Page 1
CHAPTER4
The period from 1900 to 1947 in Odisha was the period of freedom
struggle against the British Rule. This freedom struggle was started
from the beginning of the Swadeshi Movement in Odisha.
Odisha marched on the path of freedom struggle with the rest of India for national
independence. Considerable participation of Odisha in national struggle started with
Swadeshi Movement. By the end of the First World War, Utkalmani Pandit
Gopabandhu Das emerged for a remarkable role in promoting the Congress
Movement in Odisha.
A generation of young patriots like Harekrushna Mahatab, Gopabandhu
Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Bhagirathi Mahapatra, Jagabandhu Singh,
Mukunda Prasad Das, Nityanand Kanungo, Jadumani Mangaraj, Niranjan Patnaik,
Dibakar Patnaik, Chandra Sekhar Behera, Nanda Kishore Das, Raj Krushna Bose
and others arose to support the national movement.
Pre-Independence Era
The Pre-Independence Era in Odisha was marked by a number of freedom
movements.These are discussed as follows:
Swadeshi Movement
l
Swadeshi Movement was started in 1905 and had an essential influence on the
educated people of Odisha.
l
Protest meetings were held at Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur and other places
to support the movement. A meeting was held in the Cuttack Municipal Hall
under the Presidentship of Babu Janakinath Bose on 20th August, 1905.
l
At Cuttack, Janakinath Bose, Biswanath Kar and Dhirendra Nath Chaudhary
spread the message of Swadeshi. The Utkal Dipika mentions that being inspired
by the Swadeshi ideas, the weavers of Sambalpur, Banpur, Sukinda and
Basudevpur started manufacturing fine handloom textiles, and men and women of
rich classes began to wear Berhampur Pata and Maniabandha Sari on festive and
other occasions.
Page 2
CHAPTER4
The period from 1900 to 1947 in Odisha was the period of freedom
struggle against the British Rule. This freedom struggle was started
from the beginning of the Swadeshi Movement in Odisha.
Odisha marched on the path of freedom struggle with the rest of India for national
independence. Considerable participation of Odisha in national struggle started with
Swadeshi Movement. By the end of the First World War, Utkalmani Pandit
Gopabandhu Das emerged for a remarkable role in promoting the Congress
Movement in Odisha.
A generation of young patriots like Harekrushna Mahatab, Gopabandhu
Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Bhagirathi Mahapatra, Jagabandhu Singh,
Mukunda Prasad Das, Nityanand Kanungo, Jadumani Mangaraj, Niranjan Patnaik,
Dibakar Patnaik, Chandra Sekhar Behera, Nanda Kishore Das, Raj Krushna Bose
and others arose to support the national movement.
Pre-Independence Era
The Pre-Independence Era in Odisha was marked by a number of freedom
movements.These are discussed as follows:
Swadeshi Movement
l
Swadeshi Movement was started in 1905 and had an essential influence on the
educated people of Odisha.
l
Protest meetings were held at Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur and other places
to support the movement. A meeting was held in the Cuttack Municipal Hall
under the Presidentship of Babu Janakinath Bose on 20th August, 1905.
l
At Cuttack, Janakinath Bose, Biswanath Kar and Dhirendra Nath Chaudhary
spread the message of Swadeshi. The Utkal Dipika mentions that being inspired
by the Swadeshi ideas, the weavers of Sambalpur, Banpur, Sukinda and
Basudevpur started manufacturing fine handloom textiles, and men and women of
rich classes began to wear Berhampur Pata and Maniabandha Sari on festive and
other occasions.
l
On 12th August, 1909, Gopabandhu Das established an ideal school on the model
of the Education Society known as Satyabadi Bana Bidyalaya at Sakhigopal, Puri.
The establishment of Satyabadi School was a landmark in the evolution of national
consciousness in Odisha. It was a school where children from all castes and class
studied, lived and dined together.
Non-Cooperation Movement and Odisha
l
In the Non-Cooperation Movement, many youngmen of Odisha left schools and
colleges. Some eminent lawyers gave up their legal profession, men like
Gopabandhu Choudhury, Lingaraj Mishra, Surendra Nath Das and Muhammad
Hanif resigned from government jobs and Pandit Nilakantha Das gave up their
teaching assignments in prestigeous Calcutta University to serve in a national
school.
l
In 1903, Utkal Union Conference was constituted under the Presidentship of
Jagabanadhu Singh and in 1905 Utkal Samillani was formed.
l
In March 1921, Mahatma Gandhi visited Odisha and appealed to the people of
Odisha to join Non-Cooperation Movement.
l
Newspapers like The Samaj started in 1919 and Utkal Sevak played an important
role in the movement.
l
The students of Odisha established Swaraj Sevak Sangh at Cuttack for working
out the programmes of Non-Cooperation Movement.
l
In 1922, a peasant’s revolt in the zamindari of Kanika occurred which was closely
associated with Non-Cooperation Movement.
Civil Disobedience Movement and Odisha
l
Odisha came forward for a most vigorous struggle with the coming up of Civil
Disobedience Movement. All over the coastal area of Odisha, there was an
unprecedented popular enthusiasm to break the Salt Law and prepare salt on their
own.
l
At Inchudi in Balasore district, Salt Satyagraha under Surendra Nath Das created
a great impact. Smt Rama Devi, Smt Malati Chaudhary, Acharya Harihar Das,
Gopabandhu Chaudhary, Atal Bihari Acharya, Govind Misra, Raj Krushna Bose,
Smt Sarala Devi, Smt Annapurna Devi, Narayan Birabar Samanta, Birakishore Das,
Lakshmi Narayan Mishra, Smt Binapani Devi and Surendra Nath Patnaik among
many others became the leading spirits of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
l
On 6th April, 1930 Gopabandhu Chaudhary, Acharya Harihar Das and twenty
one Satyagrahis began their foot march from the Swarajya Ashram of Cuttack
towards Inchudi in Balasore.
l
On 12th April, 1930, the Satyagrahis reached at Inchudi in Balasore. Despite the
oppression by the police, the Satyagrahis manufactured the contraband salt at
Inchudi on 14th April, 1930.
41
Freedom Struggle in Odisha
Page 3
CHAPTER4
The period from 1900 to 1947 in Odisha was the period of freedom
struggle against the British Rule. This freedom struggle was started
from the beginning of the Swadeshi Movement in Odisha.
Odisha marched on the path of freedom struggle with the rest of India for national
independence. Considerable participation of Odisha in national struggle started with
Swadeshi Movement. By the end of the First World War, Utkalmani Pandit
Gopabandhu Das emerged for a remarkable role in promoting the Congress
Movement in Odisha.
A generation of young patriots like Harekrushna Mahatab, Gopabandhu
Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Bhagirathi Mahapatra, Jagabandhu Singh,
Mukunda Prasad Das, Nityanand Kanungo, Jadumani Mangaraj, Niranjan Patnaik,
Dibakar Patnaik, Chandra Sekhar Behera, Nanda Kishore Das, Raj Krushna Bose
and others arose to support the national movement.
Pre-Independence Era
The Pre-Independence Era in Odisha was marked by a number of freedom
movements.These are discussed as follows:
Swadeshi Movement
l
Swadeshi Movement was started in 1905 and had an essential influence on the
educated people of Odisha.
l
Protest meetings were held at Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur and other places
to support the movement. A meeting was held in the Cuttack Municipal Hall
under the Presidentship of Babu Janakinath Bose on 20th August, 1905.
l
At Cuttack, Janakinath Bose, Biswanath Kar and Dhirendra Nath Chaudhary
spread the message of Swadeshi. The Utkal Dipika mentions that being inspired
by the Swadeshi ideas, the weavers of Sambalpur, Banpur, Sukinda and
Basudevpur started manufacturing fine handloom textiles, and men and women of
rich classes began to wear Berhampur Pata and Maniabandha Sari on festive and
other occasions.
l
On 12th August, 1909, Gopabandhu Das established an ideal school on the model
of the Education Society known as Satyabadi Bana Bidyalaya at Sakhigopal, Puri.
The establishment of Satyabadi School was a landmark in the evolution of national
consciousness in Odisha. It was a school where children from all castes and class
studied, lived and dined together.
Non-Cooperation Movement and Odisha
l
In the Non-Cooperation Movement, many youngmen of Odisha left schools and
colleges. Some eminent lawyers gave up their legal profession, men like
Gopabandhu Choudhury, Lingaraj Mishra, Surendra Nath Das and Muhammad
Hanif resigned from government jobs and Pandit Nilakantha Das gave up their
teaching assignments in prestigeous Calcutta University to serve in a national
school.
l
In 1903, Utkal Union Conference was constituted under the Presidentship of
Jagabanadhu Singh and in 1905 Utkal Samillani was formed.
l
In March 1921, Mahatma Gandhi visited Odisha and appealed to the people of
Odisha to join Non-Cooperation Movement.
l
Newspapers like The Samaj started in 1919 and Utkal Sevak played an important
role in the movement.
l
The students of Odisha established Swaraj Sevak Sangh at Cuttack for working
out the programmes of Non-Cooperation Movement.
l
In 1922, a peasant’s revolt in the zamindari of Kanika occurred which was closely
associated with Non-Cooperation Movement.
Civil Disobedience Movement and Odisha
l
Odisha came forward for a most vigorous struggle with the coming up of Civil
Disobedience Movement. All over the coastal area of Odisha, there was an
unprecedented popular enthusiasm to break the Salt Law and prepare salt on their
own.
l
At Inchudi in Balasore district, Salt Satyagraha under Surendra Nath Das created
a great impact. Smt Rama Devi, Smt Malati Chaudhary, Acharya Harihar Das,
Gopabandhu Chaudhary, Atal Bihari Acharya, Govind Misra, Raj Krushna Bose,
Smt Sarala Devi, Smt Annapurna Devi, Narayan Birabar Samanta, Birakishore Das,
Lakshmi Narayan Mishra, Smt Binapani Devi and Surendra Nath Patnaik among
many others became the leading spirits of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
l
On 6th April, 1930 Gopabandhu Chaudhary, Acharya Harihar Das and twenty
one Satyagrahis began their foot march from the Swarajya Ashram of Cuttack
towards Inchudi in Balasore.
l
On 12th April, 1930, the Satyagrahis reached at Inchudi in Balasore. Despite the
oppression by the police, the Satyagrahis manufactured the contraband salt at
Inchudi on 14th April, 1930.
41
Freedom Struggle in Odisha
l
On 20th April, led by Ramadevi, and Malati Devi, a number of women took part
in the Salt Satyagraha at Inchudi. The Civil Disobedience was also carried on in
other forms such as boycott of the foreign cloth, picketing before the excise shops,
refusal to pay Chowkidari tax, and spread of Khadi.
l
In 1931, the Odisha State’s People’s Conference was organised at Cuttack under
the presidentship of Bhubananda Das. This organisation preceded to enquire into
the people’s grievances in the states.
Individual Civil Disobedience Movement in Odisha
l
In March, 1940 the Ramgarh session of the Indian National Congress was held,
in which the decision to launch Individual Civil Disobedience Movement was
taken.
l
On 27th September, 1940, the Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee appointed HK
Mahtab as the General Director of the Individual Civil Disobedience Movement
in Odisha. The movement formally started on 1st December, 1940.
l
HK Mahtab was arrested after delivering an anti-war speech at Remuna on the
same day.
l
In March 1941, the Individual Civil Disobedience ended.
42
Know Your State ODISHA
Read More