Madhusudan Das birth anniversary: All you need to know about the lawyer who unified Odisha

Madhusudan Das was born on 28 April 1848 in the village of Satyabhamapur which is 20 kms away from Odisha's Cuttack.

Early Life

He was born into a rich and well-to-do family of Choudhury Raghunath Das and Parbati Debi.

At the time of his birth, his parents named him Gobindaballabh. Later they changed his name to Madhusudan.

He was one of the prominent figures, who helped in the creation of Orissa Province (present-day Odisha, India), which was established on 1 April 1936. He also became the first graduate and advocate of Orissa.

In Odisha, his birthday is celebrated as Lawyers' Day on April 28.

Das attended the village high school for his primary schooling, where he studied all courses, including Persian. Following his basic schooling, he attended Cuttack High School and finished his senior education there.

Later, he spent fifteen years in Calcutta pursuing his MA and BL degrees. He returned to Orissa after finishing his MA and BL degrees.

Creation of Odisha

He was the first Odia to be elected to both the Legislative Council and India's Central Legislative Assembly. He established the Utkal Sammilani (Utkal Union Conference), which established the groundwork for Odia nationalism.

Utkal Sammilani was the driving force behind the demand for the merger of Odia-speaking areas under a single administration.

This resulted in the creation of the state of Odisha on April 1, 1936.

Das laboured tirelessly for the social, political, and economic advancement of the people of Eastern India. He served the country admirably as a brilliant lawyer, social reformer, and patriot.

He could also speak Oriya, English, and Bengali fluently. He published several poems and essays in Oriya and English to instil patriotism in people. He willingly donated all of his earnings to disadvantaged children's higher education.

Das died on February 4, 1934, at the age of 85. By the time he died, he had spent all of his wealth for the welfare of the people of Orissa and declared himself bankrupt.

His enormous contribution to the state and nation will be remembered for ages to come.

Published on: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 04:47 PM IST