It is indeed a pleasant occasion for me to be
present at the Prabasi Odia Conclave, 2017 organized by the Odisha Forum and
the Government of Odisha. It is a commendable initiative, admirable in its
scope and professed objectives.
2. Friends,
Right from the epic Battle of Kalinga that turned a raging violent monarch to
Ashoka – the Great missionary, Odisha has many firsts to its credit. It stands
out as the First State to have been created on the basis of language in 1936,
eleven years before independence. It was the first State of the Union to
embrace the process of integration of Princely States into the Indian Union and
voluntary democratization of erstwhile Princely States.
3. In
this regard, it is worthwhile to quote Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel,
who wrote,”… I had the privilege of initiating the twin process of
integration (of princely states) and democratization, which for its small
beginnings in distant Orissa, has gradually swept over the whole of the
subcontinent.”
While
on the topic of India’s democratization,
I would be remiss to not talk about the leaders of Odisha during the freedom
struggle. They played key roles in the freedom struggle as well as in making a
deep impact on Mahatma Gandhi who was moved by their selfless service and
sacrifice for the cause of Odisha and India.
4. These
virtues are best exemplified in the contributions of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das
who has been rightly described as a compassionate rebel, surviving only on Rice
and Dal. In 1921 during his first visit to Odisha, Gandhiji seeing him
surviving as such, asked him if such poor diet would not adversely affect his
health? Gopabandhu replied that he was willing to suffer such privation for the
sake of Swaraj. Gandhiji in his article ‘My Odisha Tour’ praised the conviction
and wrote that he would surely make India free if he could gather hundred
Gopabandhus in India.
5. Indeed
the ethos of Swaraj in all its glory has been guiding this pearl of east which
has contributed in many ways to building India.
6. The
people of the State have a glorious legacy inspiring the rest of the country.
While reflecting on prabasi Odias my mind goes back to deep recesses of history
of the State. The earliest examples of prabasi
Odias
represent fine examples of entrepreneurship and business
acumen which are now needed and indeed applied, across India to register higher
growth and development.
7. Speaking
of Prabasi Odias, I am reminded of the legendary Utkal Gaurab Madhusudan Das,
who spent considerable part of his life outside Odisha spearheading a movement
to start the First Ever step in the form of historic Utkal Aammilani in 1903 to
unify Odisha as a separate state. It was also he who established the first
educational institution for women which became a college in 1913 much ahead of
the FIRST Women’s university in Bombay set up in 1916, a loft endeavour at the
time and a worthy endeavour for all times.
8. It
was with his efforts that women law graduates could enter the legal
profession as a practicing member of the Bar in India. Till 1923 the Legal
Practitioner Act did not mandate women law graduates to pursue law practice.
Madhusudhan Das filed a writ petition in Privy Council in London and pleaded
that in public interest women law graduates should be permitted to become
lawyers. This is perhaps the first example of public interest litigation.
Eventually in 1923 the Legal Practitioner Act was amended permitting women law
graduates to become lawyers.
9. Such
insights throw light on the remarkable contributions of Odia leaders who
contributed considerably for the cause of Odisha and India.
10. Today,
in India as indeed the world over, Odias are excelling, they have registered
their presence in every nook and corner of India on the strength of their merit
and worth and have attained excellence based on their higher educational
attainments. We have today a large pool of prabasi Odias who are well known for
their excellence in diverse fields of politics, judiciary, Journalism,
bureaucracy and litrature.
11. The
rich cultural heritage of the State is best reflected in myriad forms of dance,
music and performing arts. Odisha has a long and rich history of excelling in
art, culture, music, dance and architecture. In recent times, many Odia poets
and litterateur have won the Sahitya Academy, Gyanpitha and other national
awards. It is befitting that Odia has now been recognized as a classical language.
12. I
am therefore glad to note that you are devoting a session to “Odisha, the
Soft Power” which will showcase Odisha’s strength in this field.
I
am sure that the large gathering of Odias from
different parts of India and world would bring together the diverse talent pool
of the State and harness their capabilities and expertise for growth,
development and onward progress of Odisha and India. I am sure that this
Prabasi Odia conclave will take forward such a vision.
13. People
of Odisha’ who are outside the State and India, as well as the residents of the
State will have to take immediate as well as far reaching steps, with the
Government playing the role of a proactive catalyst.
14. At
a time when world has been integrated in lightning speed we need to take
advantage of such integration and bring together talents within Odisha and
outside to provide synergy for our onward development and progress.
15. In this regard, I feel that this conclave is a historic
step for not only Odisha but for whole of India. The illustrious C. F. Andrews,
a close associate of Ravindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi wrote an
illuminating article entitled Spirit of Odisha in 1927. In the very first para of
that article, he observed that if love is the first act of service then it is
easy to serve Odisha for he never saw such loveable people in rest of India.
16. With
these words I have great pleasure in associating myself with the loveable
people of Odisha and prabasi Odias on the occasion of the organization of
Prabasi Odia Conclave 2017. I greet all of you on this occasion and wish the
conclave all the Success.
JAI HIND
AKT/NT/SK
