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 6^th – 7^th 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.