Autobiography of Nilakantha Das - X

This is the 10th in series of recapitulation in my own words portions of Pandit Nilakantha Das's Biography in Odia. Enjoy...

Invited by Sir Ashutosh, then the head of the University of Calcutta to teach "Odia and Comparative language principle", Pandit Nilakantha Das left for the metro. It was September, 1920. 

His stay at Calcutta was important for couple of incidents, which brought the rebellious tendency out of him. It was during this stay in Calcutta he heard Lala Lajpat Rai's fiery speech, calling to embrace SATYAGRAHA (Followers of Righteous path), a mode of protest against the British rule.

Also, it was during this stay, he started keeping moustache as a youthful SHOUK (fashion). But soon it turned out to be a rebellion against the prevalent culture, shocking his fellow Brahmins from Puri when he came to the temple town. A leading Brahmin from the SOLA SASANA (16 Brahmin dominated villages surrounding Puri) Lokanath Rath bluntly told Sri Das - "Here in Puri, we will uproot your moustache". "Respected Rathe, don't ever dare that. It would be be tantamount to putting your hands inside a snake hole. You can be bitten big time", retorted back Pandit Nilakantha.

It was equivalence of waving a red flag before an already enraged Bull. A visibly annoyed Lokanath Rath organized a meeting against the moustache rebel inside "Ani Mahari Building", which famously housed an old Prostitute (the world's oldest profession thrived even during those days in the temple town of Puri). But they were no match to the oratory skills of Nilakantha Das, well supported by the influential and charismatic Gopabandhu Das. It didn't take long for the anti-Moustache protest to fizzle away.

Now back to Calcutta - inspired by the speech and later motivated by Sri Gopabandhu, Nilakantha Das left his cushy job in Calcutta and came to Sambalpur in the year 1921 to join the Freedom movement. At Sambalpur, the major city of Western Odisha, he started a school on the lines of the now famous Satyavadi School. Many eminent, rich persons of the city started sending their kids to the school as it flourished.

Soon he organized HARTAAL (protests) against the British, joined by students and lawyers of the city, singing SWARAJ BHAIYA ALBAT HOGA (Self rule will definitely occur). He also continued serving cholera and small pox stricken people in the remote villages of Western Odisha, caring and nursing them when no one would come close to the victims. 

Pandit Das started a weekly newspaper called SEVA (Service) to inform and educate the people. But like any new endeavor, money was the need of the moment. Padmalochan Mohanty, a renowned businessman of the time immediately pitched in, contributing Rs.120 for advertising. During his stay in Sambalpur he taught Odia in college for sometime before coming back to his place of birth near Puri.

Gandhijee visited the Satyavadi School during his trip to Odisha in 1923. Sri Das disagreed with his mode of operandi by getting freedom through spinning the wheel of CHARKHA. After completing his meeting at Puri, it was Gandhi's turn to proceed towards his next stop - Cuttack. 

Gandhi's team suggested that half of them would travel by train and the rest by PADAYATRA (March on foot). But Nilakantha advised all of them to take the walk, so as to build the momentum of public enthusiasm, giving Gandhi an opportunity to better connect with the local polulace. Gandhijee heeded to Pandit Das's advice, opting for a walk. 

On the entire journey Gandhi's entourage survived on boiled rice and vegetables. It was tough on Pandit Nilakantha, who loved his fish. Midway he came across a leper and donated his hand spun KHADADA (crude cotton cloth) to the destitute. Next day, Bapuji encountered a group of KELA (nomads) feasting on Barbecued KATASA (wild cat) who strayed into their camp. 

He went on preaching vegetarianism to them, trying to dissuade them from eating meat. Gandhijee advised them - "Eat milk and ghee which are good for health. Stop committing the HIMSA (violence) of killing animals". But for the poor nomads, milk and ghee were pipe dream, a distance luxury and KATASA MANSA (Wild cat meat) was the crude reality.

(TO BE CONTINUED, AS I READ 📖 FURTHER)