Supriya Ghosh Maulik, Santiniketan, 19th August 2022
I vividly remember that April evening of 1979 when “The Nirvik” was inaugurated. My friend, Sarat Kumar Kar, was the founder and the editor of the Odia newspaper. The function was at “Soochana Bhawan”, Bhubaneswar (now known as Jaydev Bhawan) and many people had assembled. Sarat bhaina (bhaina is one of the many ways in which we address an elder brother in Odisha) was a Member of Parliament from Cuttack then and had invited Choudhary Charan Singh, the then Deputy PM of India, as the Chief Guest. Shri Biju Patnaik, the then Union Minister of Steel & Mines and the mentor of Sarat bhaina, was the Guest of Honour.
Sarat bhaina had gone to “Naveen Niwas” (Biju Patnaik’s home) to bring Biju babu and Choudhary Charan Singh to the venue. All of a sudden, Biju babu walked in with the Deputy PM! He started looking for Sarat bhaina. Many Ministers and MLAs of the State Government were present there but nobody was volunteering to answer Biju babu. I could perceive the sense of awe they had for the great leader. I was standing near a neatly stacked bundle of freshly printed “The Nirvik” and softly told Biju babu, “Sarat bhaina has gone to Naveen Niwas to fetch you. You and Deputy PM sir may kindly take your seats. Sarat bhaina would be back soon.” Biju babu nodded and took Choudhary Charan Singh with him and went into the hall. Sarat bhaina returned soon thereafter and the inauguration function went off smoothly.
I was involved in many aspects of the newspaper, including making political cartoons. I wrote articles too but my cartoons were more sought after. Sarat bhaina used to telephone me from Delhi (he was an MP then) and tell me what kind of a cartoon he needs for a political story. I would visualise and draw it. He invariably liked them. His elder brother, Pravat Kumar Kar, was the Managing Editor of “The Nirvik” and I grew close to him during that period. I would frequently go to Cuttack with Pravat bhaina on his scooter and spend hours at the Annapurna Press at their Alisha Bazar home in Cuttack. Sarat bhaina’s parents gave me a lot of love and affection.
“The Nirvik” was discontinued in 1982 due to financial and other constraints. Sarat bhaina thought about reviving it a few times but that dream of his did not materialise. I am extremely happy and proud that the Sarat Kar & Anima Kar Foundation has taken this great initiative of reviving “The Nirvik”. My blessings and good wishes for this noble initiative of breathing life into a family heirloom that has significant value for our society.
Shri Supriya Ghosh Maulik was Professor of Anthropology at Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. Post-retirement, he has settled down at Santiniketan.
