Introduction
An intimate biography of Madhusudan Das will be studied with profit and interest not only in Orissa but also in all parts of India. His career will show how it is possible for one man endowed with practical statesmanship, with indomitable will, energy and courage to raise the level of his province and usher in a new era of hope and progress. He is rightly called the maker of new Orissa. For this, generations of her people will cherish his name with reverence and affection. But Das was a mighty Indian nationalist first and everything else afterwards. And as such his career will be a shining example before the Indian youths to profit by. - Shyamaprasad MukherjeeOrissa
Known as the land of the Black Pagoda and the White Temple, which were the flag posts for the mariners in Portuguese times the riverine state of Orissa in India is situated on its Eastern coast.
In the early nineteenth century, Oriya identity was in course of decay. Madhusudan Das united Oriya speaking people emotionally and politically and thus played a pivotal role for their uplift and regeneration. He is referred to as father of Oriya nationalism. His long and eventful life helped him shape his actions and infuse new blood and spirit in the simple people of Orissa.
Madhu Babu: Values
Madhusudan Das was a person with great many values and virtues which can thus serve as a beacon for us and others. Not that he had a smooth sailing all through. His life was one carved out of the victories he won both in the court and outside, his only condition being that the playfield be level. Few people like Madhu Babu have achieved such rare honour and praise from all sections of the society. It may be mentioned that 'babu' in Oriya is used as a term of endearment and respect, just as the shortening of the name. Some of the values that Madhusudan Das stood for were Altruism, Patriotism, Education, Dedication, Sacrifice, Keeping promises, Honour, Secularism Philosophical growth , Unity in diversity. His values were in a state of flux throughout his struggles.
I would like to emphasize values related to his search for an Oriya identity and his acceptance of Christianity and how did these influence his life and helped him achieve his ambitions in life. Naturally some reference would also be made to the other values.
Brief Life
Madhusudan Das was born on 28 April 1848 in a village called Satyabhamapur, 20 kilometres from silver city, Cuttack. His father Choudhury Raghunath Das and mother Parbati Debi named him Gobindaballabh. Later they changed his name to Madhusudan. That is how he is remembered and known today. He had two elder sisters and a younger brother named Gopalballabh.
Madhusudan Das belonged to an old aristocratic family whose material fortunes were on a decline. Yet his landed property and other assets were sufficient to meet all household needs of Choudhury Raghunath Das and his family which enjoyed respect from all quarters because of their benevolence and leadership.
Early Education
Madhusudan Das had his early education in the village school, learning all subjects, including Persian, from a maulvi. His contact with people of all faiths in the early part of his life is responsible for his respect for all religions and different points of view. By nature he was aggressive but was always noticed for his determination, courage, and presence of mind. Madhusudan Das had drunk deep of his family roots, which were symbolised in him, and in his immediate family and surroundings.
After his early education, he moved to Cuttack High School (later known as Ravenshaw Collegiate School) where English education was imparted. Here Madhusudan Das faced many odds: they emboldened him to learn to fight ahead. In this school, most of his classmates were of different social backgrounds. Madhusudan Das has expressed this feeling of suffering and humiliation at Cuttack High School in his unfinished autobiography:
My admission in the English High School brought me into contact with Bengali boys and Bengali teachers… There was difference in dress, in language, in food and in a thousand other respects. … I was the target. All my Bengali class comrades constantly fired their volley of sarcasm and insult. I was dressed in clothes, which were the products of the village weaver. The English shirt had not made its way to Orissa. I dressed in what is called 'Mirjai'. The insult and scorn which was my share in the daily life at school produced in me in the end a spirit of forgiveness coupled with a feeling of indifference as to what Bengali comrades thought of me.First Graduate of Orissa
Madhu Sudan's struggle at Cuttack High School to cope and compete with his classmates in an alien atmosphere built in him a spirit of adventure and determination. He developed and nurtured the ambition to be the first graduate of Orissa. Therefore, after passing the Entrance examination in 1864, he went to Calcutta (now Kolkata) for College Education braving many adverse situations. He lived there for fifteen years (1866 to 1881), completing his M.A. and B.L. degrees. He obtained them entirely on his own without any help from his family or friends.
The Lawyer
Madhusudan Das returned to Orissa in 1881, and settled down at Cuttack to pursue his legal profession. He was the first graduate, M.A. and B.L. of Orissa. He always had the feeling that as the State's first graduate he had to fulfill some great national demand. At the age of thirty-one he became a widower without any issue. Having no immediate family responsibilities and liabilities he decided to dedicate his life to the Cause of Oriya people. He earned sufficiently from his legal practice because of his deep understanding of the intricacies of law and his neat presentation. He spent all his earnings for the common cause and died a pauper. In the last part of his life he had to declare himself insolvent. Until the very last, he had to earn his bread. He died on 4 February 1934 at his rented house in Cuttack.
Parbati Devi, His Mother - A Great Moral Influence
Parbati Devi, his mother was a strong moral influence on Madhu Babu. She was a pious woman, whose values Madhusudan tried to imbibe. His graciousness towards women was an extension of this respect for his mother. For instance, he identified himself with lost but just causes without any vested interests. Such an inspiration for identity could come to him only from his mother.
Madhusudan was taught by his mother not to seek honour by means of association with men placed higher in society or power. He used to say
The grass around a rose plant doesn't acquire either the sweet scent or the colour of the flower; so the association with people in higher status does not bring honour or riches to the man of inferior status.This sense of dignity inspired Madhusudan Das to fight for the cause of the deprived with missionary zeal.
In early childhood, he was advised by his mother Parbati Devi to stick to his words. When just a child Madhusudan once flared up and declared that he would not eat any food that night. He went to sleep as his mother did not persuade him to eat his dinner. At night he woke up hungry and asked his mother for something to eat. Quietly but firmly she told him, "You vowed not to take any food today, so don't you think you ought to keep your words?" Silence was his reply and he spent that night without any food.
The advice of Madhu Sudan's mother to keep his word remained so imprinted in his mind that he never changed his stand, once taken. The proverb you alone can keep your own honour, became the guiding principle throughout his life. His zeal for higher things in life, determination for the cause and uncompromising attitude are sometimes misunderstood as vanity. In his autobiography he had described the milieu which developed in him the sense of pride:
All the surroundings of my life were calculated to develop pride; I do not know whether to call it pride or vanity. My life was no exception to this general rule.Stirring Feelings
Nineteenth century Kolkata was emerging as a city that was nourishing and floating liberal ideas of French Revolutionthrough the works of Ram Mohan Roy and Henry Derozio. David Hare had become a myth of selfless dedication to the cause of the helpless and deprived. Madhusudan Das tried to imbibe the cultural values of 'Bengal Renaissance', and dreamt of such a regeneration in Orissa.
Father forgive them...
In Kolkata he came in contact with Christian Missions and embraced Christianity. What impressed Madhsudan Das most about Christianity were the words, 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.' To him human nature could not rise higher than that. While we know of the context in which Christ spoke these words, they proclaim to the world the complete subordination of physical element in man to his higher spiritual nature. Christ as the symbol of selfless sacrifice attracted his young mind. He became a devout Christian, but he also was aware of the social milieu in which he had been brought up. He was thus socially and culturally close to his roots. Primarily he was an Indian, and therefore he never alienated himself from the common man of Orissa for whom he fought and bled.
As President of the All India Christian Conference at Allahabad in 1915 Mahusudan Das's extempore speech defines what he means by Christianity. He learnt to become a brilliant talker and orator, a fluent speaker. Besides, his conversation was always punctuated with humour, characteristic of a refined human being. Continuing as to why he embraced Christianity, Madhusudan said that
When I had life breathed into me, I had no connection with the external world and when death comes, and I close my eyes, I shall be living but without having any connection with the external world. ... when my relation with the world ceases I shall commune with my conscience and with my God.Electrifying words, faith redefined, faith as simple and strong as a child's.
Born Again
Madhusudan understood the responsibilities of a born again Christian, many of whom were recent instances. At all times and at all costs we were Indians, first , first and first. But this Indian Christian community would contribute for emancipation of our nation, a nation that had a glorious past and is destined to have a glorious future. He assured one and all that we Indian Christians will always be ready and prompt to join any movement which seeks the political progress of India within the British Empire. He assured that we shall carry forward our age-old traditions reintegrating them to the changing times of the present and build up an all India outlook for revitalization of Indian Culture, of which we are so fiercely proud.
Emphasising the two cardinal virtues of Christianity, Madhusudan Das went personal when he mentions that, 'my mother's sacrifice brought me into this world, and when I am called away from the world, my Saviour's sacrifice will carry me to heaven.' Self-denial and self-sacrifice are the normal conditions of human life.
Utkal Tannery
A visit to the Utkal Tannery in 1918 in which he invested his life's earnings showed his Christian strength and fortitude. He gave his all for the sake of his countrymen. He did not lay aside even a single rupee for himself. Till the very last moment he had undying faith in his Saviour, and when the end came after 86 years, he gave up his spirit. It was a calm, peaceful end. In his case, it may truly be said, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
Madhusudan started the tannery because he saw that raw skins and hides of reptiles and animals were exported cheaply to Calcutta and abroad and the finished product returned to Orissa for which Oriyas had to pay dearly, apart from a neglect of their workmanship. Madhusudan Das sought to rectify this state of affairs with the result that Utkal Tannery started producing finished leather goods, specially lizard skins, which earned revenue and fame and was also able to showcase the craft of the Oriya people encouraging them to build their self esteem. Gandhi said that the tannery was a practical step towards solving the problem of untouchability. However, fame alone could not save Madhu's pet tannery; finance was hard to come by.
Fight For Own Language, Oriya
For historical reasons Oriya speaking territories were under different administrative units for a long time. For this dismemberment, Orissa and Oriyas have had a lot to pay. Madhusudan Das realized that if all Oriya speaking territories could be brought together in one place, then it would help in the strengthening of the Oriya people as well as their language and script. Madhusudan had realized this early in life in his experience at the Cuttack High school. Oriya people could not take part in political movements of the state because of their vivisected condition. He made a clarion call for the recognition of Oriya language in the administrative and educational institutions and demanded unification of all scattered outlying Oriya speaking tracts under one administration. He was helped in this venture by Bichitranand Das and Fakir Mohan Senapati who realized the ambitious plans of Madhusudan to raise the linguistic, cultural and political level of Orissa.
While he was a student in the B.A. class of Calcutta University, he had to fight with Rev. K. M. Banerjee to establish his rights as an Oriya. As per the provision of the University, a student could answer the Sanskrit paper either in Bengali or in his mother tongue. As an examiner of this paper, Rev. K.M. Banerjee did not know Oriya. He did not allow Madhusudan Das to write the answer of his Sanskrit paper in Oriya. Though yet a student, Madhusudan Das fought a relentless battle to establish his right as an Oriya student, placing his career in danger. In the long run, he won and Calcutta University allowed him to answer his Sanskrit paper in English.
So great was Madhusudan's love for the Oriya language that he equipped himself with all its details insomuch that Grierson, during his linguistic survey of India, invariably consulted Madhusudan Das in all matters of Oriya and Oriya speaking people.
Utkal Sabha
After his arrival at Cuttack in 1881, Madhusudan Das felt that a socio-political organization was the need of the hour, because a platform was necessary through which the Oriya people could voice their grievances to the British Crown. With this goal in mind, he and Gourisankar Ray made efforts to establish the Utkal Sabha in 1882. This is the organization which later functioned as the branch of the Indian National Congress. It remained the nodal organization to fight for the National Cause for many years. It also prepared the people of Orissa to participate in local self-government. The Utkal Sabha took up the problems of poverty and backwardness and Madhu Babu was happy to solve some of them. Though discouraged by his compatriots, Madhusudan Das was never tired of involving the Utkal Sabha in the task of reconstruction of this backward state of India. In a way he infused the idea of All India National Integration in Orissa and Orissa Association, the Utkal Sabha, acted in furtherance of all India movement.
Utkal Sammilani
After working as Vice-President and President of Utkal Sabha, Madhusudan Das felt that Orissa will have to suffer until it was united. He had recognized early that Orissa, tied to the tail ends of three separate administrative divisions of three different Presidencies, speaking different languages had no hopes of redemption, until all the Oriya-speaking tracts were united under one administration and in a separate province of its own. From this feeling came the urge to unite all Oriyas in a bigger platform. Utkal Union Conference or Utkal Sammilani was the fulfillment of this urge. Utkal Sammilani spearheaded the agitation for the unification of all Oriya speaking territories under one administration under the leadership of Madhusudan Das.
1 April 1936: Orissa
At last, Orissa as a separate province on the basis of language was created by the British Government. Though the province came into existence from 1 April 1936, the declaration had been made during Madhusudan's life time. Madhusudan Das sacrificed everything for the cause. For him unification of Orissa was not a political goal to be achieved but an emotional one, a cementing and integrating force. The concept of motherland became prominent in songs, speeches and posters. The idiom of mother and motherland that became part of the political vocabulary had its first political use in Madhusudan's Utkal Sammilani.
In one of his coloured posters exhibited at the Annual Conference of Utkal Sammilani, Ganjam was shown as the daughter of Orissa who was in exile and the helpless mother Orissa crying for her. In one of his poems, Madhusudan Das had appealed to all Oriyas emotionally to sacrifice themselves for the greater cause of the nation. As the appeal had come from a man, this poem had a mesmeric effect, a mantra for the Oriya people:
If you give your life to nation
Nation's life is yours
It's never got by aimless search
Carried on for years.Madhusudan Das valued altruism and philosophical growth as two sides of the same coin. He says:
when we examine human life, we find that with the decadence of selfishness there is a proportionate development of the altruistic principle in man till the altruistic principle attains to a higher standard to be found in family life. In most cases, there the development ends. In some cases, it attains a higher degree of development and he learns to live for the community to which he belongs. In a still smaller number of cases, it attains a still higher stage and man begins to live for his nation and for his country.Madhu Sudan's commitment to family, state, country and mankind as a whole do not contradict each other but he has treated them as stages to be crossed. From this central viewpoint came his commitment to other positive values like patriotism, secularism and sympathy for the depressed.
Madhusudan Das lived a long eventful life. It is said that his life is the history of modern Orissa. Life is not just yawns for food, do something, and do something for the sake of it. If it helps your country cousins, all the better. His life was one of dedication for the national cause. Jawaharlal Nehru said of Madhusudan Das that by confining his political activities to a particular region of India, Orissa, he placed an ideal before all other different regions of the country and it was worth emulating. It has inspired generations to dedicate their means, energy and life for the sake of the country and nation of one's birth.
REFERENCES
D.K. Dash (ed.) 1998: Madhusudan Das: The Man and His Missions. Pragati Utkal Sangha. Rourkela.
Mohanty, Surendra 1972: Madhusudan Das. NBT, New Delhi.
Ghosh, G.K. 1995: Language, Literature and National Integration. Ashish Publishing House, New Delhi.
