WHY WE LOVE TO HATE ODIA??

Diptiman Panigrahi
B.tech 4th Year(CSE)
First of all thanks for choosing to read this article. Because you need patience to read this after read this caption .Actually I wanted to write this article in Odia but, in public (un)interest I wanted to write in English so that all can understand it.
It is no doubt English is corporate language and we can’t survive in corporate world without this but that’s not the mean to underestimate our own mother tongue. Most of the students of our college except those who studied in Odia medium school don’t know the history of our state, the past border of our state, the famous personalities of our state. Now such situations occurs people started to hate Odisha. We are forgetting our famous “Baara Maasa re Tera Parva” (13 festivals in 12 months) and other small and beautiful festival. When foreign festivals like Valentines Day, friendship day etc etc come we are becoming eager to send sms and wishes to our friends and relatives. But when our own festival comes we don’t celebrate it and pass this day as a general holiday. I think when I see my mother performing “Pujas (Prayer), Upaasas (Fasting), Bratas and Oshas”, will our so called GENnext do this? We are celebrating 1st January as New Year which is a foreign festival with feasts, drinks and cakes. But we don’t celebrate our own New Year Panaa Sankranti (Odia New Year) and Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (1st day of 1st Indian Month Chaitra).We are forgetting our regional food like Pithas (Cakes of crops) which are good for health. When I tell my friends to celebrate this they ignore it with a laugh and some fellows also tell that “Go and join politics you will be good so called neta.”
I had visited many states like West Bengal, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh. They are very loyal to their respective mother tongues. Even they created their own identity internationally. The daily soaps we watch in TVs, you may know that all TV shows belongs to a particular region (Especially Gujarat, Punjab and West Bengal).The people of those states are celebrating their festivals with great joy and happiness. They also love their respective regional food. Not only they love but also they sell their foods outside of their region and make them famous.
We are familiar about south Indian foods like dosa,idly,sambar and dhoklas(Guajarati),vada paw(Marathi),Makke ki Roti,Sarso ka saag(Punjabi).But how many people of outsiders know about Dalma,Manda Pitha,Kakara Pitha,Pakhal.The bright example is the famous Indian sweet Rassagola which was originated from “Rosa Ghara”(Kitchen Room of Sri Jagannath Temple) which is known to be largest kitchen room of the world. But people of Bengal take credit of this by announcing that their place is the birthplace of Rassagola.This proved that Rassagola is as old as the temple. And the temple is so old that when Bengal was not created, where some of this was a part of Kalinga (Odisha) and some part in Magadha (Bihar).And the name Banga (Bengal) is a name of Odia(Udra) Prince of that time.
It is very difficult to elaborate the whole history in a two page article. But my friends should know that once upon a time the border of Odisha was from River Ganges to Godavari. The empire of state was so big that the Honorable King of Odisha is awarded by a long tagline”Sri Gajapati Goudeswar Nabakoti Karntatkalabargeswar Biradhibirabar Prabalpratapi” (Goudeswar=king of goud desh (UP Bihar), Karnat=Karnataka, Kalabargeswar=king of kalabarga (Gulbarga (MP))).When Mughal empire was well established in North and South India only Odisha and Maharashtra was not the part of it. Odisha included in the mughal empire for the cheating of emperor Akbar. He made promised to then king Prataprudra Dev that he will protect Odisha when other rivals will attack. But he didn’t help the king when Nabab of Bengal (with Kalapahad) attacked Odisha and then when the king defeated Akbar conquered Odisha from Bengal.

When I am telling the history to my friends they said that I don’t look back to history I only believe in present. So I want say them that if you are present then, be the present for Odisha and take our state to the world and create a Vibrant Odisha. When Rathyatra (Car Festival) comes I call up my friend to pull chariots. But they gave no interest on it. They said that we have no time. But they have time to eat, drink and dance with double mean songs on the 1st January. I don’t oppose 1st January and other foreign festivals but if we don’t celebrate our own festival and celebrating foreign festival it will be like “leaving our own mother for accepting others” for a meaningless change.

At last I want ask my friends jokingly that if Bengalis can’t digest their food without fishes, and south Indian without idly and sambar, if Guajarati’s can’t live without dhoklas and phapdas and Punjabis with Lassies and makke ki roti, Then how can we live without our own food by accepting Chinese junk foods like chowmin, roll.By eating this Chinese foods we are supporting their business and now a day’s China is crossing Indian border several time. Our Jawans are fighting with china for safety of country and we are buying and eating Chinese things and give money to China by which they are making they defense strong against India.

Now talking about literature, many students who are from English medium and passed out from BJB college don’t know the fullfrom of BJB. If knows what is the life history of BJB(I would like my BJB friends to find out the fullform soon and his life history(if they are interested).Many Odias don’t know how to read write in Odia. And when I say them to learn Odia they say I am not interested and we have no time.It is also said that the 1st freedom stuggle of India actually initiated in 1817,40 years before than 1857 nearby khurda which is continued till 1905 all across Odisha.Then from 1905 Utkal Sammilani was created to unite Odisha from Bengal, Bihar and Madras(Now Chennai).Which took a main role in Indian Freedom Struggle till 1947.Modern Odisha was created in 1936 April 1.And we are celebrating this day for April Fool Day instead of Utkal Divas. Really how fool we are??!!

At 1st we are Indian and we are proud of that. But like other regions which become globally famous, they also proud to be an Indian. So when talking about only Odia, that doesn’t mean I am narrow minded. But development start from small things and so on it makes the whole country developed. Neglecting our own traditions and culture will not make developed. You can take the example from China Japan and Russia. The English literacy ratio in those countries is less than that of India. But they are more developed than us. Because they don’t give up their own culture and tradition. They study in their national languages they don’t need to go outside for the job. They are fully dedicated to serve their country and countrymen. So we should learn good things from west but not blindly following them. 21st century is for GLOBALISATION not WESTERNISATION.

So I request my friends to read the history of Odisha at least once in a life time. Be proud that you are an Odia. If you are not satisfied with current position of our state then come to the front and do something for the state. You don’t know that you are the son of that state where Subash Chandra Bose took birth, you are the GENnext of that soil where Emperor Asoka changed his mind from blood to peace and you are the people of God of the whole universe lord Jagannath.Maharshi Kapil said India is best across the universe and Utkal is best across India. So don’t hesitate and go ahead. At last I would like to thank you for the patience to read this article completely.
-:Bande Mataram:- -:Bande Utkal Janani:-