Man perpetually encounters obstacles threatening his survival and standing between him and his cherished objective. His indomitable sense of determination and spirit of endurance enable him to progress and arrive at the desired destination.
This is one way of looking at life, or rather, the art of living. The saga of Vyasakabi Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843-1918) is a vindication of this point. Deprived of parental care and love from infancy, destined to live in a debilitating environment and burdened with constant ill-health, Senapati rose to become the literal and metaphorical 'Captain' of Odisha's literary and cultural kingdom. He was endowed with the attributes a genius possesses- inquisitiveness, hardwork, unwavering commitment to the job at hand, a sharp mind, sense of compassion and, above all, creative vision.
Devoid of formal higher education due to domestic compulsions, he had to move from one job to another. Inspite of sheer physical exhaustion which his job entailed, he strove to improve himself academically. The British administration had reposed faith in his ability as Dewan in a number of princely states. The way he saved some of them from imminent disaster is legendary.
Had Vysakabi confined himself to his job and his family, he would not have been a 'captain'. Odisha at that time was not a composite geographical entity. Odia as a language was under constant threat from other linguistic chauvinism. He took upon himself the task of writing school text books in Odia, setting up of Odia schools and a printing press in Balasore. The dedicated service of Gourishankar, Madhusudan, Gangadhar, Radhanath and a host of other illustrious persons in defence of Odia and for a separate state of Odisha is in itself of epic maguitude. Senapati's contribution in this respect remains immortal.
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