Mu Odia

I am an Odia... Wondering what the word means! Well that's definitely not a profession, to stop you from thinking too hard. That's my identity. That's who I am! I hail from Odisha. Yes, you are very correct to notice,if at all you did,it is no more 'Orissa' and we are no more 'Oriyas'.We are 'Odias'. We don't speak 'Odissi' for those who need to hone their general awareness.'Odia' is what 43.73 million other Odias and I converse in.You might do good to yourselves by acknowledging it because 'Odia' is one of the SIX classical languages of India(Sanskrit,Kannada,Tamil,Mallyalam,Telugu and Odia). And 'Odissi' is our danceform. One of the eight classical danceforms of India and 'the oldest' surviving danceform originating from the 'Devadashi Pratha' relating to 'Jagannath Sanskriti'. Yes we are the very culture associated with 'Jagannath Mahaprabhu',the heart and soul of every Odia. Puri,the Sankha Kshetra,is the abode of the Lord. One of the four dhams to mention the least is a coastal district of Odisha.Each and everything that is in relation with Lord Jagannath or his land becomes great. 'Mahodadhi' or the 'great sea '  refers to the sea by the Lord's land, 'Badadanda' which is the largest corridor of the world is just the corridor of the grand temple. The temple's kitchen is the largest kitchen in the globe whereas the 'Anand bazar' serving 'Mahaprasad' is very easily the largest restaurant in whole world serving lakhs of people daily. The 'Ratha Yatra' or the 'Car festival' is one of the grandest Hindu festivals with seamless congregation of people taking place every year. The english word ‘juggernaut’ originates from ‘Jagannath’ which means the giant and massive ratha carrying the lord which is unstoppable.The festival is now being celebrated worldwide in a pompous way. To say the least even the river flowing through Lord's land becomes 'Mahanadi'.

When anything that’s even remotely related to Jagannath, Lord of the World, is that great how can Lord’s own land not be great! It’s just that no one sings of its greatness anymore. This is because Odias chose to bask in warmth of peace and tranquillity and decided not to get involved in the rat race,not to meddle in other’s matters and over and above all chose to be content and not complain, let alone boast. Some might question what’s there in Odisha to boast of! It’s a poor state. Well,just for them,so as they understand, how rich do you think Bihar,Jharkhand,Chatisgarh,Assam,Madhya Pradesh,uttar Pradesh or Arunachal Pradesh are! Just so as to see things in right perspective, i.e. through facts, Odisha is no more the poorest state. It is Bihar. And further still how many of you don’t connect when I utter ‘Patna’! Then why this ignorance about ‘Bhubaneswar’! Well it can be stated with certitude that Odisha is one of the fastest growing state economies in India. According to 2014-15 Economic Survey, Odisha’s Gross GDP was expected to grow at 8.78% in 2014-15 fiscal year. According to to Dun & Bradsheet, its GSDP is expected to grow at a rate of 8.1% during 2015-2020.But it hurts the most when people who didn’t pay heed to geography in school(and I am not being satiric about it) ask or mention - :”Where is Orissa?”, “Acha, Bhubaneswar is your capital city! Never heard about it!”. I am very sure these people would not be knowing about anything or any place that does not make the headline through cheap news.  Well, if not for them, just to make myself remotely worthy to be called an Odia I am herein stating well discerned and self-evident facts. Not that it can do any justice to the great land of ‘Kalinga’, it would just satisfy my ego if not more.

The maritime history of Kalinga, Odisha of ancient times, dates back to 350 BC. The trade with South East Asia was dominated by Kalinga. Odisha was a hub of trade network that stretched from the Roman Empire to China. The sea-trade at those times was so flourishing that at one time the Bay of Bengal was called ‘Kalingodra’ or ‘the sea of Kalinga’. The rich tradition is still celebrated throughout Odisha in the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima as ‘Boita Banhdana Mahotshava’ and ‘Bali Jatra. Though we don’t excel in sea-faring as our ancestors did but still have some of the fine ports of the country- Paradeep,Gopalpur and Dhamra playing the lead.

We also contribute to the defence research of the country. DRDO’s Integrated Test Range is located in Chandipore in Balasore.The famous Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as the Wheeler Island, in the Bhadrak district of Odisha is where the missile-testing facility for most of the Indian missiles like Akash,Agni,Astra,Brahmos,Prithvi is located.

Odisha today can boast of having the many educational and research institutes of national importance. We have AIIMS Bhubaneswar,IIT Bhubaneswar,NISER Bhubaneswar,Institute of Physics Physics Bhubaneswar,IIIT Bhubaneswar,IMMT Bhubaneswar,NIT Rourkela,IIM Sambalpur,NIFT Bhubaneswar,National Law University Cuttack,Institute of Life Sciences Bhbubaneswar,Central University Koraput. Apart from the central government institutes Odisha has also some of the finest private educational institutions like Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar,KIIT University Bhubaneswar,Siksha O Anusandhan University Bhubaneswar just to name a few. Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences is world’s largest residential educational institute for tribals which is absolutely free for the concerned students. 

Though I admit Odisha has to make strides in the area of advertisement and promotion of tourism but we have an abundance of tourist spots nonetheless. Chilika is the largest salt water lagoon which also happens to be the largest wintering ground for migratory birds and is also a bird sanctuary. Satapada in Puri district is home to Irrawaddy dolphins. Kalijai Island on Chilika is placed among the top 10 islands across India by National geographic. Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary is a mangrove forest harbouring crocodiles and turtles.The Gahirnatha beach is the world’s largest nesting beach for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. Similipal in Mayurbhanj district is a National park and a Tiger Reserve. The Nandankanan Zoological Park provides for White Tiger Safari to tourists. If you are bored with wild life tours you could do yourself good by visiting the awesome sea beaches of Puri and Gopalpur. Tanned and prickly with the sun at the beach treat yourself with the coolness an natural bounties at the hiil station of Daringbadi known as the “Kashmir of Odisha” in the Kandhamal district. If you are an admirer of ancient structures and monuments and you don’t have Odisha on your list,you really haven’t seen it all. Home to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, ‘Konark’ or ‘the Black Pagoda’ or ‘the Sun Temple’ proudly stands on the soil of enshrining its rich culture. It is also called as ‘Arka Kshetra’ or ‘the abode of the Sun God’. In contrast ‘the White Pagoda’ or ‘the Jagannath Temple,Puri’,yet another marble in itself,is known as ‘Sankha Kshetra’. The capital city of Bhubaneswar itself is home to many 8^th-12^th century old temples. ‘The Lingaraj Temple’,’the Raja Rani Temple’,’the Brahmeshwara Temple’,’the Megheswara Temple’ are just to name a few. Bhubaneswar is aptly called as the ‘City of Temples’. Well that’s not the end to it. If you are looking for Buddhist monuments we do have Udaygiri,Dhaulagiri,Khandagiri,Lalitgiri,Ratnagiri and many more. Odisha really does have something for everyone. Scenic,serene and Sublime Odisha-the Soul of Incredible India.

Did anybody think Odisha didn’t contribute enough in the freedom stuggle! Nataji Subhas Chandra Bose,Pandit Gopabandhu Das,Ramadevi Choudhry,Biju Patnaik,Birsa Munda,Veer Surendra Sai,Buxi Jagabandhu,Harekrushna Mahatab,Khudiram Bose are some amongst the progeny of ‘Motherland Odisha’ who bravely fought and bled for the freedom of India. We as Odiyas will always feel proud about them.

Odisha has produced many cultural and literary brilliance. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra,Guru Raghunath Dutta,Guru Pankaj Charan Das are few amongst the internationally known proponents of Odissi danceform who took Odissi to yet another level. It is now popular amongst foreigners and Indians alike with many world renowned foreign exponents and dancers like Ileana Citaristi,Sharon Lowen,Ramli Ibrahim,Myrta Barvie,Colleena Shakti,Masako Ono and many more. Just to state a trivia Esha and Ahana Deol ,Dona Ganguly(Sourav Ganguly’s wife) are Odissi dancers.

Talking of a literary past,Odia literature stands on a strong base founded by literary geniuses like Sarala Das,Balaram Das, Jagannath Das, Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja,Bhima Bhoi, Radhanath Ray and Fakir Mohan Senapati. Our Chief Minister is also a prolific writer and has authored many books like “A Desert Kingdom-TheRajputs of Bikaner”, “A second Paradise:Indian Courtly Life,1590-1947”,”The garden of Life:An Introduction to the Healing Plants of India”. I guess I can safely assume you know who our Chief Minister is! If not..well am not here to judge.

Well again just as a mind booster trivia –where do you think Mr.Ravinder Singh,the author to many romantic love stories like “I Too had a Love Story”,”Can Love Happen Twice?” hail from!This young author for whom ladies go gaga about hails from the town of Burla in western Odisha. Mr. Amish Tripathi, the much celebrated author of Shiva Triology and Scion of Ishavaku,comes from Rourkela,Sundergarh district of Odisha.

The ‘Ambarsariya girl’ Sona Mohapatra is a proud Odiya. She has sang many Bollywood songs like “Naina-from Khobsurat,2014”,” Jiya lage na-Talash,2012”,”Ishq karenge-Bangistan,2015”,”Dil aaj Kal-Purani Jeans,2014”,”Bahara-I hate Luv Storys,2010”,”I hate you-Delhi Belly,2011” and many more. Nadita Das who is a great feature film actress and director belongs to Odisha. She is known for her films like “Before theRains”,”Fire”,”Earth” ,”Firaaq” and many more. Padma Shri sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik is an Odia. Bibhu Mohapatra, a famous fashion designer, who now lives in USA  belongs to Odisha. Yet another trivia.Even the First Lady of USA-Michelle Obama chose to wear a Bibhu Mohapatra styled suit.

Last but definitely not the least in 'the list', let's not forget young prodigies -"Prince Dance Group-Winner of India's Got Talent,2009", "Rajasmita Kar-Winner of Dance India Dance,Season 3,2012", "Maraju Samnath-Winner of India's Got talent,2012","Rituraj Mohanty-Winner of India's Raw Star,2014" and "Ananya Sritam Nanda-Winner of Indian Idol Junior,2015" all belong to Odisha.

We don’t lag in craftsmanship too. Pipili,a town near Puri, is world famous for its beautiful and colourful Applique handicrafts called as ‘Chanduas’. Next time you see a applique work lamp in your hall or study think of this small town in eastern Odisha. Western Odisha is famous for its “Sambalpuri Pata Sarees” and “Pasapali Designs”.

Well Odia delicacies are a real treat. Savour the taste of world famous ‘Pahala Rasagulla’ and ‘Chena Poda’ and you forget the world for that momentous time. Relish the varieties of Pithas and Mithas and the memories and the craving is sure to stay. Well we also serve heavenly non-veg delights like ‘Mati handi Mangsha’, ‘Macha Besara’,’Dahi Ilishi’ and many more.

Odisha is bountiful in natural resources. It is endowed with deposits like coal,iron ore,manganese-ore,bauxite,chromite,dolomite,limestone,graphite etc. So Odisha houses many major industries like Rourkela Steel Plant of SAIL,NTPC, NALCO, Paradeep Phosphates Limited, JSPL, Tata Steel, IOCL refinery at Paradeep,Vedanta Alumina and many more.

But despite its immense resources and rich heritage, culture and tradition, Odisha today is without an image. Odias have become victims of stereotyping. Odias are seen as ‘poor people living in a rich state’. So where did we go wrong! How come people know ‘Patna’ and not ‘Bhubaneswar’. It is may be because we chose to stay quiet when somebody said to us “I don’t know where Bhubaneswar is!” or may be when people said “Doesn’t people in Odisha die of hunger!”. May be they do or may be don’t anymore given so many pro-poor schemes of the Government(Odisha Govt. has an AHAAR Scheme for feeding the poor at just Rs.5, has a farmer health insurance scheme of BKKY, had introduced rice at Rs 2 for BPL families much ahead of when Food Security Bill got passed). But the fact of the matter is that every state has their own share of problems .Even the most industrialised states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have heart numbing numbers of farmer suicides. Odisha, still stands and strives to grow undeterred by the terrible tropical cyclones that hit its coast almost every year bringing great devastation to life and property and destroying crops. We are dealing with our handful.

So,yes we are a poor state to more developed states of India just as India is to USA. But the good thing is we are growing fast and have the potential resources to grow and that too in abundance-both demographic and natural. And is it bad - not being known for wrong reasons like caste based politics,mega-scams,communalism,ethnocentrism,secessionist movements,female suduction etc! Doesn't it show that we are more of a egalitarian society! Doesn't it prove that we judge people on achievement and not on ascription! We don't grow at the cost of others!

Moreover its time that we are known for far better reasons and we stand better than many other 'headline-savy' states. In literacy we stand above Chattisgarh,UP,MP, AP, Rajasthan , Bihar ,J&K,Arunachal Pradesh etc. the so called 'talked about states'. World Bank ranks Odisha as 7th in regards to ease of doing business. In the recently declared winners of 'SMART City' contests Bhubaneswar ranks 1st with 78.83 points pimping many mega cities like Pune,New Delhi Municipal Corporation, Chennai etc. Bhubaneswar has now the fastest growing real estate sector. It is now an IT giant with major IT hubs 'Infocity 1 & 2'. Not only it houses Indian firms like TCS,Wipro,Satyam,Mahindra,Infosys but in addition it has also attracted foreign companies such as Nethawk(Finnish Telecom Giant),IBM,Robert Bosch and Gennum Corporation(Canada). Being one of the most planned cities of India Bhubaneswar looks forward to grow into a world class city in the near future. And the present bears a testimony to it!

May be this blog of mine seem to be emotionally colored but that's how the world wants it to be! 'Be assertive' of your rights! Though I am not claiming the least I can do is draw everyone's attention as the state wakes from its slumber to assert its position through achievement and not ascription.

 So, for those who sit at the top today ,we will met them midway when we ascend the rungs of success and development. In a developed India we would be a much developed state.

“Bande Utkala Janini”, “Jai Bharat”!!!