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Friday, April 30, 2010

Why People of Western Orissa are silent on any developmental issue?

Written By Anand Sagar Dash


NEED is the mother of all invention/ revolution/ agitation/ aggression. When there is no need of any thing, humans sit idle and so do our people from Western Orissa irrespective of any age group.

When you don’t study, there is no need of a school, college or a higher level institution. In the PG courses in the SambalpurUniversity, you will find many students from Coastal Orissa. In VSSUT and VSS Medical College, the ratios of students from both the regions are 30% from Western and 70% from Coastal belt though it is located in Western Orissa. Students from Western Orissa are not so studious in general. They show poor performance than their coastal counterparts in any competitive exam .This is the reason why no demand comes from place like Sambalpur for higher level institutions. At present context, I find people from Kalahandi are more aware and needy for any such development. So, they are demanding at various levels and have achieved to certain extend to put their resentments to the state govt. We are in a democratic society. No govt. can ignore organized genuine demands coming from a region for long time. Neither any local political representative will be able to ignore because he has to be in the game too.

We are not complete as a social group. There are huge spaces vacant with in us. For our education need we are dependent on schools and course materials designed by Coastal Orissa people. Remember that Western Orissa became a part of Orissa only after 1936 onward in two phases. Prior to 1936 AD we don’t have known history of organized education delivery system. There is no book in Sambalpuri on Children education. Till now we are not capable enough to publish a full fledge News paper in our language. The native people certainly don’t need any such thing otherwise it would have happened much before. When there is a demand, supply automatically comes from various sources. But, it is not that demand cann’t be created.

Our people have a habit of appreciating any thing coming from Coastal Orissa as sacred, civilized, ritualistic, etc. Except for the Sambalpuri folk music, dance, weaving techniques and cultivation people from Western Orissa are dependent on coastal orissa people in everything. So, we can consider the people of Western Orissa are basically a peasant class and are satisfied with their cultivation, music, dance, and of course with the world famous handloom. They hardly migrate any where outside their locality for better earning.Rourkela is a perfect example, though it is in Western Orissa and once known as the financial hub for entire Orissa has no sizable population from other districts of Western Orissa. Also, we need everything in our backyard. We are group of very self centered people.

When the migration happening from Western Orissa, it is for survival where as it is for better prospects that people from coastal orissa migrate. Our is limited to non-skilled jobs such as brick-kiln labour, rickshaw pulling, domestic help, etc where as coastal orissa people migrate as plumbers, cooks, security guards, etc and they are doing well. Earlier it was Biharis who were doing plumbing jobs in all metros. Now they are completely replaced by people particularly from Bhadrak, Jajpur area. Again Bengalis had occupied jobs in cooking profession every where, now it is partially replaced by Oriyas. I surprised to find almost all restaurants in Hyderabad City operated fully by Oriyas from Jajpur - Bhadrak dist. You will find the owner will be a local guy where as all the staffs from chef to waiters, to manager are from coastal orissa.

There is no historical evidence that we have ruled ourselves widely in any point of time in history. The existing branch ofPatna royal dynasty, Balangir links itself with Chowhans from Mayeenapuri near Agra. Most of the existing elected MLAs, MPs, Municipality chairmen, etc from Western Orissa have a different origin than it. So, we can consider people from Western Orissa are not developed enough to understand the system of ruling self. This is why you will find lukewarm response to any such self reliant movement in the region. They are habituated to pay tax who ever rule them. And they certainly don’t have a need for it.

If you see the pattern of casting votes in Western Orissa, you will notice that they go in a sway of money and other influential things. There is lack of understanding among people about who is giving what to them. I have noticed for plans and money sanctioned by the Central Govt for any particular scheme in the region they give credit to Nabin Pattnaik and award with votes. This shows their level of understanding politics and administration.

In the last election the anger of farmers went against ruling BJD and in favour of Congress. Though there was a local party, KKD which was supporting the farmer’s cause for water and was against blind industrializations too, but people didn’t consider it and trusted Congress, as inherited genetically not to believe in self rule. In past, having such situation people of Andhra had supported heavily to NTR led Telugu Desam, Tamil people to MGR’s led DMK and Coastal Orissa people to BJD. There is absolutely no existence of Congress and BJP in Coastal Orissa.

When it went against their earning directly the peasant class raised their voice against the BJD led govt and demonstrated with a human chain of 30 000 people voluntarily against the decision of supplying Hirakud Dam water to the industry. Where as no employee of Balangir Anchalik Grmya Bank (BAGB) opposed the renaming of it to Utkal Grmya Bank because it didn’t hamper their earnings. So, the concept of self identity, Kosal nationalism has not developed yet among the people ofWestern Orissa which is very prominent among coastal Oriyas for Kalinga and Utkala. The people of Western Orissa are still at a stage of thinking only about their livelihood and not any thing beyond called Kosli nationalism.

Sometimes, it forces me to think why people from Western Orissa except Balangir- Sonepur region don’t connect themselves with Kosal where as history says that Sambalpur, Bilaspur and Raipur were forming South Kosal throughout the time. In Sambalpur region Hirakhand name is more prominent and accepted by people as it is related to the last 500 years of history and to a native name and power which had evolved in local land with the help of local tribes. Some one can argue that Hirakhand is a recent past and Kosal is an ancient one. In that line when we remember and connect ourselves with “Bharat”, then how can we forget our own land’s name within Bharat.

During 6th – 7th century Sonepur was the capital of Kosal - Utkal under the Somavanshis originally from Chhattisgarh region for many years but, there too you will not find people connecting with Kosal patriotism. It is true that when a capital shifts most of the ruling class migrate to the new place leaving the old one deserted. After Sonepur the Somavanshis had shifted their capital to Jajpur area in Coastal Orissa.

It is equally true that neither have we accepted the names Utkal or Kalinga. So, I think this patch of hilly, forest tract of western orissa was never known as Kosal, Kalinga or Utkal but becoming a part of the mighty kingdoms around it time to time.

The Western Orissa people lack entrepreneurship skill, Bhulia caste is an exception. Majority of the population are dependent on traditional cultivation and aspirants for Govt jobs with lesser work load. We can’t blame if a person from coastal orissa opens a Singhda Bara stall in Sambalpur or Jharsuguda or any where in Western Orissa because there is a vacant space and is not filling up by any local person. During my last visit to Jharsuguda, I found Berhampurias have opened small snacks stalls at different places around Sarbhal and selling Singhda, Bara,etc in greater volumes. One after one carrier vehicles were halting at the stalls carrying many industrial labours who were the customers for the stalls. The snacks stall is just an example of our lack of entrepreneurship. No one stops us from opening business in our own area. Blaming others doesn’t works always. Just go and find the small venders in your own locality and you will be surprised that they are mostly controlled by outsiders. In places like Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur it is worst than any where. The situation is totally contrast in coastal Orissa. All the business establishments are controlled by themselves. I happened to see a place called Pahala at the outskirt of BBSR. It delighted me to find the people there, so skilled and aggressive in marketing their sweets which is not found any where in West Orissa.

Many words of the native Sambalpuri origin have lost or in a process to loose their existence to substitutes from Oriya. In many cases the owed substitutes are of lesser relevant technically or pronounced wrongly than the native words which have more similarities with Sanskrit/ Hindi. For example, words like muphli/ mukhli was earlier used by the native Sambalpuri speakers for groundnuts, which has been replaced by the word Badam from Oriya (with influence from Bengali), where asBadam should be used for Almond. In Hindi, a groundnut is known as Mumphalli and almond as Badam. Now a days, people feel shy to address their sisters as Bahen which has close relation with Hindi Behen and use loaned word from coastal orissa, Bhauni.

Culturally too we have started bending towards coastal Orissa. Western Orissa is known for its Shakti cult and Matrupuja. So, there are local Goddesses Samaleswari, Patnewari, Sureswari, Manikeswari, Ghanteswari, Ghantasuni, Pitabali etc in every town and place here. But, if you notice, construction of new temple for these Goddesses has stopped and in all villages and town the new trend has evolved to buildJagannath Temple.

We are a social group of people who are influenced by every other thing that comes from outside world. We lack role models of our own. Females in cities want to look like Marwadis or Hindi people. When Sambalpuri Saree is world famous and has agreat demand out side the state, the native wants some thing different than it. Young masses, those who are studying in Convent or CBSE board feel shy to talk in Sambalpuri and use Hindi. I am not against Hindi but, here I am concerned with the hesitation of speaking in Sambalpuri. If you go to any pseudo Mall in Sambalpur, the sales gals and boys are instructed to speak with you in Oriya or Hindi, but not in Sambalpuri. Even if you ask in Sambalpuri they will reply you in Oriya or Hindi where as they talk among themselves in Sambalpuri.

This is a society of ungrateful people. If you find any institution in and around Sambalpur, you will find every thing is named after Veer Surendra Sai. That is good but we need to look beyond that too. Except for Kunjelpada after Kunjelsingh Bariha, and BirsaMunda Chowk at Ainthapali none of the establishment is named after any of the freedom fighter from local or tribal origin. There were many who had laid their life for their mother land. Sambalpur Municipality chairman is interested to name a road in Khetrajpur area after his father, some X Tiwari who has no contribution for Sambalpur but, can never think of the actual righteous person.

This is a society which is busy celebrating many festivals throughout the year and is content with its music, dance, and drama. It has little need for self rule. This is a tribal instinct people have developed because of century of coexistence that no matter what evil happens in their life the tribals don’t forget to drink and dance at the end of the day. History says which ever race or country has won the war of self rule, have involved itself fully in the movement leaving all amusement till it has achieved its goal. We don’t find any such zeal among people of this part.

When every one is ok with the system, there is no need of any uprising or demand. In history I have read that when contingents of invading army were arriving to interior parts of India they were not facing any opposition from the tribals but getting directions from them. They are list bothered who is ruling the land and are comfortable within their way of life unaware of civilized way of ruling the land by themselves. Western Orissa is inhabited mostly by tribals (app. 46%). Situation has not changed here till now. The awareness level for civilized way ruling a region/ land is almost similar to what it was earlier.

This is a general view and is not applicable to every one in the Western Orissa society. As a society it is composed of many different types of people from different races, castes, religions, and origin. Also, no society remains primitive for ever. Different societies and races have taken different amount of time to develop themselves. For Western Orissa society it will take much more time to develop in this line from now.

Monday, April 12, 2010

XIMB Campus in Balangir Soon - Reports

India's one of the top B-School, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) soon will be opening its’ new Campus at Balangir.

If reports from local media are to be believed then Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already green signalled to the expansion of XIMB to Balangir.

This will be the first top Management Insitution in Western Odisha (KOSAL).

Thanks to the efforts of A U Singh Deo, Minister Planning & Coordination, XIMB II will provide Post Graduate Diploma in Management(Rural Management)(PGDM-RM).

XIMB Director Fr.P T Joseph has taken all the initiatives to expand the institution in Western Odisha (KOSAL).

Mr.Singh Deo and Fr.Joseph held several rounds of discussion to make it happen during the month, said sources.

Then Mr.Singh Deo brought it to the notice of Chief Minister and Mr.Patnaik agreed immediately for the proposal.


Accordingly a High Powered Committee headed by S P Nanda, Development Commissioner was formed to scrutinize the proposal.

Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, Principal Secretary Finance strongly felt that under the new economic reforms regime there is a crying need to bridge the corporate sector and rural society.

And setting up of a MBA teaching institution at Balangir will go a long way in this regard, felt he.

HPC has decided to provide 25 acres land free of cost and XIMB has agreed to set its Rural Campus at Balangir.

XIMB has made an innovative departure by emphasizing the need to expand the use of management science to rural sector in the form of creating managers not only for corporate sector but also for the social sector.

The basic objective of introducing two years Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Rural Management) (PGDM-RM) course is to inject professionalism in the field of rural economy.

XIMB, which is running PGDM-RM courses here with 60 seats has decided to open 120 seats at Balangir Campus.

Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, MP Balangir has discussed the issue at length with Fr.Joseph.

In the meantime the Director XIMB has already visited Balangir to identify the land, which needs to be transferred to XIMB, said sources.

Let's hope XIMB will not turn into another Balangir Medical College kind of False promise ..... Thank god after seven decades of independece Balangir got atleast one good news..

Monday, April 5, 2010

April Edition Of Firstever Kosli Sambalpuri E-Magazine BENI Released

Dear All,

Please click the link below to read the March-April edition of the Historic Firstever Kosli Sambalpuri E-Magazine "BENI" ....

This edition includes writings from Great legends like Kosal Valmiki Sri Hemachandra Acharya, Loka Kabi Kabiratna Haldhar nag, Dr Nelamadhab Panigrahi, Sri Nimai Charan Panigrahi etc....


Plz forward this link to your family and friends and contribute towards the growth of our Kosali Sambalpuri Literature ......

Special thanks to our editor Sri Saket Sahu for all his hard work and effort for bringing out this Historic E-Magazine....

This edition of BENI was released by Sri Pradyumna Ku Sahu, Secretery, Mahanadi Sahitya Sansad online on Koshal Discussion and Development Forum.

JAI KOSLI SAHITYA

JAI MAA SAMALESWARI


Friday, April 2, 2010

Black Day for Western Orissa on Utkal Divas

By Satyajit Nayak for Merinews.com

AS THE news of starvation deaths and farmer suicide is coming in, the atmosphere in Western Orissa is getting desperate. As reported by the national media, more than 50 people in Bolangir district alone have died of starvation in the last two years.

Same is case of farmer suicides also. It is reported that more than 60 farmers in western Orissa have committed suicide in the last one year due to crop loss and fault in loan repayment. Even after seven decades of Independence, this region of the Orissa state is yet to develop in all aspects. It seems that the western Orissa region has fallen victim to the criminal negligence of the state government.
It was around 28 years ago that this region caught the attention of national media when an adivasi lady called Phanas Phunji sold her child for Rs.40. Many politicians visited this place after that incidence but nothing much has changed. Now in 2010 also a whole family of five members died of hunger in Chabripali village of Balangir district, yet no one came to their rescue. When the district administration stepped in it was too late as all the members of the Bariha family were already dead except for the youngest member, Jhintu Bariha's son.
These are just few cases of the gross human rights violation that is happening in western Orissa region. Each year 10 lakh people from this region are migrating to neighbouring states to work as bonded labourers. Though under the NREGS scheme 100 days of work has been guaranteed, but in western Orissa districts people are getting less than 30 days of work under various government schemes.

Water meant for farmers are being diverted towards industries from the Hirakud Dam. Tribal people are forcefully displaced to give away their sacred mountains for mining to foreign firms.

Though the people of western Orissa speak Kosli Sambalpuri language, yet the Orissa government has forcefully imposed the Oriya language in schools thus sidelining their local language.

As the Orissa government will be celebrating its foundation day on April 1, 2010, the people of western Orissa have decided to observe this day as a Black Day. All the shops and offices will be closed on this day through out western Orissa to protest against this injustice towards the people of this region. Many youths are protesting in a unique manner on social networking site Orkut.

They have formed a community called Kosal (an alias of western Orissa) and have put black photos on their profile with the slogan "Free Kosal ... Stop Human Rights Violation". Meanwhile Bar Associations and Citizen Forum across western Orissa have supported this Bandh. Kosal Kranti Dal, the political party who is demanding a separate state of Kosal, which includes all the districts of Western Orissa, has called for Quit Kosal Convention on April 1.

Watch Sambalpuri Video Songs Online

Welcome to KOSAL

JAI KOSHAL

"Aamar Sanskruti Aamar Gaurav"

Welcome to the land of culture "Koshal" . Koshal is the land of great warriors. The land of Maharaja's.The land of Maa Samalei, World famous sambalpuri saree , great teracotta works, land of tantrik Vidya, world famous Sambalpuri music and dance.

Koshal consists of ten beautiful districts..
Sambalpur,Balangir,Kalahandi,Sundergarh,Bargarh,Jharsuguda,Subarnapur,Boudh,Nuapada
and Deogarh.

The motto of this community is to bring all the young warriors of koshal to a common platform from where they can initiate the process to preserve the great Koshali culture and swear to free our motherland koshal from atrocities..

So friends lets join hand and do something extraordinary to create a separate identity of us across the globe and create a separate koshal state,full of prosperity and impartiality.

We Consider Kosali language as the mother of Oriya language, the origin of kosali language was found by the historians from Subarnapur in Stambheswari inscription of 12th century A.D. The Kosali language is spoken by about 2 crores of people in the entire KBK belt and Western Orissa and part of A.P., M.P., Chhatisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. It is a matter of regret that the Government of Orissa has not taken any interest to improve the standard of Kosali (Sambalpuri) language.


KOSAL COMMUNITY STRONGLY DEMANDS THAT THE KOSALI(SAMBALPURI) LANGUAGE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE ENLISTED IN THE 8TH SCHEDULE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA


So start sharing your views on Koshal.....