Historic site for a day, forgotten for the rest

Historic site for a day, forgotten for the rest

Come 15 August, Inchudi—the Dandi of Odisha—in Balasore district sees a flurry of activities to commemorate the village’s role in the Salt Satyagraha. The same is the case on its anniversary on 13 April, when people from all walks of life make a beeline for the Laban Satyagraha Smruti Pitha to keep their date with patriotism. For the rest of the year, it’s just a forgotten memorial to a glorious past.

“Inchudi is a historic site,but it is hardly known outside of Odisha,” says Balasore-based historian Manmath Nath Pradhan. “Though the area was declared as a tourist destination, it hardly sees any visitordue to the dilapidated condition of the memorial and lack of other facilities,” he complains.

In 1930, Odisha like the rest of the country was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s call for civil disobedience and breaking the British government’s Salt Law to launch its own vigorous struggle. The Salt Satyagraha movement was launched in Odisha under the leadership of Harekrushna Mahatab.

Following Gandhi’s call, a large group of Satyagrahis led by Gopabandhu Choudhury and Acharya Harihar Das marched on foot from Swaraj Ashram in Cuttack and reached Balasore on 12 April 1930. The next day, they broke the salt law at Inchudi and taken into custody.

The salt movement at Inchudi became only second to Gandhi’s Satyagraha at Dandi, Gujarat in importance and impact as thousands were imprisoned during the occasion. The movement’s success in Odisha was also due to the state’s justified antipathy for the salt law. Salt production was the only subsidiary industry to agriculture in Odisha given its vast coastline. But the British government banned its production by locals, dealing a financial blow to the people of coastal Odisha.

“The place where the Salt Law was broken bears testimony to the freedom struggle. But apart from a memorial pillar, nothing tangible has been done to remember the freedom fighters and their great act,” says Sarbeswar Das, former secretary of Laban Satyagraha Smruti Committee.

“After repeated demands, a zilla parishad member had sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for building a museumin 2003. It has been 15 years now, but the building is still under construction. Every year, politicians come here on Independence Day and make tall promises. But once the day is over, all is forgotten,” Das laments.

According to local sources, the Indian Tourism Development Corporation had sought a proposal from its state counterpart for developing the historic site. The proposal is yet to be submitted.

“The proposal included building a Panthanivas and memorial hallbesides putting up statues to depict scenes from the salt movement, a park and another memorial at Chatipada from where the movement was first started. But nobody knows its current status,”informs Pravabati Das, a local political leader.