The results of the poll is out.
As clarified earlier, the aim was not to rank these great people but to gauge how we see today, the type of contributions they made & that differed from each other.
But I could n't elaborate earlier w/o the risk of influencing the poll results.
As clarified earlier, the aim was not to rank these great people but to gauge how we see today, the type of contributions they made & that differed from each other.
But I could n't elaborate earlier w/o the risk of influencing the poll results.
So, let us take a look at the results.
MadhuBabu wins by a wide margin, as expected. That is not surprising. He was the first one to consciously articulate Odia identity and succeeded to a great extent.
MadhuBabu wins by a wide margin, as expected. That is not surprising. He was the first one to consciously articulate Odia identity and succeeded to a great extent.
His efforts not just led to formation of a separate Odia state, but, for the first time, made Odias aware of their rights and conscious of their identity. He was also the first one in modern Odisha to explicitly argue that ShriJagannath can be the symbol of Odia identity.
Beyond Madhubabu, it is not so obvious.
Kapilendra Deva was the first Odia king and introduced, in his courts, Odia language, till then spoken only by common people. That was a giant leap. His consciousness of his Odianess manifests in many ways.
Kapilendra Deva was the first Odia king and introduced, in his courts, Odia language, till then spoken only by common people. That was a giant leap. His consciousness of his Odianess manifests in many ways.
This royal patronage of Odia language was a turning point for the race and gave rise to Odia literature.
Sarala Das' Mahabharata was not just in Odia language but was khanti (pure) Odia in every way possible, including making Judhisthira marrying a Jajpur girl.
Sarala Das' Mahabharata was not just in Odia language but was khanti (pure) Odia in every way possible, including making Judhisthira marrying a Jajpur girl.
Sarala Das started it but Atibadi took to every odia. He created a culture of respect for the written word within the Odia society, that survives till date.
Bhagabata is there in many languages, but nowhere does it occupy the status in the cultural life as it does in Odisha.
Bhagabata is there in many languages, but nowhere does it occupy the status in the cultural life as it does in Odisha.
That brings us to Biju Babu. Did he do anything for Odia identity? Not consciously.
But at a time Odias were neglected, had no courage to ask for their rights, Biju babu towered as a leader nationally. He made outsiders realize that Odias were a brave race and they still are.
But at a time Odias were neglected, had no courage to ask for their rights, Biju babu towered as a leader nationally. He made outsiders realize that Odias were a brave race and they still are.
I am glad people got the question and did not ask about non-inclusion of #KharabelaTheGreat, #Utkalamani, #NarasinhaDeva etc. Had it been about the land, they would have featured significantly. So would have #Jayadeva.
