Context: President of India unveiled the statue of eminent freedom fighter, social reformer, and pioneer journalist Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das at Lajpat Bhawan in New Delhi.
About Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das:
Who He Was?
- Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928) was an iconic freedom fighter, social reformer, educationist, poet, and pioneering journalist from Odisha.
- Revered with the title Utkalmani (meaning The Jewel of Odisha), he dedicated his life to national independence, linguistic consolidation of Odia-speaking regions, open-air education, and the selfless service of flood and famine victims.
Early Days:
- Birth & Childhood: Born on October 9, 1877, in Suando village near Puri, Odisha, to Swarnamayee Devi and Daitari Das. He lost his mother while still an infant.
- Student Activism: While studying at Ravenshaw College in Cuttack, he established the Kartavya Bodhini Samiti to cultivate social service, duty, and nationalistic consciousness among students.
- Sacrificing Law for Service: He earned his B.A., M.A., and LL.B. degrees from Calcutta University. Although he began a legal career in Puri and Cuttack, he soon abandoned practice to devote his life entirely to social reform, education, and anti-colonial agitation.
Contributions to India’s Freedom Movement:
- First President of Utkal PCC: Appointed as the founding President of the Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) in 1920, bringing Odisha into the mainstream of the national movement led by the Indian National Congress.
- Leading the Non-Cooperation Movement: Spearheaded Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement across Odisha, encouraging youth to leave British schools and courts, which resulted in his frequent arrests and imprisonment.
- Servants of the People Society: Deeply aligned with Lala Lajpat Rai’s vision of social work, he joined the Servants of the People Society (Lok Sevak Mandal) and rose to become its national Vice-President.
- Linguistic Unification & Utkal Sammilani: Played a pivotal role in the Utkal Sammilani, advocating for the administrative unification of fragmented Odia-speaking regions—a movement that ultimately led to Odisha becoming India’s first language-based province in 1936.
Key Works & Contributions:
- Satyabadi Bana Bidyalaya (1909): Founded an open-air residential school at Sakhigopal near Puri based on the Gurukula model. The school broke caste barriers by requiring students of all backgrounds to dine and study together while fostering patriotism and moral character.
- Founding The Samaja (1919): Started the historic Odia newspaper The Samaja in 1919 to inform rural populations, promote literacy, and highlight British exploitation. Written in simple, lucid Odia prose, it became a voice for the marginalized.
- Literary Masterpieces: An acclaimed poet and essayist, he authored inspiring nationalist literature during his incarceration, including Bandi R Atmakatha (Story of a Prisoner), Dharmapada, and Kara Kabita.
Last Days:
- Total Selflessness: Gopabandhu Das consistently put public service ahead of personal tragedy—famously continuing his relief work during a severe flood even while his eldest son lay on his deathbed.
- Passing (1928): Weakened by relentless physical exertion during disaster relief and illness contracted during public service, he passed away on June 17, 1928, at the age of 50.
- Legacy: Before his death, he willed The Samaja newspaper and his properties to the Servants of the People Society, leaving behind a legacy of public service and national commitment.
