Pandit Gopabanndhu Das, aptly honoured as Utkalamani or the gem of Odisha, was a man of versatile genius. A sensitive person committed to the cause of humanity and with a deep-rooted sympathy for the poor and distressed, Gopabandhu Das had dedicated his life to relieve the suffering mass from the oblivion of misery. A staunch nationalist in spirit, and an active sentinel of the Odia movement, Gopabandhu Das had realized that a nation as well as its literature thrives on its tradition and culture. He believed that a national superstructure founded on its glorious national heritage only survives the onslaughts of time. His poetry, therefore, reflect the essence of true Odia culture. But it is the element of patriotism that finds the boldest expression in his poetical works. Kara-Kabita (Prison-Poems), an assortment of thirteen poems was written in (1923-24) while Gopabandhu was in the Hazaribagh jail. It displays a spectrum of varying thoughts and sentiments that holds a universal appeal. At the same time, it relates the socio-political condition of pre-independent India, and the role of Odisha in the freedom movement led by Gandhiji. It aims at inducing fresh inspiration into a dormant Odia people to fight for their freedom from British hegemony.
The Odisha Sahitya Akademi under its publication project now lays stress upon the publication of the translated version of renowned Odia literary works with an objective to gain them a wider circulation and a larger segment of readership.
Translation of Odia literary works in different vernaculars of India, as well as in English aims not only at connecting the Odia thoughts and sentiments to other regional literature by bridging the gap of language dissimilarity but to situate it in the ambit of world literature. Our endeavour to publish the English rendering of Pandit Gopabandhu Das's Kara-Kabita will be adequately rewarded if the text will be successful in effectuating the literary connection and intended interaction at least in a certain degree, and is well received by the Odia and the non-Odia readers as well.
Pandit Gopabandhu Das is not a name, it is a legend. The history of modern Odisha is never complete without the mention of his name. A committed social reformist, political activist, educationist, philosopher, legislator, spiritual thinker, a prophet of Odia nationalism, and a messiah for the suffering and downtrodden mass of Odisha, Gopabandhu had strived all along to redefine the socio-political identity of Odisha during the years India struggled to free itself from the British colonial rule.
Born on 9th October, 1877 in Suando, a village on the bank of river Bhargavi in the district of Puri, to Daitari Das and Swarnamayee Das, Gopabandhu had revealed an intense interest in the study of religious texts since childhood. While in school, Gopabandhu displayed a special inclination towards the study of literature though he did not dislike any subject prescribed in the school curricula.
During the late 1920s while Gopabanhu was a student at the Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Odisha was not a separate province. A number of Odia speaking tracts remained under Telugu, Hindi and Bengal domination of the Madras Presidency in the south, Central Province in the west and Bengal Presidency in the north respectively. The comments of certain Bengali intellectuals denoancing the status of Odia awakened a linguistic consciousness in the educated and sensitive pro- Odia group. The movement under the active leadership of Madhusudan Das for the amalgamation of the Odia-speaking tracts to make Odisha a separate province owes its genesis to this growing consciousness. Like Madhusudan Das Gopabandhu too, had cherished the dream of recovering the dismembered segments of Odisha and make it one linguistic unit. The formation of Utkal Sammilani in 1903 with Madhusudan Das as its president was the first bold step taken for realising that dream. Gopabandhu Das was an admirer of the Utkal Sammilani right from Association formed under the auspices of Utkal Sammilani. As the the beginning. He became a member of the Utkal Youngman's movement of linguistic regionalism gathered pace the British government passed a resolution to retrieve the parts of Odisha under Bengal Presidency and incorporate them in the new proposed Bihar-Odisha Province, and designate Odisha the status of a sub-province. Accordingly, on 1st April, 1912 the Bihar-Odisha province with its individual legislative council was formed. The five Odia members in the legislative council pledged to safeguard and promote the interests of the Odia against all odds. Gopabandhu was sceptical about the new development even though Madhusudan Das viewed it positively.
In the years that followed, Gopabandhu came to be recognised as a prominent and indispersable member of the Utkal Sammilani. He addressed the 1919 session of the conference. In a gripping speech that was an accolade on the glorious heritage of Odisha, he held up before his listeners a grandiose picture of their homeland, its aura of majesty that had in ancient days lured people from all parts of the world.
Odisha's river is called the Mahanadi or the great river, Gopabandhu said, its mountain is called Mahendra, or the great mountain. Odisha's tree is the Kalpabata, the tree of wish-fulfilment, Odisha's Lord is Jagannath, or the god of the universe, the cremation ground of Odisha is Swargadwara which means the gate to heaven.
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