The break-up every Odia wanted

Once again the world comes to see the beautiful unification and celebration of people. Odisha day or Utkala Dibasa celebrates the unification of Odisha as a separate state-based linguistically.

Sand art on Odisha day; Source: Public Domain

1st April is no joke for Odisha. While the rest of the world plays pranks on their contemporaries and close ones, the citizens of Odisha remember the brave souls and the embrace of unity under which they achieved the state of Odisha.

Originally together with Bengal, the Bihar and Orissa province were split from Bengal on the same day in 1912 under the British rule.

With no political identity after the fall of Mukunda Dev, the last king of Odisha, the people of Odisha wished to forge an entirely new state stamped with their identity. But under the British rule, this could simply not be achieved by requesting a separate state. For three decades did the main revolution go on. The exact same day when the Utkal Sammilani was formed.

This social organization would go on to unify the state of Odisha on a linguistic basis and also in the far future, or the present modern day, in 2010, would lead Odia to be granted "classical language status" for further preservation of the Odian people who resided outside their home state.

Ultimately in 1936 on this day, Odisha would be a linguistically separate political state under the British rule. Utkal Sammilani, the organization whose original goal was to vouch for a separate state, would be monumental in this split of the Bihar and Orissa provinces. Names such as Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das, Utkala mani Gopabandhu Das, Maharaja SriRam Chandra Bhanj Deo, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati and many others are special mentions as the movement was intensified under their wing.

On Odisha day, there are special competitions such as the local fireworks competitions by local politicians which make the already bright day a bit too bright and loud for the Odishans. The family of Odia also arranges for singing and several other cultural programs which celebrate the rich culture of Odisha.