Autobiography of Nilakantha Das - XIII

This is the 13th in the series of recapitulation in my own words portions of Pandit Nilakantha Das's Biography in Odia. Enjoy...

THE POLITICAL PLUNGE

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Nilakantha Das was a member of Central Assembly from 1924-45 along with C.R. Das of Bengal. He was the part of Pro-changer section of the revolutionaries who wanted to fight for freedom by joining the political process via legislature. Gandhiji was a no-changer, who boycotted the Central Assembly. 

But that doesn't mean he abhorred Gandhi, the disagreement was healthy. He also participated in Gandhi's famous Dandi March in 1930. From 1932 Pandit Nilakantha became President of the Odisha Congress. Soon he went to jail for 18 months before getting elected for Central Assembly again and continued until India's independence in 1947.

After Gopabandhu's death, his enemies were creating sustained roadblocks against his political path. The major one was the wily politician and ex Chief Minister of Odisha, Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab. Not long before his death in January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi proposed Nilakantha's name as a member of All India Congress Working Committee, a rare honor for an Odia. 

But wily, old fox Harekrushna Mahatab fixed him. (The Crabby character, better known as KANKADA PRAKRUTI of Odias is legendary. Like crabs we are world champion of pulling legs of our own who we perceive as pulling ahead of us. The story goes - once a truck carrying baskets of crabs from different states of India turned over. All the crabs escaped from baskets sans one, the basket from Odisha which was found intact. No sooner an Odia crab tried to move out of the basket, than the others pulled him down).

Another touching incident was the death of Utkal Gouraba Madhusudan Das vividly described by Pandit Nilakantha. Couple of days before his death, KULA BRUDDHA (The Grand old man) Madhusuduan queried Braja Sundar Das - NILAKANTHA KAHIN (Where is Nilakantha) ? Braja Babu took a horse driven carriage to manoeuvre fast inside the city of Cuttack (the city wasn't congested yet) and traced him out of the house of one Chandra Sekhar Mishra.

Nilakantha rushed to Madhu babu's house and was saddened by his plight. He was in a very painful state, unable to have bowel movement in spite of having the urge to do so. But he gathered enough strength to utter - "After my death, I am passing the baton to Nilakantha. He is going to be the savior of Odisha. You should cooperate with him". (The two Pandits, Gopabandhu Das and Nilakantha Das were akin to the left and right hand of Madhu Babu. As the former was already dead, it was but natural for Madhu Barrister to pass his baton to Nilakantha Das). 

"Don't worry. It won't be necessary. You are going to recover" - responsed all present inside the room in chorus. "No, I don't think so," said Madhu babu, as he covered his head and went to sleep. 

The next day Madhu babu spoke in a feeble voice - "I am so overjoyed that the far flung territories of Paralakhemundi (part of Gajapati district now) and Jeypur (Koraput) are going to be now part of Odisha. I am so glad it is happening". He passed away the following day. To Nilakantha, it was akin to another shining star above the sky of Odisha grounded forever.

(TO BE CONTINUED, AS I READ 📖 FURTHER)