Jharna Das – Borderless

Book Review by Prof Satya Narayan Misra

Title: Icons of Odisha – Lives that Shaped a State

Author: Bhaskar Parichha

Publisher: BK Publications Private Limited

Odisha had been in the past been under the hammer for its grinding poverty and wide spread starvation deaths, despite its rich mineral resources. Beneath the markers of its civilisation – its magnificent temples, hoary history of maritime trade and its resuscitation as a distinct linguistic state in 1936, lurks the story of individuals whose ideas, actions and creative energies have shaped the heartbeats of the land. Bhaskar Parichha, a writer and critic of repute, without being hagiographic has tried to capture the life, ideas and contributions of 30 such individuals from the 19^th Century to the present day, with the fond hope that they brush the imagination of the world.

Odisha has a very proud literary pedigree. Starting with Sarala Das in the 15^th Century, who is called Adi Kabi (first poet), and Upendra Bhanja in the 18^th century, who is called Kabi Samrat (emperor of poets) the father of modern Odia literature has to be Fakir Mohan Senapati.

Senapati was, as Parichha writes “to Odia literature what Prem Chand was to Hindi and Tagore to Bengali – the conscience keeper of his people.” He was a literary polymath, who explored almost every genre — poetry, translation, satire and fiction. He is best remembered as pioneer of modern Odia fiction. With his eye for realism and flair for humour, he created characters who were products of their times but universal in their emotion. His short story Rebati (1898), translated in to thirty languages all over the world, is a subtle commentary on gender, education and superstition, themes that resonate even today. Senapati’s contribution to the novel is monumental. Of his four masterpieces Cha Mana Atha Guntha (Six Acres and a Third, 1902), is widely recognised as India’s first novel on peasant exploitation. Preceding even Prem Chand’s Godan ( Gift of a Cow,1936), it was written long before Marxian ideas took roots in India, it’s a searing account of ruthless oppression of landless peasants in India. The other writer of eminence is Gopinath Mohanty. His empathetic portrayal of tribal life in Odisha in his landmark novel Paraja ( Citizens,1945) won him the Jnanpith award in 1974. Manoj Das, the bilingual master story teller completes the troika, whose stories Graham Greene considers have “the same quality as RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days, with perhaps an added mystery”.

Revered as the principal architect of modern Odissi dance, Kelucharan Mohapatra ensured that Odissi emerged not merely as a revived dance style but as a sophisticated, codified and spiritually grounded classical tradition. Among his celebrated choreographies are adaptations of Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda. His greatest legacy are his disciples like Sanjukta Panigrahi whose luminous performances and deep emotional expressiveness brought Odissi to national and international prominence.

In the field of music, Balakrishna Das is celebrated as Odissi musicologist, vocalist and renowned music guru. His proximity to Ghulam Ali and mastery of Hindustani music inspired him to make Odia traditional music more beguiling and effective. In the field of cinema, Jharna Das was a trail blazer. By bridging literature and cinema, classical arts and modern media, performance and public service, she helped lay the foundations of Odia cinema and broadcasting. Dinanath Pathy would be fondly remembered as a visionary Odia painter, art historian, scholar, curator and writer whose life was devoted to the preservation, documentation and global promotion of Odisha’s artistic heritage. Akshya Mohanty captures the popular genre of musicians who sang romantic ballads with equal felicity as devotional songs.

Rama Devi, Sarala Devi, Kuntala Kumari and Nandini Sathpathy are some of the women figures highlighted in the essays. Rama Devi is a beacon of women’s liberation, a distinguished freedom fighter and social reformer. Kuntala Kumari was a trail blazing Odia poet, physician, editor, and social reformer from colonial Odisha. Sarala Devi belonged to that first generation of Indian women who claimed a decisive role in public life. Nandini Sathpathy as the only female Chief Minister of Odisha earned the sobriquet of the “Iron Lady of Odisha”. She is also remembered for her literary achievements and showcasing of the cultures within the state.

Of all the politicians, Parichha has upheld Naba Krushna Chowdhury(1901-1984) who left behind a legacy of simple life and moral integrity he displayed as the Chief Minister of Odisha. He showed steadfast commitment to the underprivileged and implemented significant reforms and progressive policies. The politician, Mehtab, brought in to journalism rare integrity. Biju Patnaik, a politician whose biography had been authored earlier by Parichha, believed that industrialisation flows from the fountain of political power and he brought to politics a rare flash of colour, dynamism and was the tallest politician Odisha.

Madhusudan Das, remains the ultimate talisman of intellect, courage, compassion, whom Gandhi adored. Gandhi visited Odisha eight times, beginning with 1921, and in August 1925 when he came at the invite of Madhusudan Das to see his Utkal Tannery. Along with Madhu Babu, Pandit Gopabandhu Das wears the pride of place as the tallest Gandhian, who embraced his ideas of Khadi and Swadeshi and promoted cottage industries as a means for economic independence. His life stands as a luminous example of self-less service, incredible sacrifice and humanism that encompassed every aspect of Odisha’s journey – social, educational and cultural. Quite justifiably both Madhu Babu and Gopabandhu Das carry the epithet of Utkal Gaurav and Utkal Mani.

Parichha is highly respected for his clarity, sense of balance and insight. His choice of icons is both eclectic and discerning. Ideally, he could have included Sunanda Patnaik, who represented the best of classical music or Kanta Kabi Laxmikant Mohapatra who wrote an iconic patriotic song. All the same, his careful research brings out rare nuggets, which are both delicious and nostalgic. Hopefully, the secular culture that Odisha prides itself on will continue to thrive as will the independent spirit like that of writer Fakir Mohan, visionary like Madhusudan or Gandhian like Naba Krushna. The Icons of Odisha is an invaluable addition to any literary tapestry.

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Satya Narayan Misra is a Professor Emeritus and Author of seven books, the latest, Against the Binary, was published in December 2024. He is a regular columnist and reviewer of books for several leading newspapers in Odisha and national news digital platforms like Scroll.in and The Wire.

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

Click here to access Wild Winds: The Borderless Anthology of Poems

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Stories of Individuals who Shaped History

Title: Icons of Odisha – Lives that Shaped a State

Author: Bhaskar Parichha

Publisher: BK Publications Private Limited

Introduction

The history of Odisha is often approached through the visible markers of civilization—its ancient kingdoms, magnificent temples, maritime trade, freedom struggles, and political milestones. While these frameworks are indispensable, they do not fully explain how Odisha came to possess its distinctive moral and cultural character.

Beneath these historical structures lies another, equally powerful narrative: the story of individuals whose ideas, actions, and creative energies shaped the consciousness of the land. This book begins from that premise—that civilizations are not sustained by monuments and institutions alone, but by people who articulate values, challenge inertia, and imagine new possibilities for society.

Icons of Odisha: Lives That Shaped a State is an attempt to trace the making of modern Odisha through thirty such lives. These men and women belonged to different generations, professions, and ideological persuasions, yet each responded to the demands of his or her time with uncommon clarity of purpose. Their contributions—whether through literature, politics, education, social reform, music, dance, or visual arts—collectively chart Odisha’s transition from a region struggling for linguistic and cultural recognition under colonial rule to a self-aware society negotiating the complexities of modern democracy and globalization.

The temporal arc of this book broadly spans the late nineteenth century to the present. This was a period of profound transformation, marked by colonial intervention, the rise of nationalism, social reform movements, and the challenges of post-independence governance. For Odisha, these changes were especially significant.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Odia language and identity faced marginalization; administrative divisions ignored linguistic realities, and cultural confidence was under strain. The response to these challenges did not emerge solely from mass movements or political negotiations. It was shaped decisively by individuals who understood that language, culture, and ethics are the foundations of collective self-respect.

Language emerges as a central thread running through this volume. The struggle to establish Odia as a language of administration, education, and literature was inseparable from the struggle to assert dignity and belonging. Fakir Mohan Senapati’s pioneering realism transformed Odia prose into a vehicle for social critique.

Gangadhar Meher demonstrated that poetic excellence could arise from lived experience rather than elite privilege. Sachi Routray, Gopinath Mohanty, Ramakanta Rath, and Manoj Das expanded the thematic and aesthetic boundaries of Odia writing, ensuring that the language could address modern anxieties without losing its rootedness. Through their works, literature became a site of resistance, reflection, and renewal.

Parallel to this literary awakening was the emergence of a political consciousness grounded in ethical responsibility. Figures such as Madhusudan Das and Gopabandhu Das understood that political rights without cultural self- respect were fragile. Their efforts to unite Odia-speaking regions, build educational institutions, and mobilize public opinion laid the groundwork for statehood and democratic participation.

In the post-independence era, leaders like Nabakrushna Choudhury, Harekrushna Mahtab, Biju Patnaik, Nandini Satpathy, Rabi Ray, and J. B. Patnaik represented diverse approaches to governance—Gandhian idealism, mass politics, charismatic leadership, administrative firmness, and parliamentary propriety. Their careers reveal the tensions between ideals and power, and the enduring challenge of translating moral vision into public policy.

The book also foregrounds the role of culture and aesthetics in sustaining civilizational continuity. Odisha’s artistic traditions, particularly in dance and music, were once confined to ritual spaces and threatened by neglect. The revival and global recognition of Odissi were made possible by individuals such as Kelucharan Mohapatra, Sanjukta Panigrahi, Raghunath Panigrahi, and Balakrushna Dash, who combined rigorous training with creative reinterpretation.

In the realm of visual art and cultural scholarship, figures like Dinanath Pathy demonstrated that tradition could be preserved without fossilization, and modernity embraced without rupture. Popular music and cinema, shaped by artists like Akshaya Mohanty and Jharana Das, carried cultural values into everyday life, reaching audiences beyond elite circles.

A defining feature of this volume is its attention to voices that expanded the boundaries of participation. Women such as Rama Devi, Kuntala Kumari Sabat, Bidyut Prabha Devi, and Nandini Satpathy entered public and creative spaces at a time when such participation was constrained by social norms. Their lives represent different modes of resistance—quiet reform, lyrical assertion, intellectual challenge, and administrative authority.

Similarly, the inclusion of Raghunath Murmu underscores the importance of indigenous cultural assertion. By creating the Ol Chiki script, he transformed linguistic empowerment into a tool of cultural survival, reminding us that Odisha’s identity is plural and layered.

This book does not present these figures as flawless icons or distant heroes. Instead, it offers interpretive portraits that seek to understand what each life represents within a broader historical and cultural context. The essays focus on ideas, values, and influence rather than exhaustive chronology. In doing so, the book invite readers to engage critically with legacy—to see these lives as conversations across time rather than closed chapters of history.

The organization of the volume reflects a unique approach. Literary figures appear alongside political leaders; artists are placed next to reformers; revolutionaries share space with philosophers and administrators. This deliberate juxtaposition underscores a
central argument of the book: that the making of a civilization is a collective, multidimensional process. Progress in one domain is sustained by developments in others, and cultural vitality depends as much on ethical leadership as on creative expression.

In an era where public conversations are frequently influenced by quick reactions and disjointed thoughts, looking back at these lives has a more profound significance. It shows us that cultural confidence is developed slowly, through consistent effort and moral vision. The people honored here didn’t just react to their situations; they transformed what could be achieved within those situations. Their legacies push readers to confront tough questions about accountability, creativity, and a sense of belonging.

Icons of Odisha: Lives That Shaped a State is not only a book about the past. It is an invitation to reflect on the present and the future. To remember these lives is to recognize that heritage is not inherited passively but renewed through conscious engagement. The values embodied by these figures—integrity, courage, empathy, intellectual rigor, and cultural pride—remain as relevant today as they were in their own time.

Through their stories, this book seeks to affirm that the making of Odisha, like the making of any living civilization, is an ongoing moral and cultural endeavor.

About the Book

Icons of Odisha: Lives That Shaped a State explores modern Odisha through the lens of thirty-five impactful individuals—writers, reformers, artists, educators, and political figures—who engaged with their era through creativity and intent. Covering the fight for the Odia language and identity, the resurgence of dance, music, and literature, as well as ethical politics and cultural revitalization, these profiles illustrate how a region developed its self-awareness. Not a hagiography or a comprehensive biography, the book presents thoughtful essays that delve into ideas, values, and influence. It encourages readers to view heritage not merely as something that is passively inherited, but as a duty that is revitalized with each new generation. A reflective chronicle on Odisha’s history—and a contemplation of its present and future.

About the Author

Bhaskar Parichha is a journalist and author of Cyclones in Odisha: Landfall, Wreckage and Resilience, Unbiased, No Strings Attached: Writings on Odisha and Biju Patnaik – A Political Biography. He lives in Bhubaneswar and writes bilingually. Besides writing for newspapers, he also reviews books on various media platforms.

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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

Click here to access Wild Winds: The Borderless Anthology of Poems

Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles