Celebrating The Legend Of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das

Celebrating The Legend Of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das

“Raha Raha Khyane Bashpiya Shakata, Dekhibi Chilika Charu Chitrapata,
Chitra Mane Jenu Nahin Anubhav, Bastav Biswe Kie Chabi Sambhav?
Nila Bichimala Dhire Dhire Jaye, Lagayi Swapane Dekhila Paraye,
Santaranti Bakhye Pakhi Dala Dala, Olatina Tale Dishanti Jugala.”

These immortal lines from the poem ‘Rela Upare Chilika Darshana’ were penned by the legendary Odia poet and social activist Gopabandhu Das.

The lines describe the joy he experienced when he saw the majestic beauty of Chilika Lake from a train while being taken to Berhampur Jail by the British.

In Odisha, the word ‘Utkalamani’ is synonymous with Gopabandhu Das. Besides being a social worker, reformer and political activist, he was also a master of literature which he put to good use as a journalist, poet and essayist. Born on October 9, 1877, in a tiny hamlet in Puri, he was one of the earliest proponents of establishing the state of Odisha based on the areas where Odia is spoken.

Many Odias have grown up reading stories and anecdotes in school textbooks about Gopabandhu Das. His beautiful poems, especially, have left an indelible mark on many. 

Anshuman Dash, an IT engineer, told MCL: “I read the famous poem Rela Upare Chilika Darshana in Class 5 I guess. I used to have an amazing Odia teacher and he would describe the poem so vividly, I felt like I could see Chilika even though I had not been there back then.

“That is one of my favourite Odia poems and those four lines starting with ‘Raha raha khyane baspiya sakata…’ have been etched on my soul forever. I guess that speaks of the legacy and power of Gopabandhu Das’s words. Even though I studied in an English medium school, I have always had a thing for classic poems of Odia literature,” Dash added.

On the 143rd birth anniversary of the Utkalamani, My City Links takes a look at some of the lesser-known facts about his life.

1. Gopabandhu Das was married at the age of 12.

2. During a cholera epidemic, he asked the authorities to provide facilities for the patients. However, due to lack of response, he formed a voluntary corps known as ‘Puri Seva Samiti’, which led to the establishment of a separate hospital for cholera patients in Puri.

3. Gopabandhu Das was excellent at writing satire for which he was punished several times. But he always refused to apologise to the authorities who were unhappy with him criticising their apathy. 

4. He studied at Ravenshaw College. During this time, he encouraged his friends to be active citizens and tackle social, economic and political issues.

5. During a flood relief aid work, he got the news that his son was seriously ill. He, however, chose to serve the people because he believed that he should care for everyone and not just his family.

6. While studying law in Kolkata, he used to set up night schools for Odia labourers and cooks.

7. After getting his degree in law, he practised for some time at Mayurbhanj court. But it did not interest him and he left.

8. Gopabandhu Das established the famous Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya in August 1909 near Sakhigopal in Puri. The inspiration for Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya came from Shantiniketan, which was established by Rabindranath Tagore.

9. Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya was a first of its kind school in Odisha that focussed on holistic learning development of a student through experiments in a diversified curriculum like community approach in living and learning, student government, community work and social service. These innovations were subsequently tried out by John Dewey in America and were popularized throughout the world.

10. Gopabandhu Das was a nature lover and advocated the communion of human with nature because he believed that this could adequately promote a child’s physical, intellectual and emotional growth.

11. Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya was home to the famous Panchasakha who were Gopabandhu Das, Nilakantha Das, Godabarisha Mishra, Krupasindhu Mishra and Acharya Harihar Das. They were the forerunners of socio-cultural renaissance and pioneers of education in the state.

12. Once while having lunch with Mahatma Gandhi, who wanted to have some special dishes made for himself and Gopabandhu, Utkalamani refused to say that he can only have what everyone else is having.

13. Gopabandhu Das published a monthly magazine in 1914 called Satyabadi and started the weekly newspaper, Samaj, on October 4, 1919. 

14. During his imprisonment at Hazaribagh jail from 1922 to 1924, he wrote his autobiography called ‘Bandi Ra Atma Kahani (The Autobiography of A Prisoner)’.

15. Gopabandhu Das dedicated his life to the service of people. He believed that only education is the solution to all the problems in the world. 

His famous lines “Misu mora deha e desha matire, desabasi chali jaantu pethire | Desara swarajya pathe jete gaadha, misu tahin padi mora mansa hada” speaks volumes about this gem of Odisha. 

These lines have inspired many generations of Odias. Bidyadhara Mohanty, a government schoolteacher and social worker in Balasore, and his students are among them. Talking about how these lines motivate him every day, Mohanty said, “I always tell my children to be good human beings first. Only then they can learn to use their education for the benefit of humans and nature. I have been teaching for 25 years and I am happy that many of my students have been inspired by these lines and are doing their bit for everyone in every sphere of society.”