Bhubaneswar (SunstarTV Bureau): ‘Mani’ represents to gem which is very precious to everybody. A person with golden heart and selflessness service for his motherland had owned the crown of ‘Utkalmani’. And today is the day when we lost a gem from Odisha after his sad demise.
To remember a true freedom fighter and Odisha’s Mahatma Gandhi, Odisha paid a rich tribute to social reformer and freedom fighter Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das on his 93rd death anniversary today.
Gopabandhu was born on 9 October in 1877 in the Suando village of Puri district. His father’s name was Daitari Das. His mother’s name was Swarnamayee Devi. He had his primary education at his village school. Then he joined Puri zilla school for high school education. His whole life was dedicated for serving people. So often their true kinsocial love turned people love towards him. And a true reward was given him as ‘Utkalmani’. He died on 17 June 1928.
A short tale about the true patriotic person. Gopabandhu was always devoted his life for public welfare, patriotism, dedicated service, truth – non-violence and policy. More he was a fearless leader who put the grief-pain, hope-desires of Odisha in front of the Britishers. He ideolised Dharmapada and Nachiketa from ancient scriptures. At that time he was a member of the Board of Indian Public Servants. Apart he was also the publisher of a daily newspaper called ‘Samaj’.
He used to say that “all the pits on the path of Swaraj should be covered with my bones, let my countrymen progress on my back.” Gopabandhu was the beloved leader of the people of Utkal, a gem of the heart of every Utkalians. He is the real of Odisha’s gem.
Years ago, Britishers used to rule across country which made everything upside down. Their orthodoxed ruling community were unbearable for mankind. The rulers were unhappy with the happiness and misery of the class subjects and were careless. Some new youths of Odisha together built a Satyavadi Ban Vidyalaya at Sakhigopal near Puri. In this school, along with imparting knowledge, emphasis was also laid on character-building, moral education, country service. Students were made self-supporting by teaching them carpentry, farming, painting, weaving etc. Everyone used to do their work with pleasure with their hands. Teachers and students lived there together. Gopabandhu Das was his chief.
A tale can represent his dedication towards mankind. During a heavy rainfall outbreaks at about two o’clock night, the sound of someone sobbing was heard. Everyone woke up They reached near the teachers’ room. Saw that Gopabandhu himself is crying. He said – Look, it rains overnight. The low-lying areas must have been flooded. The rivers must have been flooded. People’s homes, fields – beds must have perished. The government does not help them. Come, let us go from village to village and help people. This is an example of how soft Gopabandhu’s heart was.
All apart, Gopabandhu was the pioneer of press freedom in Odisha. He was the national vice president of Lok Sevak Mandal. He had played a significant role in Odia journalism. He published a monthly magazine ‘Satyabadi’ in 1914. Later, he started weekly newspaper ‘The Samaj’, in 1919 which was once a leading Daily in Odisha. He served as the Editor of ‘Samaj’ till his last breath.
