Dr. Ansuman Kar, Bhubaneswar, 16 May 2025
In 1943, when the late visionary cultural activist Shri Bichchanda Charan Patnaik started “Utkal Chhatra Sahitya Samaj”, the first student organization of Odisha dedicated to the cause of literature, he envisioned the great renaissance of Odia literature and culture. Thus, in 1944 he established Kalinga Bharati, the second oldest literary society of Odisha after Utkal Sahitya Samaj which was founded in 1903. Odisha meanwhile attained an independent status as the first linguistic province in 1936, but the fire that burned since 1903 for reclaiming the Odia identity was fast fumed out and a threat to our literary identity again posed. Bichchanda Charan Patnaik who was the then Secretary of Utkal Sahitya Samaj, was pretty disturbed by the deviating principles of the Sahita Samaj, thus deciding to make his own organization – Kalinga Bharati.
Odisha then was gazettered as Orissa, with local name of “Utkal” meaning the land of supreme creativity. Kalinga, which is by far the most ancient name of Odisha, was almost lost from folk memory. But Kalinga represents the past invincible history of Odisha. According to political scientist Sudama Misra, the Kalinga janapada originally comprised the area covered by the Puri and Ganjam districts. This Kalinga under the rule of great Kings like Kapilendra Dev and Narasingh Dev and the great emperors like Kharavel, Anangabhima Dev and others have not only expanded the boundaries of Kalinga from Ganga to Godavari and at the same time constructed temples like Lingaraj, Jagannath and Konark to take our architectural beauty to its zenith. These dynasties have patronaged great scholars who have indeed enriched the Odia language. Odisha over centuries has maintained its literary continuity through the great works of creative geniuses like Sarala Das and the Pancha Sakhas, Kabisurjya, Kabi Samrat, Meher, Radhanath and others. All have in their own right left an indelible mark in the journey of ‘Odia Language’ but amongst them the works of Upendra Bhanja stand out.
Upendra Bhanja wrote some 52 books of which only 22 are available now. Due to the absence of a printing press, a number of the hand-copied books have been lost. Some of his eminent kabyas are Baidehisha Bilasa (with “Ba” initial for each line), Rasalila, Brajaleela, Subhadra Parinaya (with “Sa” initial for every line), Labanyabati, Premasudhanidhi, Rasika Harabali, Subhadra Parinaya and Chitrakabya Bandodhya, and Koti Brahmanda Sundar. Upendra Bhanja contributed 32,300 words to Odia language and literature.The obscurity of this incomparable poet of Odia literature may be attributed to the lack of proper research. Plot and character in Bhanja literature plays negligible role but imaginary ornamental expression by way of literary techniques of the classical Indian literature dominates with magnetic, lovable, and intellectual embellishments. So, study of Upendra Bhanja requires high academic pursuits as well as sensible appreciation of art. In addition, literary value of the reader along with a wide study range in the field of classical Indian literature and appreciable order of morality and spiritual thought are essential.
The first published work of Upendra Bhanja is “Rasapanchaka”. The first dictionary “Gita Abidhan” was written by Upendra Bhanja in Odia literature. ‘Kabi Samrat’ was not the first title of Upendra Bhanja. He was rather entitled as “Birabara” as written by Bhanja himself in his kabyas –
“ବୀରବର ପଦ ଉପଇନ୍ଦ୍ର ମୋର ନାମ।
ବାରେ ବାରେ ସେବାରେ ମନାଇଁ ସୀତାରାମ।”
“Birabara is the epithet, my name is Upendra.
By serving Sita and Rama have I received their grace.”
The ‘Kabi Samrat’ title was officially used in some later years and was mostly popularized by Kalinga Bharati and its founder late Shri Bichchanda Charan Patnaik. Shri Patnaik and his students like the late Prof.Hrudananda Ray and Padmshri Dr. Rajat Kumar Kar started roaming around Odisha delivering talks about Bhanja and give all-out effort to popularize his works and counter the pseudo-narratives against Upendra Bhanja. Since 1944, the Bhanja Jayanti started by Kalinga Bharati, which is in its 82nd year now, still fights for the cultural renaissance of Odia literature and culture, but the only problem is the ‘fast-food’ attitude of today’s generation. People read less from books and more from reels. Bhanja Jayanti, however, still strives in its conquest.
