“The picture of Odisha, which is dancing before my eyes, has convinced me that it will be Swaraj for them, if we can provide food to them. The best way to this is to propagate khadi. If this programme is carried out sincerely, khadi production in Utkal will increase and one day, this province may become the khadi store of India.” Swaraj Ashram in Cuttack.
First visit — 1921
March 23: Accompanied by wife Kasturba, he reached Qadam-e-Rasool, Cuttack, and spoke on Hindu-Muslim unity. Later, he addressed a meeting of women at Binod Bihari in the city and a public meeting at Kathajodi riverbed. Women donated huge amounts of gold ornaments for the freedom struggle
March 25: Addressed a public meeting at Gandhi Field (popularly known as Gandhi Padia) on the banks of river Salandi in Bhadrak. He then visited Puri via Sakhigopal
March 29: Accompanied by Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, Gandhi reached Berhampur and addressed a huge gathering at Barracks Ground, which is now Berhampur Stadium
Second visit — 1925
August 19: On the request of Madhusudan Das, Gandhi came to Cuttack and visited Utkal tannery
Third visit — 1927
December 4: Objective was to propagate khadi. Also visited Balasore to meet flood victims at Basudevpur tehsil in Bhadrak district. The whirlwind tour adversely affected his health and he took rest at Madhusudan Das’ place. After he recovered, he left Cuttack on December 21 to attend the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session at Madras (now Chennai)
Fourth visit — 1928
December 22: Arrived at Jharsuguda to address a public meeting and then headed to Sambalpur
Fifth visit — 1934 (padayatra in Odisha)
May 5: Addressed mass gatherings at Jharsuguda and Sambalpur
May 6: Addressed a public meeting at Bhandaripokhari in Bhadrak district
May 8: Unveiled a statue of late Pandit Gopabandhu Das in Puri before undertaking a padayatra to spread the message that “human vanity lies at the root of untouchability”. The march began from Puri and touched Harekrushnapur, Chandanpur, Sakshigopal, Kadua Ashram, Danda Mukundapur, Pipili, Balakati, Satyabhamapur, Balianta, Telengapenth, Kajipatna on way to Cuttack. Gandhi left for Patna a week later to attend the AICC session. He also covered several parts of undivided Cuttack, Bhadrak and Balasore districts
Sixth visit — 1938
March 25: Attended fourth annual conference of Gandhi Seva Sangha and Utkal Khadi and Village Industry exhibition at Berboi near Delang in Puri district.
Seventh visit — 1946
January 20: Passed through Odisha while going from Calcutta to Madras, made brief addresses at Cuttack and Berhampur
| night in June 1934. |
Sixth visit — 1938
March 25: Attended fourth annual conference of Gandhi Seva Sangha and Utkal Khadi and Village Industry exhibition at Berboi near Delang in Puri district
Seventh visit — 1946
January 20: Passed through Odisha while going from Calcutta to Madras, made brief addresses at Cuttack and Berhampur
Spots of bother
Since Gandhi stayed at Swaraj Ashram in Cuttack, district administration officials said plans were afoot to convert it into a heritage tourism destination with help of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach)
Gandhi stayed at Khantapara (Balasore) in the paddy yard of Karunakar Panigrahi and at Balasore town in the house of Mukunda Prasad Das. The paddy yard no longer exists. Das’ house near Balasore railway station is in a dilapidated state
In Satyabhamapur, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, Gandhi collected highest donation for freedom struggle, but a Gandhi Smruti Peetha is yet to be established
‘Plight of state haunted Mahatma’
Deputy chairman of the state planning board Surendra Nath Naik, 78, an ardent Gandhian narrates how the Mahatma’s visit helped Odisha
What was Gandhi’s contribution to Odisha?
There was no separate place for Odisha and Odias in the Congress, which was reshaped by Gandhi in 1921. Due to his insistence, the Congress also accepted the principle of reorganising provinces on the basis of language. The Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee was formed under the leadership of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, who said: “Like Bhagirath brought the Ganges to the earth, Gandhi brought the Congress to Utkal (Odisha).”
How many days did Gandhi spend in Odisha?
Overall, he spent 69 days in our state. He said Odisha was the epitome of poverty and if one wants to serve the poor, he could serve Utkal. The plight of this state haunted him.
What is Gandhi’s painful observation about Odisha?
Gandhi felt laziness and ignorance were the root cause of the backwardness. He termed British regime and frequent natural calamities as the state’s enemies.
Which Odia leaders did Gandhi admire?
Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Acharya Harihar, Chandra Sekhar Behera, Rama Devi and Nabakrushna Choudhury.
What was Gandhi’s advice to eradicate poverty from Odisha?
Gandhi stressed on development of agriculture, cottage industries, khadi and dairy farms. We must tread the path of truth and take recourse to Gandhian methods in our battle against poverty.
(With inputs from different sources)
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