Proud to be an OdiA - Let me count the ways

On this 85^th anniversary of Odisha’s statehood, I have received several messages from family and friends along the lines of “Happy Utkala Dibasa, proud to be Odia”.  It got me thinking - why am I proud to be an Odia?  After cogitating for a bit, here are the top 10 reasons why I take pride in my OdiA asmitaa (identity):

[1] History – The current state of Odisha (also known as Odra, Utkala or Kalinga at various times) can trace its history back to the days of Mahabharata, where the King of Kalinga was believed to have been a supporter of the Kauravas.  Fast forward to King Ashoka’s time in the 2^nd  century BC, where the bloody battle of Kalinga set the stage for his renunciation of all violence and the spread of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent.  In the 1^st  century AD, emperor Kharavela held sway over large parts of the Eastern coast both to the north and south of Kalinga’s borders.  Odia kings ruled through the millenia (Yajati Kesari from Jajpur, the Gajapati kings from Puri) to mid-16^th century when the Afghans marched in and chaos prevailed until the British took over in the early 19^th century.  When modern day Odisha emerged from the confines of the Bengal and Madras presidencies in 1936 (thanks to leaders like Madhusudan Das and unsung heroes such as Baxi Jagabandhu and Surendra Sai), it re-established the Odia identity that had cycled through burning bright and then smoldering through the ages, but had never been fully extinguished.  

[2] Geography – Odisha is blessed by mother nature through its beaches, lakes, mountains and various other landforms.  A sleeper as far as Indian tourism is concerned, Odisha has some of the best unspoiled white sand beaches in the country – from Gopalpur in the south to Chandbali in the north, not to mention the area in and around Puri.  Chilika, Asia’s largest salt-water body, is an ecotourism hotbed according to Lonely Planet.  It is home to a bevy of migratory birds from Siberia and other points of origin far north, as well as an incredible array of birds and aquatic species such as the endangered Olive Ridley turtles and the rare Irrawaddy dolphins.  The unspoiled mountains and hills of Koraput, Phulbani and Keonjhar are excellent candidates for nature retreats.  Many breathtaking waterbodies such as lakes, gorges, and waterfalls are to be found just miles away from major population centers – albeit in relatively under developed state.  All in all, as OTDC puts it, scenic, serene and sublime!

[3] Temples –  Odisha is verily the land of temples – with thousands of temples still standing across the state.  Even though the Mughals and Afghans tried destroying a lot of small temples in villages during the 16^th-18^th centuries, the large ones have endured for hundreds of years.  We all go gaga over the gorgeous stonework of the chariot wheel in the Konarka Sun temple, the posing danseuse in the Rajarani temple, or the archway of the Mukteshwar temple – which are among the best that one can find anywhere in India.  Recent removal of the outer protective layers from the Puri Jagannath and Lingaraj temples have revealed exquisite stone carvings that are at par with those mentioned earlier.  I feel very proud of these feats of engineering and architecture accomplished with primeval tools, and the fine details of the carvings characterized by extreme beauty and diversity.     

[4] Language – Originating from Prakrit and Pali, the East Indian proto-languages, OdiA is one of six designated classical Indian language (with a long literary history and not having borrowed extensively from other languages).  It has roughly a 1000-year history, with seminal contributions such as the Madala Panji in the 13^th century, Sarala Mahabharata in the 15^th century, devotional works by the Panchasakha poets in the 16^th century, and many advanced literary works book-ended by Upendra Bhanja and Kabisurya Baladev Rath in the 17^th-18^th century.  The works of Fakirmohan Senapati in the 19^th century started the era of story-telling, which has continued with Surendra Mohanty (historical fiction), Manoj Das (short stories with a humanistic flavor), Fatura Nanda (satire) and many more recent practitioners of the craft.  All in all a vibrant written tradition, although the oral traditions run the risk of being diluted with Hindi and English (as seems to be the case with most Indian languages these days).    

[5] Dance and Music – Odissi dance has been a singular point of identification with the state of Odisha for almost 50 years (cue the reference to Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra in the recent movie Tribhanga).  It is arguably the most lyrical among India’s classical dance forms – the abhinaya, nritya and mudras of Guru Kelucharan or maestros such as Sanjukta Panigrahi and Sujata Mohapatra always bring tears to my eyes.  Over the last few years, watching the appreciation of Odissi grow significantly among non-Odias, and the increasing number of teachers/students all over the world, has been a matter of immense pride for me.  On the music side, classical Odissi clearly goes hand-in-hand with the dance form, but there are other variants such as chaanda and champu that stand out as derivatives of this classical tradition.  I find the popularity of these forms similar to how Carnatic music has produced many short devotional pieces to set arrangements that have endured for years.

[6] Folk traditions – There are many delightful folk traditions such as the genres of paalaa and daaskaathia for musically narrating puranic stories, which tend to fly under the radar.  What has always astounded me is the raw talent of these performers, and their fantastic improvisations on the spot on a regular basis.  Add to this the multitude of folk dance forms, and what we have is a rich cultural heritage that needs to be promoted and sustained with more resources.  Dances such as chhau nacha, paika nacha, ghoda nacha, danda nacha, kela keluni nacha, ranapa nacha, and many variants of folk dances in the Sambalpuri folk style continue to enthrall viewers all across Odisha.  It is unfortunate that these traditional forms have not been recognized much outside of Odisha (perhaps with the exception of the performances of Saswat Doshi – it was a delightful surprise to see the revelry inspired by him at the Eiffel Tower).

[7] Arts and Crafts – OdiA artisans produce an amazing array of standout products that are among the best in the world of Indian handicrafts.  More and more people – all over the world – love to adorn themselves with Sambalpuri silk sarees, with designers and weavers continuing to produce innovative designs.  There is also the exquisite art of silver filigree (taarakasi), the lovely appliques produced in and around Pipili, the beautiful stone sculptures made out of rocks as varied as hard granite to soft soapstone (essentially capturing the glory of OdiA temple art), and the more recent entry of sand art popularized by Sudarshan Patnaik.  We also have the paintings from the tribal cultures of Odisha (all along the Mayurbhanj to Koraput border line) that bear a striking similarity to art from other ancient cultures (e.g., Native Americans).  It is nice to see artisans continuing to hone their craft and getting more visibility from customers.

[8] Food – This is so central to the OdiA identity that I don't even know where to begin.  First, we have the mithaa class (rasagolaa, chhenaa poda, chhenaa gajaa, chhenaa jhili, rasaabali, khira gajaa, pheni,  khiraa, khiri, etc.).  Then we have the pithaa class (chakuli, chunchi patara, enduri, mandaa, arisaa, kakaraa, chitou, boula gainthaa - not to speak of a whole host of poda pithaa varieties).  Now let's move on to the tarkaari class (ghanta, besara, mahura, rasaa, chhenchedaa, daalmaa, santulaa, chatu podaa, simba raai, etc.).  I am sure you can think of more items - so please add your favorites to the Comments section.  Before I forget, I should mention the unique type of Mahaprasad known as abhadaa - especially in the Puri Jagannath and Bhubaneswar Ananta Basudeb temples.  There are also many types of meat and fish preparation - all of which are uniquely characterized by light but perfect level of seasoning that fully brings out the flavors of all the ingredients.  

[9] People – We OdiAs are a friendly sort, but too self-effacing if I might say so.  Sometimes, we tend to recede to the background when people from other parts of India (especially those from metro cities) tend to dominate the conversation.  Maybe this is our charm, but we need to stand up and educate others about all the things that make Odisha special - as I have tried to do here.

[10] Lord Jagannath - Last, but not least, is our beloved Kaaliaa.  He is the Lord of the Universe, and together with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra symbolizes the concept of universal brotherhood.    The deities have eyes but no eyelids - meaning that they are always open, constantly looking over the universe.  The arms are parallel and do not close - meaning that there is room for everyone in that divine embrace.  The colors of the deities are black, yellow and white - representing the three main ethnicities of mankind.  The murtis are incomplete and not fully finished - the imperfections are there to reassure us that even divine creatures are not immune to imperfections, and vice versa, even human beings with their imperfections can aspire to divinity.  Finally, we have the devotional music or janaana, a unique form of poetry which treats the Lord not just as an object of veneration but also as a family member - who can be the source of pride and disappointment, joy and anger, and everything in between.

May Odisha continue its path towards progress, and may OdiAs stay connected with our heritage, traditions, culture and uniqueness.  Bande Utkala Janani!