The Lion Of Odisha

Building the state, bit-by-bit, piece-by-piece, he ultimate made Odisha the strongest state of all. Popularly known by the sobriquet, “Utkal Keshari”, let’s dig deeper into the life of Harekrushna Mahatab.

Architect of Modern Odisha: Harekrushna Mahatab; image Source: Biswabijayee Odisha News Search 13

The ancient kingdom of Kalinga has witnessed the ferocious war between King Kharvela and King Ashoka. It has witnessed the rise of Buxi Jagabandhu, the first freedom fighter of India. While Odisha has always been described as the Land of Temples, we sometimes tend to forget the contribution of people who revived Odisha and made it one of the strongest states of India.

One such man whose contribution to the field of politics and towards the freedom of India, made him the Lion of Odisha, and whose indomitable spirit finally made the merger of princely states with India possible. He is none other than Harekrushna Mahatab, the chief architect of the integration process.

Born in the Agarpada village of Odisha’s Bhadrak district, Mahatab was the only son of Krushna Charandas and Tohapha Debi. Though he belonged to an aristocratic Khandayat family, he never really showed arrogance and later on joined the Indian Independence Movement after completing his studies at Ravenshaw College at Cuttack.

Being a part of the Independence Movement, it was very common for the freedom fighters of those days to get imprisoned. Mahatab too was imprisoned in 1922 for attempting sedition. Little did he know that this was not the last time that he would be going to jail. After coming out he was made a member of Bihar and Odisha Council and later on the Chairman of Balasore District Board. Yet again in 1930, he was imprisoned for participating in the Salt Satyagraha Movement. When he was elected as the General Officer Commanding of Congress Sevadal, he was again arrested when the party was banned. Coming back to Odisha, he built his ancestral temple and later on also started Gandhi Karma Mandir in his hometown.

One of his most important contributions was his recommendation for the cancellation of Sanada of the rulers and the merging of the princely states with Odisha Province. After this recommendation, he again participated in the Quit India Movement and was imprisoned from 1942 to 1945. Further, when he became the chief minister of Odisha, he played a very important role by merging the former princely states, shifting the capital from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar, and also sanctioning the construction of the Hirakud Dam Project. During the 1976 Emergency, it was Mahatab who protested and got imprisoned.

Apart from his active political participation, he had a knack for writing. He founded the Prajatantra Prachar Samiti which later on became Daily Prajatantra. While publishing the weekly English paper The Eastern Times, he wrote his novel, Gaon Majlis. 

Retiring from active politics and writing career in 1977, he took a permanent break on 2 January 1987.