some special incentives for this purpose.

b) Fly Ash in Manufacture of Cement:

Fly Ash is suitable for use as pozzolana.In presence of moisture, it reacts chemically withcalcium hydroxide at ordinary temperature toform compounds possessing cementitiousproperties. Fly ash has a high amount of silicaand alumina in a reactive form. That capability isone of the properties making fly ash a desirableadmixture for concrete.

c) Fly Ash in Distemper:

Distemper manufactured with fly ash inreplacement of white cement has been used inseveral buildings at Neyveli in the interior surfacesand the performance is satisfactory. The cost ofproduction will only be 50% that of commercialdistemper.

d) Fly Ash Based Ceramics:

National Metallurgical Laboratory,Jamshedpur has developed a process to produceceramics having superior resistance to abrasionfrom fly ash.

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e) Fly Ash as Fertilizer:

Fly Ash provides the uptake of vitalnutrients /minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mo, S &Se) by crops and vegetation and can beconsidered as a potential growth improver. Itserves as a good fertilizer.

f) Fly Ash in Road Construction:

The utilization of fly ash in making the roadbase and surfacing can consume a lot of ashresulting in gainful utilization of large quantity offly ash (Low value-High volume utilization).

CONCLUSION:

It has been recognized worldwide thatthe utilization of an enormous amount of fossil fuelhas created various adverse effects on theenvironment, including acid rain and globalwarming. An increase in average globaltemperatures of approximately 0.56 K has beenmeasured over the past century. This increase iscalled global climate change or global warming.The gases with three or more atoms that havehigher heat capacities than those of O

2 and N

2

cause the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide(CO

2) is a main greenhouse gas associated with

global climate change. The disposal, managementand proper utilization of waste products havebecome a concern for the scientists andenvironmentalists. Proper management of solidwaste fly ash from thermal power plants isnecessary to safeguard our environment. Becauseof high cost involved in road transportation for

dumping of fly ash, it is advisable to explore all itspossible applications. Pradhan Mantri GramaSadak Yojana (PMGSY) would be a successand economically viable project by utilization offly ash in road construction in remote and ruralareas. Every village in India will have concreteroads and large portion of fly ash can be consumedin this process. Concentrated efforts are neededto utilize the fly ash to manufacture building bricks,cement and ceramics, mitigating theunemployment problem as well.

References :

1. Clerk A. J., Disposal of ash from U. K. powerstation environmental problems and answers, June(1981).

2. Senapati M. R. Current Science, vol. 100, no.12, 25 June 2011

3. Japan's Environmental Agency NotificationNo. 13, 1973; Assay of metals and other contaminantsin industrial wastes.

4. Matani A. G., Res. J. Chem. Environ. Vol. 2 (3)September (1998).

5. Palit A., Coal ash utilization in India, UrjaJournal, 32(3), 39-44 (1992).

Dr. Manas Ranjan Senapati, Professor and Head, Deptof Chemistry, Trident Academy of Technology,Bhubaneswar-24, E-mail : [email protected].

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Abstract

In between 1921 and 1946 every time MahatmaGandhi came to Odisha he came with the faith ofa pilgrim and curiosity of a tourist. For him travelsand visits were opportunities to be in touch withthe people and to get a feel of the ground reality.If his first Odisha Visit (1921) was broadlyGopabandhu-centric then his second one (1925)was Madhubabu-oriented. Spread of Khadi andsocial inclusion of the Dalits were the centralthemes of Gandhiji’s 1927 and 1934 Visitsrespectively. His Odisha Visits not onlydemocratically ignited Odisha but alsomeaningfully transformed himself.

Introduction

This article intends to present a briefaccount of the Visits of Gandhiji to Odisha and toassess the core democratic messages underlyingthose Visits. Between 1921 and 1946 Gandhivisited Odisha eight times in all – the six othershaving been undertaken in 1925, 1927, 1928,1934 (twice) and 1938. Poverty and famine ofOdisha had deeply moved him. The stretch of 25years – 1921 to 1946 – during which Gandhivisited Odisha was also coincidentally andsignificantly the peak of the Freedom Movementphase. So Gandhi obviously wished to push hisdear causes like Khadi, anti-Untouchability andnationalism. He also wanted a more vigourous

A Brief Account of Gandhiji’s Odisha Visits

Abhiram Biswal

mainstreaming of Odisha. However, he did wellunderstand the subtleties involved in the region –nation, autonomy-solidarity and leader-massequations. He had reverence for Gopabandhuand Madhubabu. But he never undermined theordinary people of Odisha. He tried to establishcommunion with them and feel their pulse. He met,talked to, interacted with and got feedback fromall kinds of people – men and women, town-dweller and country-folk, Dalit and upper-caste,educated and illiterate, lawyers and students,majorities and minorities, employed and workingand fan and foe. His bonding with local subalternsand women helped him in broadening andfeminizing the social base and vision of his OdishaProject. He realized that at the real and deeperlevel democracy is also about ‘with the people’.In the company of the creative and critical massesof Odisha Gandhi was more than convinced thatone National Mahatma could be possible becauseof so many local and federal Gandhis.Gopabandhu was one such federal Gandhi, theGandhi of Odisha.

Visit Literature

Between 1950 and 1999, five significantworks or books were published touching uponvarious aspects of Gandhiji’s Odisha Visits. Thosewere by or from Binode Kanungo, GopabandhuChoudhury, Director of Public Relations (Odisha),Harekrushna Mahtab and Pabak Kanungo

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respectively. These works were broadlydescriptive, chronological, anecdotal andreminiscent types.

Eight Visits, Umpteen Messages

On his first Visit to Odisha MahatmaGandhi reached Cuttack on the morning of the23rd March 1921, the Dolapurnima day with wifeKasturba. There were welcomed by 30,000people, 72 Kirttan Mandals and 300 volunteers.Some of the places of Cuttack that Gandhicovered during this Visit were Swarajya Ashram,Kadam Rasul, Binoda Behary Temple, Kathjoririver bed and Tinkonia Bagicha. This Visit hadfour major objectives. Those were – getting toknow about the Puri Famine of 1920 first hand,seeing Gopabandhu, raising funds for the FreedomStruggle and persuading Odisha for greater andbetter participation in the Freedom Struggle.During this Visit Gandi had also been to placeslike Bhadrak, Satyabadi, Puri and Berhampur.

On being invited by Madhusudan DasGandhi came to Odisha on his second Visit andreached Cuttack on the 19th of August 1925. Hevisited the Utkal Tannery, the Leper Asylum, theBishop’s Chapel and also met members of theBengali and Muslim communities. He hadrecommended that the use of Charkha by oneand all could remove Odisha’s poverty. He alsoattended a spinning exhibition at the SwarajyaAshram organized by the ladies.

The famous third Visit of Gandhipopularly known as the Khadi Tour hadmaterialized in December, 1927. The tour helpedin propagating and popularizing the cause of Khadiwhich was the ethical economics and politicaluniform for the ongoing Struggle and Future India.Gandhi visited places like Berhampur, Bolgarh,Khurda, Puri, Balasore and Cuttack during thisVisit.

In December 1928 Gandhi had come ona special tour to Sambalpur which was his fourth

Visit to Odisha. A public meeting was held on thebank of the river Mahanadi where he listened tostories and reports about Sambalpur’s woescaused by both Nature and Administration.

The fifth and sixth Visits in May-June,1934 by Gandhi to Odisha were in connectionwith one of his life’s main missions – Harijan Upliftand Abolition of Untouchability. The two uniquefeatures of the Visit were these – it was apilgrimage on foot better known as the HarijanPadayatra. The foot march also started from thesymbolic soil of Puri.

Gandhi had reached Berboi (Delang) inMarch, 1938 on his seventh Visit to Odisha toattend the fourth annual session of the GandhiSeva Sangh. That session was also attended byRajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad,Acharya Kripalini, Mahadev Desai, JamunalalBajaj, Acharya Harihar, Gopabandhu Choudhury,Rama Devi, Nityananda Kanungo, BinodeKanungo and Thakkar Bapa among others.Gandhi was always in favour of the doors of alltemples being opened to people of all castes. Sowhen he came to know that Kasturba and othershave visited the Puri Temple without hisknowledge and approval he gave vent to hissacred anger.

Gandhiji’s last – eighth – Visit to Odishawas during his journey from Calcutta to Madraswith stoppages at Cuttack and Berhampur railwaystations in January, 1946. The stoppages providedhim with opportunity to experience mob frenzyand crowd behaviour. He did not appreciate thenoisy and chaotic gatherings at Cuttack since hebelieved that non-violence was that activistphilosophy and code of conduct which mustpervade all spheres of human speech and doing.

Conclusion

It is pertinent to pose and ponder overthe vital question – how did all these eight Visitsinfluence Odisha and also shape Gandhiji? A

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predominantly religious and cultural societygradually tended to become a political society.Gandhi treated the people of Odisha as authenticsocial capital. He gave Gopabandhu andMadhubabu their due without ignoring the Odiamasses. Gandhiji’s model of political leadershipand democratic education was such that he wasnot the one to be at the top but at the front andwith the people. He extended the definition ofdemocracy from of, by and for the people to withthe people. He was so overwhelmed byGopabandhu’s selfless service that he went tothe extent of saying that if he is given hundredGopabandhus he would attain Swaraj in one year.From Madhubabu he learnt the art and craft ofnon-cooperation and self reliance. Odisha wasclose to his heart. Odisha’s memory alwayshaunted him – particularly its poverty, famine,genius and skeletons. He wanted people to getrid of drinking, gambling, idleness and fear.

During Gandhiji’s Odisha Visits publicspheres like graveyard, riverbed, park, factorycompound, premises of religious institutions,Leper Asylum, Swarajya Ashram, river bank,mango grove, Dalit Busti, town hall, railwaystation, train, Kothi, bungalow, unclaimed pastureand open field were positively democratized andpoliticized. So also auspicious utterances likeHaribol, Hulahuli, Jai and Jindabad. He preferredlocal produce as his daily local diet – and also theuse, circulation and consumption of the same –not orange against mango or roti against rice.

People were coming to Gandhiji’s publicmeetings in large numbers to have a glimpse ordarshan of him, not just to listen him. He wassaying untouchability is without scriptural sanctionand it is access of all which turns stones intodeities. His Visits enthused many to join theNational Struggle and engage in constructivework. Gandhi Puran was written. Gandhi Khatuliwas in procession in areas which Gandhi couldnot visit. The Odia daily Gandhi Samachar came

out. His Visits had the magical impact oftransforming idols of straw and clay into livinghuman beings of idea, vision, feeling and action.

Notes

i) This article is broadly based on the findingsof the draft of this author’s doctoral researchwork titled ‘Gandhi in Odisha: PractisingDemocracy with the People’.

ii) The account of Visits being a brief one theplaces, names, events and episodesmentioned are indicative and not exhaustive.

References :

1. Choudhury, Gopabadhu – Gandhi and Utkal(Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1969)

2. Dalton, Dennis – Gandhi’s Power (New Delhi : OUP,2007)

3. Director of Public Relations, Odisha – Gandhiji inOdisha (1970)

4. Gandhi, M.K – The Collected Works of MahatmaGandhi, Volumes 19,28,35,57,58 and 66 (New Delhi:Publications Division; 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1974and 1976 respectively)

5. Goswami, K.P – Mahatma Gandhi : A Chronology (New Delhi : Publications Divisions, 1971)

6. Kanungo, Binode – Utkalare Bapujinka Padayatra( Cuttack: Gopabandhu Sahitya Mandir, 1950)

7. Kanungo, Pabak – Odisha O’ Gandhi(Bhubaneswar : Jnanamandal Foundation, 1999)

8. Mahtab, Harekrushna – Gandhi O’ Odisha(Cuttack : Cuttack Students Store, 1971)

9. Raghuramaraju, A(Ed.) – Debating Gandhi ( NewDelhi : OUP, 2008)

10. Ramagundam, Rahul – Gandhi’s Khadi (New Delhi: Orient Longman, 2008)

Abhiram Biswal, Reader in Political Science, RajdhaniCollege, Bhubaneswar – 751003.

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The story of Indian Handicrafts dates back to oneof the oldest civilisations of the world. IndianHandicrafts represents beauty, dignity, form andstyle. In the 1970’s, the government initiated thepreservation of crafts, skill upgrade, and focusedon the challenges the sector was facing.

However the focus shifted to export inthe later decades. It plays a significant role in thecountry’s economy and provides employment tomore than 7.3 million people; mostly from ruraland semi-urban areas. Based on historical trends,the Handicrafts sector is expected to grow by 16per cent during 2013–17 and by another 16 percent during 2017–22.

Handicrafts are part of Odisha’s richcultural heritage. Odisha has earned a uniquereputation for its cottage and handicraftsproducts which are mainly works of art andbeauty, designed and shaped by hand withcreative imagination of craft-persons from timeimmemorial. Odisha was once known as UTKALa synonym to excellence in the field of arts &crafts. Handicraft and Handloom products werethe mainstay of maritime trade of Kalinga Empire.Even to-day Odisha handicrafts have a globalrecognition as objects of great value and beauty.Generations of artisans have worked with superbcraftsmanship, innovative techniques andunmatched skill to produce valuable products thatcarved worldwide identity. Our precious

Performance ofHandicrafts Industry in Odisha

Dr. Sudhakar Patra

handicrafts are not merely products; they are anintegral part of culture, a long heritage link to ourglorious past. Recognition of our craft persons atnational and international level speaks theexcellence of craftsmanship. 129 Master craftpersons have got National Award and NationalMerit Certificate. Three master craft persons havebeen conferred with Padma award while ShilpiGuru award has been conferred on three reputedcraft persons. People of the state have inheritedan excellent legacy in preparing these products.The state in fact is considered as the land ofhandicrafts which are an integral part of ourcultural heritage. As many as 50 different craftsare practised by about 1.30 lakh artisans,dispersed throughout the State. The handicraftssector constitutes a significant segment of thedecentralized sector of the state’s economy asit provides employment to lakhs of artisansespecially in the weaker sections in rural andurban areas with less capital investment. TheState has several crafts in which many artisanshave been honoured with National Awardsincluding Padma Awards. During 2013-14,1,204 cottage industries have been establishedand gone into production with an investmentof Rs. 3.45 crore and providing employmentto 1,507 persons.

Structure of the Craft Sector

It is observed that the production matrixof the handicrafts in Odisha is structured in such

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a manner that the artisan workers notwithstandingtheir superb skill and artisanship always remainat the receiving end. In contrast, the traderentrepreneurs/merchant capitalists and themiddleman by virtue of their control over themarketing of the craft goods occupy the topposition of the production ladder. While the artisanentrepreneurs, who themselves are the mastercraftsmen occupy the middle position as theycannot afford to take care of marketing of thecraft goods on their own. Nor can they viablymanage a craft unit independently without takingwork order or job works from the traderentrepreneurs. Of course, to protect the interestof the artisan workers and to popularize andenhance the marketability of the craft goods, thegovernment has taken steps for the promotion ofboth primary craft co-operatives and apexmarketing society. But due to ignorance and lowlevel education of the artisan workers, the primarycraft co-operatives at the grassroots level virtuallyfunction like a trader entrepreneur units of the chieffunctionaries. Unlike other informal sectors, theproduction and organisational structure of the crafteconomy is more fluid and diluted at the level ofartisan workers. With years of work experiencethe artisan worker learns and acquires the craftskill. However, as the survival of the craftproduction depends on the marketability of craftgoods and this in turn depends on the workingcapital to run the production cycle, the traderentrepreneurs irrespective of their knowledge andskill continue to occupy the prime position, whilethe artisan workers are always placed at thebottom.

Odisha is famous for her handicraftswhich exhibit the skill and creativity of her artisans.Her brass work, silver work, terracotta artobjects, and applique work are unique examplesof artistic excellence.

(i) Brass and Bell Metal Ware

The fine engravings on brass and bellmetalutensils, bronze bangles and pots are important

aspects of Odishan art. Artefacts made of metal,particularly brass, find pride of place in the homesof Odisha. Beautiful lamps and lamp-stands areused during the worship of deities. Rice-measuringbowls made of brass are used in many homes.The artisans also make elephants and horses frombrass and decorate them with intricate designs.Containers of brass for betel-chewers aredesigned both to be useful and ornamental. Thereare household articles and utensils made out ofbrass and bell metal and they are of differentshapes and sizes. The brassware of Odishareveals the high workmanship of the artisans andtheir flair for innovation.

(ii) Terracotta and Pottery

Potters of Odisha still make earthen potsto be used in various religious and social functions.They are made in various shapes and sizes andare adorned with fish and flower motifs andgeometrical designs. Horses and elephants interracotta are made to meet local demands duringreligious occasions. These are offered to thevillage-goddess (Grama-Devati) to ward offdisease and danger. In size they range from sixinches to three feet. The potter also makes claytoys and simple and appealing figures of humanbeings. They catch the essential characteristics ofreal-life creatures. Terracotta toys are made inevery pan of Odisha. The toys are simple in designand bear the traits of the locality in which they areproduced.

(iii) Silverware and Filigree Work

Silverware of Odisha is very widelyknown. Her Filigree works particularly are uniqueexamples of artistic excellence rarely to be seenin any other part of India. Silver wires, extremelydelicate, are shaped into intricate designs. Formsof animals and birds, articles of daily use likevermilion receptacles are also made out of silverwires- Filigree ornaments, especially broochesand earrings are very popular among Indianwomen. Cuttack is world famous for filigree work.

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Scenes from the Mahabharat like the chariot ofArjuna driven by Lord Krishna are depicted insilver in particular interest done in silver. Onefeels amazed seeing the skill with which minutedetails of the chariot wheels have been worked.The beauty of the chariot, the proud stance of thehorses and the true-to-hi figures, all contribute tothe over-all majesty of the silver art effect.

(iv) Applique Works

Tailors at Pipli execute applique works,which are in great demand. Giant-sized umbrellasof applique work are produced for use on festiveoccasions. Also used as garden umbrellas insprawling lawns, they lend grace and colour toany gathering. Heart-shaped fans, big and smallcanopies and wall-hangings are also prepared outof applique work. The tailors cut out figures ofanimals, birds, flowers as well as geometricalshapes out of richly coloured cloth and these arearranged symmetrically on another piece of clothand sewn in place to produce an eye-catchingdesign. The rich splashes of yellow, white, green,blue, red and black colours dazzle the eyes of theonlookers and set the festive mood. Bags ofvarious shapes and sizes are also made withapplique motifs. Applique chhatris (umbrellas)and “tarasas” (heart-shaped wooden structurescovered with applique work and supported onpikes) are used to lend colour to religiousprocessions. Large applique canopies are anintegral part of marriage celebrations. In temples,canopies are hung over the deities to protect themfrom falling dirt.

(v) Horn Works

There are artisans in Odisha who aredexterous in providing articles of daily use likecombs, flower vases and pen-stands out of thehorn of cattle. The horn is polished smooth, andthen shaped into various forms. Cranes, lobsters,scorpions and birds made of horn are finished toa nicety. Their surface throws off a dark sombersheen and they catch the attention of all art-lovers.

(vi) Sarees and Other Fabrics

Perhaps the most popular item in Odishanhandicrafts is the handloom saree. The sareescome in a variety of designs and colours to suitevery taste and pocket. Generally the villagers inSambalpur district weave the sarees on looms inthe private or corporate sectors. Sambalpuricotton saris have a smooth finish and have adistinctly original border and pallu. Fish, conchshell and flower motifs are woven into the fabric.Sometimes animal motifs are also used todecorate the borders and pallu. Silk sarees arealso produced by village craftsmen from local rawmaterials. Khandua Pata saris have elaboratedesigns and a gloss which is attractive. Bapta saris

have cotton and silk threads in warp and woof.Berhampuri Pata saris are worn by orthodox andmodern women alike. The saris are named afterthe places where they are produced, the qualityof skeins used and the nature of the designs woveninto them. Hand woven bed sheets, bed covers,table cloths, curtains and dress materials ofOdisha are equally popular throughout thecountry.

(vii) Stone and Wood Carvings

Stone carving is an age-old craft ofOdisha. The descendants of the artisans who oncescaled the dizzy heights of excellence in templebuilding have kept the sculptural tradition alivethrough their hereditary craft of stone carving. Thecarved products include replicas of temples,images of gods and goddesses, the Konark wheeland horse, and decorative figurines like alasa

kanya (the indolent damsel), salabhanjika (ladyleaning against a sal branch), surasundari

(heavenly beauty), lekhika (lady writing a letter),etc. which are popular items of householddecoration. Wood carvings of Odisha are almostequally popular. They differ from the artifacts ofother states in so far as they are plain and shiningwith smooth polish and without any paint orcoating of lacquer work on them. Besides, Odisha

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has many other items of handicraft such aspaper mache, sola pith work, lacquer work, zari

work, glass beads, cloth garlands, camphorgarlands, jute carpets, rush mat, and above allthe sea shell works undertaken in Puri andGopalpur.

Performance of Handicraft and Cottage

Industry in Odisha

Handicrafts industry is the major sourceof income for the rural areas in India. Odisha isfamous for its art and craft all over the world.Odisha has earned a unique reputation for itscottage and handicrafts industries. People of thestate have inherited an excellent legacy inpreparing these products. The state in fact isconsidered as the land of handicrafts which arean integral part of our cultural heritage. During2013-14, 1,204 cottage industries have beenestablished and gone into production with aninvestment of Rs. 3.45 crore and providingemployment to 1,507 persons. The Table–1shows performance of handicrafts and cottageindustries scenario in the state.

Table-1 Performance of Handicraft and Cottage Industry in Odisha

Year No. of units Investment Employment Generated

established (Rs. In Crore) (no. of persons)

2000-01 22431 40.65 376412001-02 26196 61.72 369372002-03 25041 61.34 395282003-04 23287 67.87 397432004-05 18277 48.41 300522005-06 13363 39.42 227342006-07 13063 53.32 206052007-08 9011 38.3 153682008-09 9294 34.83 162792009-10 14539 37.55 283052010-11 7884 26.29 124312011-12 7293 30.31 91872012-13 1027 2.96 13932013-14 1204 3.45 1507

Source: Directorate of Handicrafts and Cottage Industries, Odisha

The Table-I reveals that the number ofunits established in 2001-02 was highest andduring the year 2012-13, the number of unitsestablished was 1,027. In terms of investment,the highest investment was made in the year2003-04 and lowest investment was made in theyear 2012-13. If we look at the employmentgeneration in 2003-04, 37,943 numbers of jobswere generated whereas in 2012-13 only 1,393persons were employed. If we analyze the last14 years data, the year 2003-04 had showngood growth in cottage scale and handicraftsector in the state in terms of number of unitsestablished and employment generated. The datafor the year 2009-10 is encouraging as 14,539units were established, 37.55 crores of rupeeswere invested and 28,305 people gotemployment. It may however be observed thatwith development and modernization, there hasbeen a visible shift in peoples’ choice from theproducts of the cottage industries to alternativeproducts available from other sources. In orderto address this issue, State Government havetaken various measures for strengthening

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infrastructure and financial base of this sector byassisting co-operatives and artisans foraugmenting production and sale.

Assistance to Handicraft & Cottage

Industries in Odisha

During 2013-14, 430 number ofartisans assisted under Rehabilitation ofHandicraft and Artisans (RHA) Scheme, bankcredit amounting to Rs.154.68 lakh has beendisbursed with the margin money support ofRs.38.67 lakh. Besides, 23 clusters covering 690artisans in 46 SHGs have been assisted under CraftVillage Scheme. A new scheme “Modernization &Technologies up-gradation of HandicraftIndustries” is being implemented in the state toenhance the productivity and to facilitate massproduction in handicraft sector. During 2013-14,26 number of entrepreneurs have availed loanamounting Rs.206.68 lakh with a subsidy amountof Rs.38.07 lakh under this scheme. Marketingassistance is being provided to co-operative/SHGs/ individual artisans through exhibitionsorganized inside as well as outside the state. During2013-14 about 770 artisans participated in morethan 105 different exhibitions / Melas including 58district level and 6 state level exhibitions with a salesturnover of Rs.187.36 lakh. The departmentaltraining centres established at state / district levelplay an important role in creating new generationcraft persons with adequate skill. Under this trainingprogramme 156 candidates completed and 136candidates are undergoing training during 2013-14.A scheme “Construction of Work shed–cum-Housing for Handicraft Artisans” was introducedto provide a hygienic environment with wellventilated and naturally lighted working place toartisans families to enhance their productivity.During 2013-14 a budget provision of Rs.40.00lakh have been placed with DICs for constructionof 56 number of work shed- cum-housing units in19 districts of Odisha.

Conclusion

Handicrafts have the potential to providegainful employment to the craft workers with verylittle financial investment mainly by exploiting theirinherent strength. It is necessary to appreciatethese emerging challenges and gear up thehandicrafts industry of Odisha in the interest ofrapid economic development and eradication ofpoverty. The handicrafts of Odisha are welladmired and highly accepted in national andinternational market. Cottage and handicraftsectors are symbol of Odisha’s culture andtradition. Its survival is not only necessary butalso vital for many those who depend upon thesesectors for their livelihood. The state and thecentral government should come forward tohelp these sectors for their growth and survival.The government should come forward to makethe handicraft product globally competitive. Thestate government should also go for developingdifferent clusters for these units. These clustersshould be provided with marketing assistanceand financial support. Time to time thegovernment should take steps to exhibit theproduct through trade fairs and exhibition. Itshould be done locally and also at national andinternational level. Steps should be taken torevive sick units through cheaper loan facilities.Subsidies, lower interest rate and easy creditpolicy have a greater positive impact on thesesectors.

Dr. Sudhakar Patra, Reader in Economics, RavenshawUniversity, Cuttack, E-mail : [email protected].

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PRIME MINISTER LAUDS ODISHA’S BUSINESS REFORMS

Odisha’s efforts on implementation of business reforms are getting noticed. In one of the recent tweets,Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi himself has appreciated the progress made by the State in ‘Ease ofDoing Business’ thus making it easy for businesses to set up and operate in the State.

The State has implemented a number of significant reform initiatives in the past 8-9 months. A facilitationcell has been set up to facilitate approvals and resolve investor grievances. Issues concerning more than50 projects have already been resolved by this cell. The timelines for various approvals have beenreduced. In fact, 42 services have been included under the State Right to Public Services Act. As perthe new business framework in the State, Green category industries get the approvals within 15 daysand other industries get the same within 30 days.

In a significant initiative, the State has exempted all Green category of industries from consent management.Also, the validity for consent to operate under various category of industries has also been increased tomake it easy for businesses to operate without frequent renewals. In terms of labour reforms, the Statehas launched a voluntary compliance scheme covering 18 different labor laws. Again, the scheme isdesigned to enable entrepreneurs for self-check and compliance with minimum inspections.

A number of technological initiatives have also been taken up. The State has set up a new website anda unique mobile app providing information about various policies, sector specific approvals and investmentopportunities. An online portal has been launched to provide information on land use and variousservices to a prospective investor for faster decision-making. The State Pollution Control Board isalready providing the consent under various Acts through an online system. Another 14 servicesconcerning different approvals for setting up the industries will be made available online very soon. TheState has also set up a first-of-its kind centralized inspection system to ensure synchronized inspectionsby all departments based on risk assessment of units using a computerized framework.

Going forward, the State is undertaking initiatives to remove all touchpoints for all registration andrenewal processes. A new electricity connection for all industries will be available based on onlineapplication. The State is developing a system for online assessment and approvals of building plans andwill be enacting a building code for the entire State.

Bibhuti Nayak, Information Officer

ODISHA UPDATE

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ODISHA TOURISM IN WTM 2015 TO WOO MORE

FOREIGN TOURISTS TO ODISHA

The World Travel Market (WTM) 2015, one of the biggest travel and tourism events of the world washeld from 2nd November to 5th November 2015. It is a global platform for buyers and sellers tointeract and discuss tourism related matters for business promotion. Odisha Tourism participated in theevent with an independent stall to showcase its incredible tourism products to attract more tourists,motivate tour operators, travel agents and buyers for visiting the State.

Odisha Tourism led by Shri L.N. Gupta, Principal Secretary, Tourism alongwith Director, Tourism ShriA.K. Samal and other officials attended the event. The stand was formally inaugurated by the SecretaryTourism, India Mr. Vinod Zutshi in presence of Shri L.N. Gupta, Principal Secretary, Tourism andOdisha officials and stakeholders. Odisha Tourism publicity materials, CDs and souvenir were distributedduring the event to potential Tour Operators and tourists visiting the Odisha Stall.

During the event, about 35 B2B business meetings and interactions were held with important TourOperators, Travel Agents, media representatives. Principal Secretary Shri Gupta made a presentationand addressed a group of more than 200 buyers highlighting various facets of Odisha Tourism.

A meeting was also held with the Regional Heads of India Tourism offices posted at London, Paris,Frankfurt, Milan and Amsterdam to promote Odisha aggressively through their publicity campaigns.They were requested to depute tour operators and tourist groups to Odisha.

The Principal Secretary & Director Tourism also met Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Goa and Gujaratand Secretary Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamiladu, CMD, ITDC and other leading TourOperators to exchange best practices and develop inter-state tourism promotion circuits / packagesand strategy. To attract more tourists and give a glimpse of Odisha’s culture, Odissi dance was alsoperformed through local artists during the event which was appreciated by many tourists.

Surya Mishra, Information Officer

BANKERS ASKED TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FINANCING FOR RABI CROPS &

IMPROVE CD RATIO IN THE STATE

All banks operating in Odisha have been asked to ensure adequate and timely advance of loan tofarmers for current Rabi crop. They have also been asked to go for re-phasing of Kraiff loan in view ofthe drought condition faced during Khariff season. This has been discussed and decided in the StateLevel Bakers Committee Meeting attended by Chief Secretary Shri Gokul Chandra Pati in the premisesof Hotel Mayfair. Chief Secretary has directed to revise the unit wise scale of finance for Rabi so thatadequate money would be available to the farmers to grow the crop and they would not be required toborrow from any other source. The banks have also been asked to ensure 100% agricultural insuranceof the crops so as to protect the farmers from any loss caused by calamities.

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The issues relating to improving Credit Deposit ( CD) ratio in the State, covering all villages throughbanking service, financing to priority sectors, improving the NPA position, skill development of ruralentrepreneurs through RSETI, Adhara seedling of bank accounts, implementation of CGTMSE schemefor advancing loans to small and micro entrepreneurs without asking for guarantee, financing for selfemployment projects under urban livelihood programme etc. prominently figured in the meeting.

It has been decided in the meeting that no bank will collect Khariff loan from the farmers at present andall banks will extend agricultural loans to the farmers for Rabi crop during 2015-16. The credit requirementthrough Kisan Credit Cards will be encouraged. Technical persons of the banks will advise farmers togo for more non-paddy cultivation to make up the loss incurred during the Khariff. As scarcity offodder is likely to be encountered more particularly in drought-affected areas, banks will also financefor fodder cultivation during this season. As of now, the district level technical committees in 15 districtshave already revised the scale of loan for Rabi crop. Chief Secretary has directed the lead bankmanagers and officers of Agriculture Department present in the meeting to revise the scale of finance forRabi in rest of the districts within 7 days.

Speaking on the occasion, Development Commissioner Shri U.N. Behera expressed concern aboutlow level of CD ratio during the current year and urged upon the banks to increase it to the level of morethan 85%. It may be pertinent to mention here that by September, 2015 the CD ratio in Odisha hasbeen recorded at 70% against that of 74% during the corresponding period of 2014. Though theoverall CD ratio in the State is above the benchmarking ratio of 60%, in some districts it is found below40%. The Lead Branch Managers of the districts having CD ration below 40% have been asked toconstitute sub-committees of the DCC and take necessary steps to scale up the CD ratio.

Participating in deliberations, Additional Chief Secretary Finance, Shri R. Balakrishnan emphasizedupon covering of all villages in banking service. The banks have been advised to scale up BankingCorrespondence (BC) and Banking Van models to cover all the villages at least once in a week.Available data shows that during 1st half of the current FY, 61 new branches have been opened in theState out of which 30 are in rural area. As of now, a total number of 4727 branches are operating in theState including 2584 rural branches. By 30th September, 2015 banks have covered around 39,392villages through banking correspondent model. Each bank has been advised to engage more bankingcorrespondents and banking vans to cover each village.

MS&ME DEPT. ACHIEVES 97.74% IN RFD IMPLEMENTATION

With implementation of a number of supporting policies and schemes for growth of MS&MEs in theState, the Department has achieved 97.74% in realizing the goals set in Result Framework Document(RFD) for the year 2014-15. This has been discussed in the high power FRD committee meeting heldunder the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary in secretariat conference hall, wherein Principal SecretaryMS&ME Sri Gagan Dhal presented the updates for discussion. It may be pertinent to mention here thatduring 2013-14 the department had also scored more than 92% in RFD evaluation.

Reviewing various activities undertaken by the department, Chief Secretary advised the department toinclude redressal of the grievances of MS&MEs under Odisha Public Service Delivery Act for their

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timely and appropriate disposal. Chief Secretary has also advised the department to develop an onlinesystem for sale of MSME products. It has been targeted to launch this online system of product deliveryby March, 2016. The department has further been advised to include the performance indicators likecreation of new MSMEs, availing the credit to MSMEs, improving the competitiveness of the MSMEs,consultancy under IPR-2015, marketing support to MSMEs through consortiums and youth innovationfund etc. in priority sectors in revised RFD for 2015-16.

Available data show that during 2014-15 the department has performed well in the indicators likeentrepreneurship development, creation of new MSMEs, employment generation, development ofMSME clusters, extension of credit guarantee fund trust support to MSMEs, capital investment subsidy,fiscal incentives to existing enterprises, technology & quality upgradation support to MSMEs, revival ofsick units, sale of Talgud, enhancing exports from the State, raw material linkage to MS&MEs andrecovery of loans etc.

U.K.Mohapatra, Information Officer

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THE ODISHA REVIEW TEAM

WISHES ALL ITS ESTEEMED

WRITERS, READERS AND

PATRONS

A VERY HAPPY

AND

PROSPEROUS

NEW YEAR

2016.

With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, 2015 has been a year ofachievements for the Government of Odisha. Under the dynamicleadership of our popular Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik, Odishahas experienced unprecedented development in every sphere. We inOdisha Review take pride in writing about it. So much ever we write, thepeople of Odisha crave for more. We are grateful to the people's ChiefMinister Shri Naveen Patnaik for his guidance in successful celebrationof Navakalebar and Ratha Yatra-2015. Besides, the participation ofOdisha in IITF-2015 at New Delhi is also praise-worthy.

We are also grateful for the unflinching support extended by ourHon'ble Minister Shri Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Shri Manoranjan Panigrahy, Director, Shri Sushil Kumar Dasand Joint Director, Shri Niranjan Sethi in bringing out this pricelesspublication.

I owe my gratitude to my team consisting of Smt. PuspanjaliPaikray, Shri B.C. Mishra, Shri B. Maharana, Shri M.R. Nayak,Shri D. Pattnaik, Shri H.K. Sahoo, Smt. S. Mishra, Shri A. Sethi andShri G. Dakua. I am also indebted to the Photo Section, Manager,Publication, Director and the team of Odisha Government Press, Cuttack.

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