Many thanks to my friend Dillip Babu who sent me a PDF copy of an autobiography - NILAKANTHA GRANTHABALI. Written in my mother tongue Odia it is a self Collection of memories of Pandit Nilakantha Das, a freedom fighter, social worker and reformer of early 20th century Odisha.
A fascinating book which takes you on a time machine to Puri and its surrounding villages, a lot I could relate to, being originally from that area. Here are a few memorable excerpts of the book narrated in my own words....
Nilakantha Das was was born in 1884 in a village named Sri Ramachandralur, not far from the temple town of Puri. He was the product of his parent's desire for a male child, taking birth following his 7 sisters.
His grandfather was a Tahsildar who died young at the age of 28, leaving his father in penury. (It was the practice those days to pay the tax to government from borrowed money in order to meet the deadline and collect it later. Unfortunately his grandpa died before the collection, so his property was auctioned away).
His father wanted him to succeed in academics. The young boy did not belied his dad's hope, being an outstanding student from childhood. Nilakantha Das's dad at 72 had a bad bout of cold and cough, during which he believed he had lived long enough at a time seeing 50th birthday was considered a luxury and won't survive the attack. Certain of dying, he took opium to relieve his pain and making his death painless. But he miraculously survived and lived till 89, a rare longevity those days.
It was pretty common for Children to die early, nearly half unable to make to double digit as fsr as their age goes. Most of them died as kids due to KRUMI (intestinal roundworms) though Hooping Cough, MILIMILA (chicken pox) and the ubiquitous Cholera had their share of toll.
Once Nilakantha had a bout of severe stomach ache which was a matter of concern for the parents of a son, their EKOIRABALA BISIKESANA (the one and only one) born after 7 girls. The villlage BAIDYA (quack) prescribed a BATIKA (tablet) to be taken with cockroach boiled water. His mother killed a dozen of them lurking around HANDI SALA (Cooking area) and boiled them in water, forcing the tablet down on the throat of the reluctant kid to be washed down with cockroached water. He started recovering from the next day.
After completing CHATASALI (Kindergarten) from his village, the boy Nilakantha Das went to middle school in Puri and housed himself in a students accommodation. He was happy to get a scholarship of Rs.4 per month - which in 1899 was a stupendous amount, considering a set of 10-15 tiger shrimps fresh caught from Bay of Bengal used to cost only 1 paisa, as they need to disposed off by the fishermen lest they get spoiled due to the tropical heat and humidity, in those days sans cold storage facilities.
Rice was not an issue in his MESS (local lingo for shared accommodation) as his father would make sure of its perennial supply is sustained along with CHUDA (Parched rice) and GUDA (jaggery, the popular sweetener of the time) for breakfast. Rice was the staple food along and along with Brinjal boiled in Dal (lentil soup).
Fish was a luxury, though the scholarship enhanced its affordability. The extra money in pocket came as manna dew, as it lessened the burden on his NANAA (dad). The mess bill, struggling below 1 rupee, due to the BRUTI (scholarship) now shot up to Rs 1.90, a dream amount to spend as student, but butt of jealousy for their fellow villagers.
(TO BE CONTINUED, AS I READ 📖 FURTHER)
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