Orissa For Oriyas:

Sept. 07/2011: Most Oriyas today would not even be aware that the Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) had once, in 1938, proposed to some prominent Oriyas that this race should adopt Bengali as the script for its language.

He had done this while he was recuperating from some illness at Puri in that year. Luckily for the people of this State, leaders like Madhu babu, Biswanath Das and others had taken it upon themselves to vehemently oppose this suggestion.

What a dangerous suggestion indeed! Imagine a situation wherein our leaders of yesteryears had been cowed down like bullocks and would have accepted what Rabindranath had dared to propagate. Many in India pride themselves because of this gentleman's abilities which were recognized by the Committee that awards the Nobel prize. That Tagore was a litterateur of great standing may not be disputed by any one but his attitude proves that even temporary fame that puts people on certain social pedestals actually perverts their thought processes. Rabindranath by penning Jana Gana Mana, our national anthem, in reality made this country, unknown to its citizens, subservient to the erstwhile White rulers for ever. At least as long as this song, and not a poem like Vande Mataram, is recognized as the nation's anthem. All this goes to show that in the maturing process of a nation or a race, it is imperative that its leadership is always pro active and the sense and sensibilities of that class are always on high alert. A leadership must not be limited to politics or state power. Leadership of a society emerges from within and they who discover weaknesses of a race endeavour to overcome that very aspect by bringing it to the surface. Otherwise, those weaknesses remain hidden and eat away at the very roots of development that take place in later times.

A recent debate in the Lok Sabha on a Private Member's Bill brought forth by a Congress representative from the State of Uttarakhand cast an illuminating light on this subject. The Bill proposed that two languages spoken in that north Indian state, namely, Garhwali and Kumaon should be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This Schedule recognizes languages of this nation and gives them a Constitutional stamp of genuineness. While participating in the debate on this subject, many of the MPs had little or no new points to make. On the other hand, there were demands that other languages like Bhojpuri and Rajasthani should also be included in that Schedule. There is a very interesting aspect to this debate. Most speakers hailing from the northern states demanded their languages be recognized while all accepted that the script of their language was the same as Hindi--Devnagari.

This shows that the trio of nations--India, Pakistan and Bangladesh-- is recognized as a Sub Continent primarily because of the pergence of languages, culture, food, dress code, religions and many other aspects. If one looks at the land mass, then this Sub Continent is much smaller than, say, China or Russia. Yet such geographically huge nations are not favored with this distinction. As for language, the example of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is a great one. Once a mighty world power, the USSR collapsed due to many reasons but the primary one could be cited as the clamping of one language--Russian--all over the Federation. On the other hand, in the US of A, it is easily seen how Spanish, English and other languages not only coexist but are also promoted by the people and the establishment.

Seen in this light, it is so very important that Oriyas of today realize their uniqueness and reassert that very strength to grow stronger and not yield to others who think this is a 'servant' race. Oriyas in Calcutta will only speak in Bengali as also in Delhi they will use broken Hindi even when addressed to in Oriya. Many students and Bank and other employees of this state living in cities like Bangalore, Madras and various parts of south India feel proud by opting to speak in Hindi and remain as outsiders. They do not strive to learn English and shine beyond the locals. While Hindi users are hell bent on reinventing their local dialects within Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Jharkhand and other states, Oriyas are keen on losing out their mother tongue and becoming second rate citizens by speaking Hindi, a language in which, they should be aware, they are not proficient. A genuine Hindi speaker will immediately be able to discern an Oriya as a non Hindi speaker. This is especially so very evident when Orissa BJP leaders try to match their north Indian counterparts by struggling to speak chaste Hindi, barely realizing that they make a laughing stock of themselves.

Pre Independence, the British had Orissa carved out of Bihar in the later part of the 1930s. This was an example for others to follow as this was the first instance of a language based state of this country. While the populace of Telangana speaks Telugu in its true form, Bundelkhand speaks a different dialect other than Hindi. The similarity between them is that they all want separate states to be made out because of historical and cultural uniqueness.

Oriyas must count themselves as being lucky. Whether coastal or western, this is a small state compared to many others of this Union. We had it all served to us on a platter. Maybe the ease with which we got everything has made us feel inferior and subservient to Hindi speakers. As a glaring example, one could have a look at all the new industries coming up in the state. Most managers of these units prefer to hire Hindi speaking contractors and also laborers. In Orissa, it is possible for them to lord over us. Our Police and government officials would speak in Hindi for their convenience while leaving non comprehending villagers stand agape. This facilitates the 'outsiders' while demeaning the locals.

It is time we Oriyas started to work on our self confidence and self esteem. It is also for our leadership, both political and social, to help in this task by creating the atmosphere where an Oriya is respected in his own state. No industrialist in Gujarat, Tamilnadu or Karnataka would be able to move an inch without learning the local lingo. A conscious effort should be started to create a similar situation in Orissa also. That would have an economic impact too. More Oriyas would get employment at various levels in all these industries because the language would be a major attraction for the employers. As this state has mineral riches which are certainly finite, this is the time, when the whole world is rushing to us without any effort on our part, to take our pound of flesh before they desert us in a lunar landscape as prostitutes. If we do not extort our share now from these 'mineral exploiters', we shall have only ourselves to blame for ever.