The modern state of Odisha was formed on 1st April 1936 CE. Historically it was also known as Kalinga, Utkal, Odra, Kosala, Tosali and Kangoda and has a deep and colorful past.

Odia Nationalism

The modern state of Odisha was formed on 1st April 1936 CE. Historically it was also known as Kalinga, Utkal, Odra, Kosala, Tosali and Kangoda and has a deep and colorful past. Its been named Odisha since early fifteenth century, possibly derived from ancient Odra.
In popular parlance, Kalinga and Utkal are the foremost used names for the state within the historical context, symbolizing the prosperity, maritime glory, sculptural and artistic skills of the land.
The year 1568 is considered an important date in the history of Odisha, as, in this year Mukunda Deva, the last independent ruler of Odisha was defeated by the Afghan Sultan of Bengal. After 1568 and the region saw a gradual decline. Odisha was not to be an independent kingdom again.
From 1568 to 1803, Odisha remained under the control of the Afghans, the Mughals and the Marathas successively. Finally, Odisha came under British rule in 1803.
However, the territory of modern Odisha province did not come under British rule all of a sudden in 1803. First, the southern region, then the coastal territory and lastly the western tract was occupied by the East India Company one by one.
Soon after the British East India Company‟s rule, the people of Odisha suffered in many respects and were prone to exploitation by the alien rulers which prompted resistance in the minds of its inhabitants.
Along with the economic exploitation, people of Odisha as a language and cultural group felt ignored and neglected due to the dismemberment of the province under different presidencies like the Bengal Presidency, Madras Presidency and Central Provinces.
These circumstances led to the outburst of Odia nationalism. It started with the language crisis. The language controversy served as an enlightenment of the Odias. The Odia language and literature developed both quantitatively and qualitatively during the period. This created an unprecedented socio-political awakening in the dormant minds of the Odia elite class.

NATIONALISM

The concept of nationalism is a force, a psychological condition of mind and also a way of feeling, thinking and living. It's an emotional tie that will integrate the otherwise divided people.
Even though it's treated as a second religion, the emotional force is usually stronger than the faith itself.
Nationalism is additionally a political phenomenon of the recent society, supported by common history, tradition, language, and culture.
It creates a sense of homogeneity in a nation. Nations don't create nationalism, it's the opposite way round, nationalism creates nations. Nationalism revolves around the elements of culture.
Experts believe that nationalism originated in Western Europe in the 19th century and gradually spread to other continents.
Nationalism manifested for the first time in 17th-century England, within the Puritan revolution.
Nationalism in Europe is related to the birth of the Nation-state after the treaty of Westphalia on 24th October 1648.
However, in Germany and Italy, nationalism contributed to the formation of a state through the union of autonomous territories sharing a standard culture.
In some other cases such as Polish nationalism, it led toresistance movements against imperial rulers governing multicultural empires like the Russia, Greek and Bulgarian and Ottoman empire.
Indian nationalism developed during the freedom movement which campaigned for independence from British rule. It influenced the politics of India and reflects an opposition to the sectarian strands of Hindu and Muslim nationalism.
Indian nationalism is an instance of territorial nationalism, which is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds.

Nationalism in Odisha

The language controversy in Odisha which began in the 1840s became very firm during 1869-70s. Gradually, the cultural revolution of Odisha gave birth to nationalism in the region and merged with pan Indian nationalism.
The basic nature of nationalism in Odisha was the imposition of the Bengali language in schools, courts and offices by Bengali officers posted in Odisha.
The territory of Odisha was fragmented into various parts by colonial rulers. Odisha had lost the political geography and social existence under different administrative zones of British India.
So, the territorial unification and language agitation went simultaneously along with the decolonization process from the below in augmenting nationalism in Odisha.

Challenges before Odia Nationalism

There were three major challenges before the Odia nationalism.

the champions of the Odia nationalist movement in the 19th century were much more open-minded, tolerant, creative, and exposed to diversities of languages and religious beliefs. Contrarily, the Odia leadership was easily creeping to religious dogmatism, cultural hybridization, intellectually redundant, and elitism.
Odia Adivasi (tribal) dialects and the dialects of Balasore, Ganjam and Sambalpur districts had not been recognized by and incorporated in the mainstream Odia language.
The dominance of coastal Odisha over western Odisha in terms of political power and government largely created political feuds in the state. The uneven growth and development disparity was also providing fuel to the sectarian movement in western Odisha.

BACKGROUND FOR THE GROWTH OF NATIONALISM IN ODISHA

The Odia nationalist movement was flamed during the colonial period, especially in the mid-19th century. The origin of the movement was important for several reasons.

The Odias were among the few nationalities in India whose culture and territory were fragmented in colonial times. The fragmented parts of Odisha were integrated in Bengal Presidency, Central Presidency and Madras Presidency.
Odia language and culture faced serious threats on account of territorial dismemberment.
Odia nationalist movement was the first of its kind which demanded a separate linguistic province.
The formation of a separate Odisha province was the first linguistic province in British India.
Odia nationalist movement played a pioneering role in fostering Indian nationalism and organized an anti-colonial movement in Odia-speaking tracts.
The Odia language agitation, Odia territorial unification movement, and the decolonization process from the 'below' in Odisha were operating simultaneously in a parallel way.
Odia nationalism was a powerful force in the 19th century but other two forces like Indian nationalism and religious nationalism were not that much powerful but were also not weak. Odia nationalism merged with Indian nationalism with the support of Mahatma Gandhi and emerged as a strong indomitable force with the participation of people from 'below'. The nascent Odiatwa (Odianess) swallowed religious nationalism to Indian nationalism for the time being and religious nationalism became weak.
Odia nationalism was merely a cultural revolution that has never been a secessionist in orientation or never aimed at 'othering' sections and has not been threatened to the unity and sovereignty of the Indian nation.
Odisha became a pioneering model for the Nehru government in independent India on which basis many linguist states have been organized under the States Reorganization Act, 1956. The Indian leadership was forced to accept Madhusudan Das's linguisticcultural theory of nationalism as the major principle of restructuring the provinces of the Indian Union. As a result, it curbs the threats of Partition on religious line.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES AND FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RISE OF THE NATIONALISM IN ODISHA

Colonialism

Odishan nationalism was started when Odia people realized that the colonial rule was the main reason for Odisha‟s poor economic condition. All sections and classes of Odia speaking tracts like peasants, artisans, handicraftsmen, workers, intellectuals, educated peoples and capitalists were tremendously suffering. Industrialization especially small scale industries suffered badly and were facing near extinction. Within a short period, the East India Company exploited the region in making Odisha an impoverished one.
British rule in Odisha led to the economic exploitation of all classes. The primary motive of the British was how to gain financial benefit. The industrial revolution in Britain necessitated the import of raw materials from different foreign countries and to search the extensive market for its goods outside. Odisha provided both to them.
Odisha like other British administered territories of India pays for the maintenance of British civil service and military force. An attempt was made to destroy the indigenous Odishan industries to expand the public demand for British industrial goods. While heavy import duties were put on Indian goods to restrict their entry into the British market. There was free trade policy for the transactions of raw materials or British goods in India.
Leaders like DadabhaiNaroji, Mahadev Gobinda Ranade, and G.K. Gokhale etc. analyzed the economic impact of colonial rule in India. Economic exploitation was gone to such a high extent that had great repercussions on the growth of Indian nationalism and sub-nationalism in Odisha and the people agitated against the foreign government taking into multiple issues.

Na-Anka Famine

In 1866 one of the most devastating famines – known as the Na- Anka famine occurred in Odisha during the tenure of Puri Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Dev III (1859- 1882), killing a third of its population.
Subsequently, a Famine Commission was formed and its recommendations constitute an important milestone in the economic history of Odisha. The expansion of roads, railways, ports and navigable irrigation canals became an urgency. That focus on transport and communication in colonial Odisha was the antecedent for the province‟s socio-economic transformation and nationalism.
Note- An enquiry commission was formed in December 1866, by the order of the Secretary of State for India(Lord Robert Cecil) to investigate the reasons, situations and range of the famine. The Commission has comprised of three members viz. George Campbell, the President, W.E. Morton and H.L Dampier, were the two other members. The Commission submitted its report on 6 April 1867. The Commission figured out that besides several unavoidable circumstances, the carelessness of governmental authorities and blunders of certain individual officers were responsible for such a misfortune.

Jagannath Temple and its Administration

Lord Jagannatha was the cultural strength and social symbol for the unity of Odisha. The deity's relationship with Odisha and Odia can be traced back to early-historic times.
Lord Jagannatha had dominating influence over the socio-religious and cultural life of Odias. Gradually, Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, princes, zamindars and Odia speaking regions were associated with the Jagannatha cult.
Thus the Jagannatha cult had been constituted with multiple identities like social, political, religious, cultural and the making and remaking of 'exclusive' groups such as the Odias, the Kandhs etc .
No doubt, the 'great tradition' of the Jagannatha cult has absorbed the 'little tradition' of the marginal and peripheral subaltern groups.
The Odia identity became even more internalized and crystallized around the Jagannatha cult during the colonial period. The Odia identity prevailed even against cultural, political, and economic threats posed by Bengalis, Telegu's, and, of course, by the British.
The administration, safety and security of lord Jagannath temple was threatened during British rule which indirectly aroused Odia nationalism.

Education

Modern education within the structure of western education in Odisha was a target during British rule. During this time education was introduced by the missionaries for an evangelical intention.
Over time British administration took on the business of introducing modern instruction like Western Education to Odisha for its government usefulness and to hold on to the people of Odisha silently by providing small jobs and fulfilling other illogical whims.
But English-educated Odia protagonists read history from other parts of the country and abroad and were spurred on by nationalism. The introduction of education in English became a boomerang for the British because it ignited nationalism among the Odias.
The spread of Western Education within the last half of the 19th century led to the emergence of a determined and organized national consciousness in divided Odisha.
Woods' famous dispatch and the establishment of the University of Calcutta in 1857 provided the required impetus for the expansion of public interest and the teaching of English.
Additionally, the establishment of Ravenshaw College at Cuttack in 1868 strongly encouraged the spread of higher education among aspirants from Odisha who were deprived of university education.
Educated Odias and domiciled Bengalis constitute the elite class of Odishan society. This elite class collectively collaborated within the sociopolitical activities of the last quarter of the 19th century.
Chandramohan Maharana, Ganapati Das, Mani Mohapatra, Gopal Chandra Praharaj, Madhusudan Das, Abhiram Bhanj, Nand Kishore Bal, Gopabandhu Das, Radhanath Ray, Gourishankar Ray, Ramsanker Ray, Pyarimohan Acharaya, etc., were the ambassadors of the communities. They indeed played a crucial role in the growth of Odia nationalism in an inspiring way.

Indigenous Intelligentsia

In Odishaamong the main protagonists were Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843-1918), Radhanath Ray (1848-1908), Madhusudan Rao(1853- 1912), Gangadhar Meher (1862- 1924), Gopabandhu Das (1877-1928) and Madhusudan Das (1848-1934) etc.
The intelligentsia got united on the various issues and demanded amalgamation of the Odia conversation tracts into one provincial administration and therefore the formation of a separate province.
Chandramohan Maharana, Ganapati Das, Mani Mohapatra, Gopal Chandra Praharaj, Madhusudan Das, Abhiram Bhanj, Nandkishore Bal, Gourishankar Ray, Ramsanker Ray, Pyarimohan Acharaya, etc., were the other representative of the elite class.

Public Associations

The Utkal Sabha and the Utkal Union Conference, both chaired by Madhusudan Das (1848-1934), played a vital role in organizing the people on socio-cultural and political issues.
In 1903, representatives of the Odia-speaking regions of Madras, the central provinces and Bengal formed the Utkal Union Conference (UUC), locally called Utkal Sammilani, in Cuttack to steer the Odia movement for the formation of a separate province.
The nineteenth-century saw the growth of socio-political associations and public associations in Odisha. The educated bourgeoisie that emerged in Odisha within the post-famine era, like its matching part elsewhere, expressed its ideas, views and aspirations through the press, meetings and associations.
Also variety of socio-political associations and community associations, with dissimilar objectives like the development of the language and literature of Odia, the safeguard of the interests of Odias, social reform, the sponsorship of the education and scholarly and literary discussions were shaped within the post-famine period.
The initiation was taken by the English who formed an association in Cuttack, called the Mutual Improvement Society in 1859 was wanted to discuss public issues.
Consequently, the subsequent associations were formed - Utkalollasini Sabha, Cuttack, 1868; Cuttack Debate Club, 1868; Cuttack Young Men's Association, 1869; Utkal Brahmo Samaj; 1869; Puri Company, 1870; Ganjam, Bhadrak Desha Hitaishini Sabha, 1874; Ganjam Nisha Nishedhini Sabha, 1875; Utkal Sabha, Cuttack, 1877; Odisha Graduates and Students Association, 1888; National Society of Balasore, 1878; Shiksha Bidhayini Sabha, 1881; Utkal Bhasa Uddipani Samaj, Cuttack, 1867; Utkal Bhasa Uddipani Samaj, Cuttack, 1867; Utkal Bhasa Unnati Bidhayini Sabha, Balasore, 1867; Madak Seban Nibarini Sabha, 1879; Utkal Sabha or Association of Odisha Peoples, 1882; Utkal Hitabadini Sabha, Berhampur, 1872; Anti-corruption Sabha, Cuttack, 1884; Utkal Sahitya Sammilani, Cuttack, 1886; Balasore Zilla School Reading Club; 1896; and Alochana, Sabha, of Cuttack Training lyceum, 1893. There have been a couple of community and caste-based associations, like Karan Sabha, Odisha Islam Association, 1875 and Odisha Christian, Association, Cuttack, 1896.
The Odisha's educated elite, just like the elite elsewhere in India, sought to reform social life through measures like the sponsorship of education and therefore theupliftment and liberation of girls. They were also predisposed and inspired by social reform movements in other parts of India. But the slow progress of education and therefore the lack of a robust academic elite have bogged down in the process of social rejuvenation

Press and journalism

The development of the press and reporting in Odisha marked a turning point within the modern history of the state. Christian missionaries, who have made remarkable contributions during this time, have taken the initiative. They began the history of the journalism and press in Odisha with the creation of a press. In due course, Odisha developed a vernacular press. Moreover, they cemented the way for the event of journalism.
Advances within the press and journalism in Odisha have resulted in the development of socio-political awareness within the midst of the people of Odisha.
The primary Odia magazine five years before Odisha's catastrophic famine of 1866, was Bodha Dayini published from Balasore. The most important objective of this magazine was to disseminate Odia literature and expose the administrative lapses.
Then the foremost powerful and influential Odia newspaper the Utkal Deepika made its appearance in early 1866 under the skilful direction of the late Gourisankar Ray with the condescending help of the late Bichitrananda Das, who was the Seristadar of the then Commissioner of Revenue, T.E. Ravenshaw.
He enjoyed the respect as the founding father of the historic Ravenshaw College of Cuttack.
Utkal Deepika played a crucial role in merging peripheral Odia-speaking areas that remained dispersed under different provincial administrations.
The Utkal Deepika administered an active campaign to unite all Odia-speaking areas under one administration, language and literature and therefore the protection of Odia‟s interests.
In 1869, the late Bhagavati Charan Das launched Utkal Subhakari to propagate the Brahmo faith.
Another weekly Sambad Vahika was published in Balasore in 1868. The Utkal Society of Cuttack published Utkal Hiteisini in 1869.
During the third quarter of the 19th-century, a variety of newspapers were printed in Odia, among which Utkal Deepika, Utkal Putra, Utkal Hiteisini by Cuttack, Utkal Darpan and Sambada Vahika by Balasore, Sambalpur Hiteisini (May 30, 1889) by Deogarh.
The weekly named Odia sustained for 34 years under the patronage of Sir Sudhal Deb, Raja of Bamra.
In 1879, a fortnightly Odia newspaper called "Mayurbhanj Pakshika Patrika" was published in Baripada and abridged by Haraprasad Das with the financial help of Maharaja Krushna Chandra Bhanja Deo.
The main purpose of the document was said to be to review Mayurbhanj's politics in plain Odia language.
In April 1891 a literary magazine entitled Utkal Prabha was published from Baripada with the financial help of Maharaja Sri Ramachandra Bhanja Deo.
In 1880 Dina Banerji edited a piece of writing called Cuttack's Bideshi. After the famine of 1866, some English magazines also began to be published in Odisha.
In 1868 "Cuttack Standard", Kalipada Banerji‟s edited Argus and an English Weekly Odisha Patriot was published in Cuttack.
English weekly called Odisha Students edited by Laxmi Narayan Dasgupta was published in Kendrapara during that period.
The publications of those works during the closing of the 19th century revealed the will and fortitude of the people of Odisha to defend the freedom of expression and freedom of the press to ultimately fighting for freedom of speech, expression, and liberate the country from British rule.

Public issues

Na-Anka famine was a blessing in disguise. After this, the maladministration of East India Company was visible to all.
Whatever could also be the cause Western Education was introduced in Odisha and schools and colleges were established. English educated indigenous intelligentsia came forward for the explanation for Odisha in highlighting the general public issues like an amalgamation of scattered Odia speaking tracts attached to varied British Presidencies, protection of Odia language, Jagannath Temple administration, the introduction of the railway, construction of roads, bridges, canals. Writing of books, stories, tales, journals, magazines in Odia languages, abolition of blind beliefs, taboos and social maladies and superstitions, propagation of Brahmo Dharma or Brahmoism of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, casteism, untouchability, human sacrifices (Meriah sacrifice) by the Khonds and end of British rule out Odisha. The above-stated issues were also sprouted nationalism in Odisha.

NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN ODISHA

In Odisha, nationalism developed in two different ways.

The merger of all Odiaspeaking regions.
In the later phase with the growth of national awakening, the people of Odisha involved themselves with the mainstream of the national movement along with the rest of the country.

The nationalist movement in Odisha can be divided into two periods (1) from the establishment of Indian National Congress i.e. 1885 to 1920 A.D., and (2) the Gandhian period from 1920A.D. to 1947 A.D.

(1) from the establishment of Indian National Congress i.e. 1885 to 1920 A.D.

Before Gandhiji, Being influenced by the nationalist movement in India, the elite class of Odisha created political awareness in Odisha.
Different organizations like the National Society at Balasore, Odsha Association also known as Utkal Sabha at Cuttack and the Utkal Hitaisini Samaj at Paralakhimedi were some of the early socio-political organizations formed by the intellectuals of Odisha who disseminate political ideas among the Odias.
Leaders like Madhusudan Das, Baikuntanath De and Shyamsunder Raiguru etc provided guidance to these elite organizations.
With the establishment of INC in 1885, these leaders served as a link between the national forum and Odisha.
These organizations sent delegates to the annual sessions of INC. On 3rd March, 1886 an open meeting was held in the building of the Cuttack Printing Company which unanimously approved the resolutions, passed in the first session of the Indian National Congress, held at Bombay in 1885.
In the Calcutta session of the Congress in 1886, Raja Baikunthanath attended on behalf of National Society of Balasore. In 1988, Madhusudan Das and Gouri Shankar Roy attended the Madras Session of INC as delegates from Utkal Sabha.
A meeting was held at Cuttack on 16 February, 1888 which deputed Madhusudan Das to Kendrapara where he exhorted the people to join the Congress. He was the pioneer in spreading the Congress ideas in Odisha.
In 1895, Shyam Sunder Raiguru, the founder of the Utkal Haitesini Samaj of Paralakhemndi had attended the Poona Session of the Congress. These delegates on their return from the Congress session apprised the other members about the programmes of the Congress.
Besides the above members, other Odia intellectuals whom the Indian National Congress fascinated in the 19th century were Fakir Mohan Senapati, Bhagabat Prasad Mohapatra, Nanda Kishor Bal, Gopal Chandra Praharaj, Biswanath Kar, Madhusudan Rao, Gokulananda Choudhury, Prince Padmanav Narayan Deb, Jagmohan Lal, Ram Shankar Roy, Lokanath Samantaray, Md. Abdul Satar, Dharanidhar Mishra and Baikuntha Nath Pujari etc.
The early Odia delegates who attended the Congress belonged to the English-educated elite class and were moderate in their political outlook.
These leaders from Odisha could not raise their voice in the annual proceedings of the Congress because of the high status maintained by the great nationalist leaders from Bengal.
So, the problems of Odisha could not be placed in the Congress agenda for discussion. Because of this reason, there were only a sum total of fourteen delegates from Odisha from 1885 to 1900 who had attended the annual sessions of the Congress on six occasions only.
On the other hand, Madhusudan Das, realized the uselessness of the Congress as a political forum in Odisha. He thought that the Odias needed a regional association in order to express their identity and to give political education to the people of Odisha.
Apart from this a sense of unity and awareness to the problems of the people of Odisha had to be achieved.
With the above convictions, he formed the Utkal Union Conference in December 1903 with the support from the intellectuals of Odisha.
The moderate period of the nationalist movement in Odisha was led by Madhusudan and his associates like R.N. Bhanj Deo, Baikuntha Nath De, Harihar Panda, Brajasunder Das, and Biswanath Kar, etc. having faith in the British Raj. On the other hand, the Utkal Union Conference appealed to the British sense of justice and fair play.

Impact of Swadeshi Movement on Odisha

In 1905, the Swadeshi Movement started in Bengal in protest against the partition of Bengal which had a substantial influence on the intellectuals of Odisha. In this connection, protest meetings were held at Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur and other places to express empathy with the movement in Bengal.
The Swadeshi agitators of Bengal laid stress on boycott of foreign goods and the manufacturing of indigenous goods which made a good impact on the Odia intellectuals.
At Cuttack Janaki Nath Bose, Biswanath Kar and Dhirendera Nath Choudhury spread the massage of Swadeshi. A meeting was held in the Cuttack Municipal Hall under the presidentship of Babu Janakinath Bose on 20 August, 1905.
Here Madhusudan Das gave a clarion call to the people of Odisha to boycott the foreign goods, particularly Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt, and to use the indigenous goods.
The message of Swadeshi also reached Balasore and Puri. In September Abdus Sobhan Khan and Fakir Mohan Senapati organized large public meetings for the purpose at Balasore. At Puri, Haris Chandra Ghose and Dhanpati Banerjee led the students in a procession through the town and persuaded the business community to sell only Swadeshi goods and to boycott the foreign goods in their shops.
Pandit Godabarish Mishra has mentioned that a bonfire of foreign clothes was made at Puri town. Many people in Balasore and Cuttack gave up the use of foreign clothes, salt and sugar.
The Utkal Dipika mentions that being inspired by the Swadeshi ideas, the weavers of Sambalpur, Banpur, Sukinda and Basudebpur started manufacturing fine hand loom textiles, and men and women of rich classes began to wear Berhampuri pata and Maniabandha sari on festive and other occasions.
During the Dasserah festival the people purchased large quantity of local made clothes. The swadeshi idea provoked Madhusudan Das to set up Utkal Tannery and an Art Ware at Cuttack. In this context, an exhibition of indigenous goods was held in the Cuttack Town hall on 7 August, 1907, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Swadeshi Sabha at Calcutta.
The Surat Split of the Congress in 1907 weakened the Moderates and brought a group of nationalists appeared under the leadership of Gopabbandhu in Odisha. The advent of Gopabandhu Das in Odisha politics brought a radical change in the political scenario of the state. Gopabandhu was an ultra-nationalist.
In the beginning, he was a great follower of Madhusudan Das. An ideological conflict started between Madhusudan and Gopabandhu which ultimately ended with the victory of the latter.
In the Swadeshi movement, the Bengali agitators laid stress on National Education which appealed to Gopabandhu. On 12 August, 1909, he established an ideal school on the model of the Decan Education Society, called as Satyabadi Vana Vidyalaya at Sakhigopal, Puri.

Key Points

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar established a New English school in Pune in 1880. It was pointed out by them that there was no education available to generate leadership, for the industrial regeneration of India, etc. That's how the idea of the Deccan Educational Society came around.

Deccan Educational Society

It was formed in 1884.
These Nationalists established this society with Mahadev Govind Ranade and others.
It was formed with the idea of providing education to rouse the intellect, dropping will and slumbering conscience of the fallen countrymen.
It was the first native school that offered western education.
In 1885, the society established Fergusson College, named after the then Governor of Bombay.
In 1939, the Society decided to enter the field of secondary education for girls by starting the Ahilyadevi High School for Girls in the historic premises of the Holkar Wada in Pune.
Presently, the Deccan Education Society conducts over 50 institutions from KG level to post-graduation and research in science, arts, commerce, management, law, agriculture, chemical technology, biotechnology and para-medical sciences.

The establishment of Satyabadi School was a landmark in the evolution of national consciousness in Odisha. This institution became famous as a band of devoted and talented teachers like Pandit Nilakantha Das, Pandit Lingaraj Mishra, Acharya Harihar Das, Pandit Godabarish Mishra and Pandit Krupasindhu Mishra along with Gopabandhu introduced a new pattern of education most suitable to Indian society.
In this school, the teachers concerned themselves in building up their students into ideal citizens and also devoted their time to social reforms in the surrounding villages. For about 40 years the school provided leadership in the sphere of political social and literary activities in Odisha.
The teachers and alumni of this school proved themselves worthy citizens and made the people of Odisha politically aware about the national movement in India.
However, the extremist phase of the national movement raised its head after the Swadeshi movment.
A group of radical youths of Bengal started terrorist activities under the leadership of Jatindranath Mukherjee, popularly known as Bagha Jatin. They used Balasore and Kaptipada jungle areas as the bases to raid on British institutions. However, Bagha Jatin died in an encounter with the police while his friends Manoranjan and Hiren were hanged.
In this context, 3 young men of Odisha Atal Bihari Acharya, Sasanka Mukherjee and Bairagi Tripathy were taken into police custody for having their connection with the Bengal terrorists.

(2) the Gandhian period from 1920A.D. to 1947 A.D.

During Gandhian Period The post World War-I had brought a radical change in the political scenario of India. In the First World War, the Indians had fought at the call of Gandhiji for the British victory with the expectation that in recognition of their services during the war, the British would give the Indians substantial measure of self-government.
A number of students of the Ravenshaw College, led by Jadumani Mangaraj joined the British army for rendering help to the British in the war. However, the expectations of the Indians could not fulfill.

Impact of Khilafat Movement

Soon after the First World War, the Muslims of India started the Khilafat agitation against the British Government, because in the war Britain won against the Ottoman Empire, the head of which was the Calipha, the religious head of the Islamic world.
Britain now placed humiliating term against the Calipha. So, the Muslims all over the world including the Muslims of India started agitation against the British. The Muslims in Odisha also started the Khilafat agitation. They formed a Khilafat Committee at Cuttack under the presidency of Akram Rusool.

Non-cooperation Movement in Odisha

Three important events like passing of Rowlatt Acts, Khilafat movement and Jalianawallabagh massacre occurred just after the end of the World War I which prompted the Indian nationalists to act against the British.
The Rowlatt Acts were passed to suppress the freedom of Indians, and the Government of India Act, 1919, failed to satisfy the aspirations of the Indians.
Protesting against the Jalianawallabagh massacre and Khilafat Movement, the Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi decided in its special session, held at Calcutta
in September, 1920, to start the Non-cooperation movement against the British Government. In September1920, Gopabandhu attended this special session and returned from it, being imbued with staunch nationalist ideas.
Although Madhusudan Das had associated himself with the Congress in the early phase, subsequently he kept himself aloof from it being unable to get support from the Congress leaders for the merger of Odia tracts.
He kept himself preoccupied with the Odia movement. Subsequently in 1920, when Gandhi started the Noncooperation movement, there was practically no Congress organization working in Odisha.
At the clarion call of Gandhi in 1920-21, Gopabandhu Das virtually started once again the Congress movement in Odisha.
The Nagpur Session of the Indian National Congress, held in December, 1920, which finally passed the NonCooperation resolution, was attended by a number of delegates from Odisha such as Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Bhagirathi Mahapatra, Jagabandhu Singh, Jadumani Mangaraj, Mukunda Prasad Das, Niranjan Patanaik, and Harekrushna Mahatab.
This session of the Congress decided to form the Provincial Congress Committees on linguistic basis. As a result a separate Provincial Congress Committee was formed for Odisha even though Odisha was not a separate province at that time.
Soon after the Nagpur Congress session, the Utkal Union Conference was held at Chakradharpur under the presidentship of Jagabandhu Singh.
In this conference Gopabandhu Das suggested a modification in the outlook of the Utkal Union Conference. He held that though the merger of all Odia speaking areas was a vital issue for Odias, yet Odisha should not remain aloof from the mainstream of national consciousness, represented by the Congress.
He proposed that the aims and objects of the Indian National Congress be accepted as those of the Utkal Union conference in addition to the accepted objectives of the conference.
"This was passed by the Conference, even though quite a number of people including the president of the conference abstained from voting on it as a mark of dissent.
On his return from Chakradharpur, Gopabandhu held a public meeting at Cuttack on 24 January, 1921 and exhorted the students to join the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Mahatma Gandhi came to Odisha in March, 1921 and in his addresses to the people at Cuttack, Puri, Bhadrak and Berhampur he appealed to them to join the Noncooperation movement.
The Utkal Provincial Congress Committee consisted of Gopabhandhu as President,
Ekram Rasool as VicePresident, Bhagirathi Mahapatra as Secretary and Brajabandhu Das as Joint Secretary.
The Utkal Provincial Congress Committee deputed the following twelve members to represent Odisha in the A.I.C.C. like (1) Gopabandhu Das, (2) Jagabandhu Singh, (3) Nilakantha Das, (4) Gopabandhu Choudhury, (6) Niranjan Pattanaik, (6) Harekrushna Mahatab, (7) Bhagirathi Mahapatra, (8) Dharanidhar Mishra Banaprastha, (9) Nilakantha Das Chaudhuri, (10) Atal Bihari Acharya, (11) Brajamohan Panda, (12) Jamini Kanta Biswas.
On the other hand, District and Sub-divisional Committees were also formed in Puri, Cuttack, Balasore, Sambalpur and Ganjam under the charge of the following persons.

I. Harekrushna Mahatab - Balasore district. II. Jadumani Mangaraj -Kendrapara Subdivision of Cuttack district. III. Rajakrushna Bose- Jajpur Subdivision of Cuttack district. IV. Bhagirathi Mahapatra - Cuttack Sadar Subdivision with head-quarters at Alakashram, Jagatsinghpur. V. Jagabandhu Singh and Krupasindhu Mishra - Puri District. VI. Nilakantha Das - Sambalpur district. VII. Niranjan Pattnaik - Ganjam district

Mahatma Gandhi's call brought nationwide response including Odisha. A number of young persons left their schools, colleges and Government service in Odisha.
H.K. Mahatab, N. Kanungo, Nabakrushna Choudhury and R.K. Bose left their studies at the call of Gandhiji and joined the Non-cooperation movement.
Gopabandhu Choudhury resigned from his lucrative post of deputy collector. Bhagirathi Mahapatra, a prominent lawyer at that time gave up his legal job and joined the movement. Surendra Nath De, a sub-inspector of police and Muhammed Hanif, an excise sub-inspector resigned from their service and joined the Non-cooperation movemnt. Mahendranath Verma and Achutananda Purohit, the two promising lawyers of Sambalpur gave up their legal practice.
On the other hand, Raja Krushna Bose discontinued his Medical studies and joined the movement.
The Congress workers of Odisha involved themselves whole heartedly to work out the Gandhian programmes of Non-co-operation movement in Odisha under the leadership of Gopabandhu Das.
The weekly news paper Samaj started by Gopabandhu played an important role in spreading the nationalist ideas during the Non-cooperation movement in Odisha.
For training the Congress volunteers and workers, two institutions like Swaraj Ashram of Cuttack and Alaka Ashram of Jagatsinghpur were established by Odisha Congress leaders.
The students also established Swaraj Sevak Sangha at Cuttack for working out the programmes of Non-cooperation. Gopabandhu‟s efforts to include Odisha with the main stream of nationalist movement did not go in vain. Throughout Odisha, a wave of unprecedented enthusiasm for the INC was noticed.

Programmes of Non-co-operation in Odisha

Non-cooperation meant the withdrawal of cooperation from the British Government in all aspects. The programme of Non-co-operation movement had two phases of actions.

The first phase of the programme consisted of (a) boycott of schools and colleges by students and teachers, (b) boycott of British goods, (c) boycott of courts by lawyers and judges, and (d) boycott of services by the Government services, etc.
The second phase of actions included (a) promotion of Khadar , (b) Hindu-Muslim unity, (c) removal of untouchability, and (d) promotion of national education through the establishment of National schools and colleges.

As a mark of protest, picketing and burning of foreign cloths was undertaken in each and every district of the state. The picketing of foreign cloth was entirely successful at Jaleswar in Balasore district. A dealer of foreign cloths was fined by the Congress workers for dealing in foreign cloth at Jaleswar. The Congress workers of Swaraj Mandir also energetically carried on picketing against the foreign cloth shops at Balasore.

Mahatma Gandhi’s first visit to Odisha

Mahatma Gandhi visited Odisha for the first time in March 1921. His visit gave a tremendous fillip to the Non-Cooperation movement in Odisha. The people of Odisha extended warm welcome to him. In every railway station large crowds of people gathered to have a glimpse of their leader i.e. Mahatma Gandhi.
He reached Cuttack on 23 March 1921, and in the evening he addressed a large gathering on the Kathjuri river bed at Cuttack. In his speech, he appealed to the people of Odisha to make their contribution Tilak Swaraj Fund for getting Swaraj.

Key Points

Gandhi arrived at Cuttack on March 23, 1921.
He conducted his first meeting at Qadam-e-Rasool in Cuttack on March 24 to propagate his ideas of non-cooperation movement.
On March 25, Gandhi addressed a meeting at Gandhi Padia in Bhadrak district. He addressed a public meeting in the beach town on March 27 and spoke about freedom struggle.
On March 29, he went to Berhampur with Pandit Gopabandhu Das and addressed a huge gathering at the Berhampur Stadium.
Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi had set foot in Odisha for the first time on 23 March 1921, which happened to be the day of Dola Purnima.
He visited Odisha eight times between 1921 and 1946.
First visit: March 23-29, 1921
Gandhi arrived in Cuttack on March 23, 1921 and conducted his first meeting at Qadam-e-Rasool in Cuttack on March 24 to propagate his ideas of the Noncooperation Movement. He also addressed women at Binod Bihari in the city and later a huge crowd on the riverbed of Kathajodi in the evening.
On March 25, Gandhi addressed a meeting at Gandhi Padia in Bhadrak. He then visited the Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya of Pandit Gopabandhu Das before leaving for Puri, where he addressed a public meeting on freedom struggle on March 27.
On March 29, he visited Brahmapur with Pandit Gopabandhu and addressed a huge gathering at the Brahmapur Stadium.
Second visit: August 19 and 20, 1925
Gandhi visited Utkal Tannery, a factory producing shoes and other leather products, established by Madhusudan Das in Cuttack. He also visited other places of Cuttack before leaving for Kolkata on August 20 evening.
Third visit: December 4-21, 1927
Gandhi visited Odisha to promote Khadi. He went to several Khadi production centres at different places, including Brahmapur. He also met people of flood-affected areas in Bhadrak district. Due to the extensive tours, he fell ill and stayed indoors. He attended a public meeting at Cuttack on December 20 and left the city next day.
Fourth visit: December 22, 1928
During this one-day visit, Gandhi alighted at Jharsuguda while going to Kolkata to attend a Congress session. He addressed a meeting there before travelling to Sambalpur. In a meeting on the riverside of Mahanadi in Sambalpur, people apprised him about various issues faced by them.
Fifth visit: May 5-May 16, 1934
This visit was important because Gandhi conducted a Padyatra for welfare of Dalits. On May 5, Gandhi addressed people in Jharsuguda and Sambalpur and appealed to people to eradicate untouchability. Next day, he went to Angul by car and addressed people there. He reached Puri on May 7.
On May 8, he unveiled statue of Pandit Gopabandhu Das in Puri and started a Padyatra from Puri to Cuttack. He stayed at several places including Kadua Ashram, Satyabhamapur and Balianta while attending the Padyatra. He left for Patna on May 16.
Sixth visit: May 21-June 7, 1934
Gandhi resumed his Harijan Padyatra on May 21 from Byree in Jajpur district to Bhadrak. He covered rural areas of Cuttack, Kendrapada, Bari, Kabirpur in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. It continued till June 7.
Seventh visit: March 25-31, 1938
Gandhi attended a week-long conference of Gandhi Seva Sangh and an agro and village enterprise exhibition at Beraboi in the Delang area of Puri district. Renowned freedom fighters like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad attended the expo.
Eighth and last visit: January 20, 1946
Gandhi met his supporters at Baleswar, Bhadrak, Cuttack and Brahmapur while going towards Chennai by train on January 20, 1946. Huge turnouts had been reported at the stations.

Besides the promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity in the state, he set the targets for the people of Odisha like (a)enrolment of one lakh Congress members, (b) distribution of one lakh Charkhas (spinning wheels) and (c) collection of three lakhs of rupees for the Tilak Swaraj fund.
Some news papers like „The Samaj‟ and „Utkal Sevak‟ played an important role in inspiring the common mass to participate in the national movement. His visit intensified the common man's zeal and enthusiasm for the cause of nationalist movement in Odisha.
Harekrushna Mahtab emphasized Gandhi's importance on Swaraj as the birth right of the people.
In 1921, Gopabandhu went to Calcutta for enlisting the Congress members from among the Odia labour population at Calcutta. His stimulating speech to the Odias in Calcutta made a deep impact. At the call of Gopabandhu, many Odia labourers left the shops having foreign articles. Their refusal to carry foreign cloth was so successful in the Burrabazar area of Calcutta that business in that area came to standstill.
Some national schools were established in Odisha. On the other hand, the Satyabadi School of Gopabandhu was converted into a national school. Another national school was established at Nayabazar of Cuttack town by Madhusudan-Biswal, Damodar Mohanty and Atal Bihari Acharya. The curriculum of this school included such subjects as Hindi, Ayurveda, spinning, weaving and carpentry. Another national school of education was also established at Jagatsinghpur.

KANIKA MOVEMENT

In 1922 a peasant‟s revolt in the zamindari of Kanika occurred which was closely associated with the Non-co-operation movement. The zamindari of Kanika was situated in Cuttack as well as Balasore districts of Odisha. The peasants of Kanika revolted against the Raja of Kanika who was collecting various kinds of taxes and exploiting the people in many ways.
The peasant‟s revolt initially had no connection with Non-cooperation movement. But the raja of Kanika, convinced the Government that agitation against him was engineered by the Congress and was a part of the Non-co-operation movement.
The Government in order to suppress the revolt, started harsh oppression against the peasants of Kanika. To speak against the raja of Kanika was tantamount to treason.
Many people tortured and women were molested. Rich persons like Khandeita Roy and Ashwini Kumar Palei were not only lost their landed property but also expelled from the estate.
The Congress leaders protested against this unfair oppression upon the innocent peasants of Kanika.
In order to protest against the repression of the raja of Kanika, Gopabandhu and Bhagirathi Mahapatra came to Bhadrak to hold a meeting. The two leaders were not allowed to hold any public meeting in the region. However, with much difficulty they held a meeting at Bhadrak. For holding this meeting both the leaders were arrested and sentenced to six months imprisonment.
During this time arsons(the crime of intentionally starting a fire in order to damage or destroy something,) were taking place in Cuttack and Balasore. On one occasion, seized with anxiety, some people of the Cuttack town assaulted a police constable. The constable was severely wounded and rescued by Gopabandhu Das.
He was brought to the Swaraj Ashram where he was given medical aid, food to eat and a Khadar cloth to wear. Later the constable complained in the court that Gopabandhu had assaulted him and compelled him to wear the Khadar cloth.
On this charge Gopabandhu Das and Bhagirathi Mahapatra were sentenced to two years imprisonment. However, most of the Congress leaders of Odisha were arrested by the end of 1922.
Despite its limitations, the Non-cooperation movement roused an unparalleled political stir in Odisha. The widespread lecture tours of Gopabandhu and his associates made the people familiar with the Congress programme and roused the political knowledge of the people of Odisha.
Unlike the movement of Utkal Union Conference, the Noncooperation movement reached the common mass. By the end of 1921, about fifty two thousand Congressmen were enrolled in Odisha.
After the suspension of the Non-co-operation movement, following the Chaurichaura incident in U.P. early in 1922, the Congress party was divided into two groups; while some wanted to enter the legislatures under the Government of India Act, 1919, and some wanted to work out the constructive programme of Gandhiji while boycotting the legislatures.
The Swaraj party was formed in Odisha in 1923. It looked for the Dominion Status and adopted such method as „obstructionism‟ in the legislatures and Local Boards. The Congressmen like Godavarish Mishra, Jagabandhu Singh and Radharanajan Das were elected from Odisha to the Bihar and Odisha Provincial Legislative Council and Nilakantha Das was elected for Central Legislative Assembly.
After the release from jail Gopabandhu devoted himself to the Congress movement in Odisha.
On the other hand, H.K. Mahtab, after his release from jail, started to work out the Gandhian constructive programme in his home district. He also started a weekly newspaper, called Prajatantra at Balasore on 2 September 1923.
Madhusudan Das who had distanced himself from the Congress and the Non-cooperation movement became a member of the Congress in the Utkal Pradesh Congress Conference, held at Cuttack in 1924 under the presidentship of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, the eminent chemist of Bengal.
A women‟s branch was formed by Ramadevi, Saraladevi and others to strengthen the Congress organization in Odisha. Gandhiji visited Odisha in August 1925 and again in 1927 which provided boost to the Congress workers apart from popularizing his programme.
A number of Congress Ashrams were established through the initiative Mahatab in different parts of the Balasore district.
Gopabandhu met Lala Lajpat Roy at Calcutta in 1926. At his request Gopabandhu became a member of the servants of the People Society. Gopabandhu founded a branch of the Servants of the People Society at Cuttack and associated his news paper Samaj to it.
At the Lahore meeting of the Society, Gopabandhu was elected as the vice-president of the Society in 1928. However, he met a premature death at the age of 52 on 17 June 1928 which was an irreparable loss to Odisha and Congress organization in Odisha.

QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT IN ODISHA

The Quit India Movement, otherwise known as the August revolt, is a landmark in India‟s struggle for freedom.
With the declaration of the British government to make India a part of the allied power, the failure of the Cripps Mission and the impending Japanese danger to invade India compelled Gandhiji to prepare the Quit India resolution and got it passed on 8th August 1942 at Bombay session of Indian National Congress.
Gandhiji called upon the people and said. “I am giving you a mantra‟‟ “ Do or Die,‟‟ “You can imprint it in your heart. We will make India free or die in the attempt; we wilnot live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.‟
But, with in few hours of the passing of Quit India resolution, in the early hours of 9th August Gandhiji including all other members of Congress working committee were arrested. Mahatma Gandhi was confined in Aga Khan Palace in Puna.
Towering leaders like Jawaharalal Nehru, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, Acharya J.B. Kripalini and Aruna Asaf Ali were imprisoned in Ahmadnagar fort. The congress organization was declared illegal all over India. The police arrested congress workers and leaders throughout India.
Odisha played a prominent role in Quit India Movement. The call of Mahatma Gandhi spread like wildfire to the nooks and corners of Odisha. The British administered Odisha, and Garjat Odisha joined the movement with great enthusiasm. The soil of Odisha became red with martyrs‟ blood due to firing in places like Khairadihi, Eram, Dhamnagar, Papadahandi, and Mathili. The patriotism and sacrifice of the freedom fighters of Odisha are written in golden letters in the history of India.
As like the arrest of national leader like Gandhiji, Nehru and HarekrushnaMahatab on 9th August 1942, the leaders of Odisha were also arrested by the British.
The congress organizations all over India were closed down. In the mean while two other prominent leaders SurendranathDwibedy and Malati Choudhury reached Odisha on 11th August after attending the congress session at Bombay.
With their arrival the moment accelerated in Odisha. As the arrest of prominent leaders made the movement leaderless, the people of Odisha spontaneously took the leadership of the movement. Violence took place in many places.