An Oriya Voice

Wake up Naveen Babu!

2010-11-18T00:44:00.006+05:30

With Odisha High Court declaring land acquired for the Vedanta University, a Stanford-kind of university ‘illegal’, the Anil Agrawal Foundation’s mega project has virtually come to a standstill. The ruling has created mixed reactions both at the political and intellectual circles as future of the state is at stake.

The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, which enjoys political hegemony in the state in the absence of a strong and well organized opposition party, has once again come under furious attack from all quarters for giving green signal to the UK-based group by passing the Vedanta University Bill in the assembly in July 2009 and subsequently helping them to acquire 4500 acres of proposed 6892 acres of land on Puri-Konark marine drive.

Tough-speaking Naveen known for his hyper dream of taking the state to industrial map in the country did a very good PR exercise when he faced media after the HC ruling. His reaction was normal as if the order has no ramifications! He just said his government would study the order before taking any decision. He must take prompt decision and right action, otherwise Odisha may face Nano-West Bengal like situation.

Vedanta, which is facing the public resents in Odisha in the wake of serious revelations by various ministries over its mining project in Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district hinted that the university project may go to States like either Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka. Karnataka has already sent feelers to Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal assuring him all support if he decided to relocate the project to the state.

For all good reasons, the Vedanta  University project is vital for the development of the state. It is not because of the fact that it would be one of the largest universities in the world and glorify the state at the international level or attract foreign tourists, or provide job opportunities to the locals. It is question of foreign direct investment. It is the matter of rapid industrialization through private companies.

With much-need efforts, the state has managed to attract national and foreign companies such as POSCO, Vedanta,  Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL),  Pradhan Steel and Power Private Limited, Atha Mines Private Limited and Tecton Ispat Private Limited , Isagro Asia Agro Chemical Private Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Isagro SpA of Italy ,   Kolkata-based Shyam Group, Sahara Group, Aditya Birla Group ,   Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) and Arcelor Mittal. These companies are yet to start their operations in the eastern region - the region has its dubious distinction of poverty, malnutrition and starvation deaths. These projects are significant for the all-round development of the state. More than 40 percent of the state’s population is in BPL list, which is highest in India. The per capita income of the state is Rs. 5,747 against the national average of Rs 11,013. The average monthly per capita consumer expenditure is Rs 399 in rural areas and Rs 757 in urban areas, compared with Rs 558 and Rs 1,052 at the national level, respectively. Ironically, most of the projects,  notably POSCO and Vedanta (mining project) are struggling to gain momentum, mainly due to political differences between state and centre.

 Coming back to the Vedanta University project, the government should not overlook the concerns raised by the social and environmental stakeholders as it affects a larger section of the society. At the same time, it should not allow the project move out the state. What is urgently needed is to bring a striking balance between industrial development and environmental sustainability.

For that reasons, the Naveen government should wake up and find an alternative, maybe in form of reducing the size of land allotted to Vedanta or shifting the project to some other parts of the state for the benefit of all.

Image Source: The Hindu

Jai Berhampur

2010-10-07T22:59:00.004+05:30

K Ravi Kumar from Berhampur town of Orissa scripted history in Delhi Commonwealth Games. He grabbed gold in the 69-kg category in the weightlifting competition.
Jai Berhampur.

Show ‘Empathy’, not Sympathy to the Marginalized: Message from the Joy of Giving Week

2010-09-27T00:04:00.004+05:30

An aspirant doctor was disappeared two years ago, when 12-year old Ramesh left home shattering his dreams in Anugul to find a new family in the Maharshi Dayananda Balashram, near Dhenkanal-Cuttack National Highway, some 90 kilometers away from Bhubaneswar. Like other 100 children there, Ramesh is always seen cheerful, ambitious and curious. He has no regret for what he is today.

Ramesh has been made to realize the hard realities of life at the tender age. He is rebuilding his shattered dreams. He does not want to become a doctor. He aspires to become a police officer and work for the social distressed. Perhaps, he was anguished at his mother’s mental trauma after her husband; an auto driver left home and did not bother to return. The economic hardship compelled the mother to send Ramesh to the Orphanage.

“I want to become a police officer to put the anti-socials behind the bar”, says a determined Ramesh when asked about his aim in life. He reacts sharply at the words like orphan, deprived and oppressed.

He continued, “Here (in Orphanage), I have my family, brothers, sisters and teachers. I get everything needed for a basic life.” Why should I complain before God, he asks?

His sparkling eyes, wiry body, inquisitive mind and a unique sense of humor have motivated me to draw some inspirations from the God’s Child towards life.

Like Ramesh, there are millions of children in India, who are neglected or abandoned by their parents due to some reasons or others. For them, we as a part of the intellectual elite have a great responsibility. And that is pouring in our ‘Empathy’, not Sympathy. This is one of the greatest lessons I have learnt from the God’s special children when I spent the entire day with them in the Orphanage as part of the Joy of Giving Week celebration.

We can not help the marginalized by discouraging or disturbing the privileged. Neither we can empower them by just showing our sympathy through donations, nor we can bring them to the mainstream through government schemes (They are many, infact). What is urgently needed is our empathy, a sense of kinship and solidarity towards the marginalized.

Women’s reservation = Men’s deprivation

2010-03-10T01:21:00.004+05:30

Let me start with a strong assertion that I am neither an anti-feminist writer, nor a campaigner of male chauvinism. I am among those ordinary people who admire achievement of our women folk and pitch for their empowerment.

So, the much-hyped Women’s quota Bill was passed in the Upper House of the Indian Parliament despite voracious protests by a section of our leaders. The Bill reserves 33 percent of the seats in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies for the women. In other words, women will now be constitutionally lured to contest in 181 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats and 1,370 out of a total of 4,109 seats in the 28 State Assemblies. The massive numbers have led the mainstream media to join the bandwagon with so-called women activists and conclusively declare – a historic day in Indian politics, victory for Indian women and other buzzwords.

It is always fascinating to see our divas at the dais! After all, women symbolize beauty, compassion and tolerance. What about the men in the post-reservation era?

Indian Constitution provides its citizen a right to content an election and represent the people in the Parliament and Assemblies. The draconian Bill slaps this basic right from men and turns the sizable number of constituencies into no entry zones for them. Some millions of men will be denied to enter into these zones. Isn’t it a gross violation of Constitutional rights of men?

Democracy in India is already mired by the dirty reservation politics. Some 120 seats (41 for STs and 79 for SCs) are reserved in the Lok Sabha, while 25 percent seats are reserved for the backward classes in the state Assemblies. And also 33 percent of seats are reserved for women in the Panchayat levels. The government is now considering a proposal to raise it to 50 percent. Ironically, a general candidate cannot contest in these constituencies. However, the law of the land does not prohibit them (SC or ST) from contesting in any constituency marked general. Same case is with the Women’s quota Bill. Women can contest anywhere they like while men are not eligible to contest in as many as 181 seats.

The women activists claim that the reservation Bill will go a long way in uplifting the underprivileged women. The proposition seems to be a myth considering the performance of women leaders at the Panchayat levels. Are the men privileged enough to deprive them from active politics?

Undeniably, only 54 percent of women are literate, although they constitute half of India’s population. The male literacy rate is 76 percent. Around 4.5 million girls are not completing primary education. Also the maternal mortality rate is about 450 per 100,000 live births. Participation of women in the both government and private jobs are not encouraging in comparison to other developed countries. To say the least about the crime against the women! Considering these indicators, the Bill has got emphatic support from women activists. But, if you consider these indicators ten years back, one thing is apparent that the socio-economic status of women is improving over the years. Hence, it is not the reservation, but the better governance and progressive policies that changed the scenario.

History records achievement of our women leaders, whose credibility is unquestionable. Sarojini Naidu, Durgabai Desmukh and Sucheta Kripalani did not bank on reservation to move the masses with their political ideologies. Also the modern ruthless leaders Maya, Jaya, Uma or Mamta did not require reservation power to rise to the power. Hence, ensuring reservation to women indirectly questions their capabilities.

Democracy is ideally a form of government, where everybody has a share, constitutionally equally share . It essentially does not mean distribution or delegation of powers through reservation.

India is a role model for the rest of the Asian countries because of her vibrant democracy. The vibrant democracy is in the process of decay due to the dirty reservation politics. Indian democracy has produced a good number of great leaders, who played a pioneering role during the formative years of our country. It has also encouraged dynasty politics to encourage monarchical style of selection. Today, we have many political dynasties; dynasties within a party. If the Bill becomes law, it is not surprising to see a neo-dynasty politics, where wives, sisters and mothers will be crowded in the parliament on behalf of their husbands, brothers and sons.

I am back

2010-03-05T00:05:00.001+05:30

Dear Friends,

I am sorry for not updating the blog in the last several months due to my involvement in other important works. It is your persuasion that once again brought me back into blogging. I will try my level best to keep the blog updated.

I look forward to your continual support.

Cheers!

Bhagaban

Orissa turns 74: Needs strong leadership and good governance

2009-04-01T00:09:00.003+05:30

It is a coincidence that Orissa is celebrating her 74 years of statehood just a few days before the Assembly and General elections. The time is a great reminder for our political leaders to realize and fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers, who dedicated their lives for the cause of Orissa.

At 74, Orissa is very young, charismatic, dynamic and energetic. The passing years are the years of learning and self-introspection. Beating all odds, the state has sailed forth to make her people happy and prosperous.Orissa played a pivotal role in the industrial development of modern India. Of the total mineral resources of India,
the eastern state has 99 percent of Chromate ore, 92 per cent of Nickel ore, 65 per cent of Graphite and Pyrophylite, 66 per cent of Bauxite, 31 per cent of Mineral sand, 32 per cent of Manganese, 28 per cent of Iron ore and 24 per cent of coal within its geographical boundary. These natural resources were extensively utilized for the industrial development of India after the country was freed from the British imperialism.

We have to admit with deep pain that Orissa is regarded as one of the poorest states in India with nearly 48% of our population; figuratively 17-28 million people are below the poverty line. The industrial development has remained limited to memorandums of agreements. The debt burden has touched Rs. 42, 000 crores by 2008. The state is finding it very difficulty to provide salary to its employees. Naxal menace has further made the situation worsen. At present, nearly half of the state is under Naxal threat.

In this context, I humbly request to all the political leaders and people of my state to join hands for the creation of a new Orissa, the Orissa free from poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and starvation death. It would be that Orissa, which will stand tall in the all fronts of development.

Bande Utkal Janani.

Indian Premier League vs. Indian Political League: Which should be the first priority?

2009-03-25T17:38:00.001+05:30

There is always political consensus cutting across party politics when the national interest is at stake. This is the standard practiced by the developed countries. In India, political consensus is a rarity. And during election season, every leader is an opportunist. Being the member of the opposition party, criticize the government for everything! This is the horrifying trend which the democracy in India has been unwittingly embraced.

The moment Lalit Kumar Modi, the media eye-catcher hinted the change of venue to an oversea country for the second edition of Indian Premier League ( IPL), the flamboyant BJP leader Narendra Modi left no time to openly declare it (for not holding IPL in India) will send the message that India is an unsafe country.

If the government had given green signal to IPL, then the sporting event would not have shifted (sorry Outsourced) to South Africa. In that case, the government would have been come under fire from a section of our political leaders that how irresponsible the government is! For, it has shown enthusiastic in Cricket when the country is testing her democracy.

So, which IPL should be given utmost priority?

It is surprising that Lalit Modi and other franchise owners have not realized, which everybody has predicted that the 15^th general election would be held in April-May 2009 after the United Progressive Alliance government managed to survive the confidence vote on July 22, 2008. It would clash with the IPL schedule, which was fixed from April 10- May 24.

In any case, IPL is a mega sporting event in the sub-continent. It has brought name and fame to Indian Cricket at the international level and entertained millions and millions of cricket lovers. At the micro level, the IPL has successfully tapped the local sporting talents. At a wider prospective, the event has further added feathers to India’s dream run to join the elite of global super powers.

After the resounding success of the inaugural edition of IPL, the BCCI has learnt it very well how to use IPL as money-spinning tool effectively. So, also the franchise owners! The IPL is predicted to bring the BCCI income of approximately US$1 billion, over a period of five to ten years.

Buoyant by the hyper-commercialism of IPL, BCCI approached the UPA government to provide necessary security arrangements for the event. When the Home ministry declined, BCCI came down heavily on the government. Adding twist to the developments, BJP politicized the issue for the reasons best known to its leaders.

India is a role model in Asia due to its vibrant democratic tradition. And the general election is an integral part of that vibrant tradition. Indian elections especially the Lok Sabha election have always attracted considerable international attention. In the 2004 general elections, nearly 670 million people cast their vote to elect a government. The number of voters were twice that of the next largest, the European Parliament elections. The upcoming election will be the world’s largest election exercise.

It is also equally true that the 15^th general election will be the most complex exercise in the backdrop of recent terror attacks, which have created much havoc in the minds of people. In order to make the exercise successful, the government must create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility where the voters can feel secure. To ensure that, the government need platoons and platoons of paramilitary and police forces both the central and State governments. This is just one side of the story.

Right to vote is not merely a political right as enshrined in our Constitution. It goes beyond that. Voting power makes the people feel the real and equal sense of citizenship to choose their representative and parties who are going rule them for another five years. The citizens should exercise this power with utmost care. They must keep a vigilant eye at the political parties. They should actively participate in the democratic process.

In this context, I am really happy that the second edition of IPL will be held in an oversea country. And it will not catch much media attention and not dominate the prime time television coverage. Atleast, we can stay away from cricket fever during the time of elections. After all, IPL is noting but a shrewd combination of sport and business.

Another election where voters will lose!

2009-03-20T16:14:00.000+05:30

IRONY is that people always think journalists know everything and flood them with questions when any issue is in debate. And during elections, journalists are psephologists. This common perception often puts me in trouble. I escape very tactfully. I was in discussion with my friends on the current political scenario in Orissa. As usual they went on asking me several questions. Who is going to be the next Chief Minister of Orissa? Which party will win maximum number of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats? Will the Congress back to power in Orissa? What will happen to the BJP after snatching tie with its decade old friend BJD?

‘Time will determine everything’, was my simple answer. They expected predications from me. Being in media, we should not propagate any political party. This is the ethics of journalism, which I have learnt from my teachers and professional gurus. I asked my friends a simple question- Who will lose in the upcoming elections? The answers I got are BJD, BJP, Congress, NCP and so on. I was not satisfied. My answer was voters.

It is the voters who will be the ultimate losers. For, they are confounded, if not confused towards the rapidly changing political equations in the state politics. The answer was somewhat strange to them all. Let me prove my argument from the today’s development itself.

Bijoy Mahapatra is the most worried man. For, he has been betrayed twice. When BJD-NCP leaders cherished their pre-poll alliance, Mahapatra babu took no time to resign from the NCP. The Presidentship of the Orissa unit of NCP was held by him from the very beginning when his party Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP) merged with Sharad Power's outfit to expose the ruthlessness of Naveen Patnaik.

Upset Bijoy said,

"I have been fighting the misrule of the Naveen Patnaik government for the last nine years. How can I have any relationship with a person against whom I have all along been waging a battle”?

It was the year 2000. Orissa was in full swing for Assembly elections. Mr. Mahapatra was a BJD leader then. He was considered a trusted lieutenant of former chief minister late Biju Patnaik and headed many important departments when Biju babu was the chief minister from 1990-1995. He was nominated as a BJD candidate for the Patkura constituency in Kenderapara district for the 2000 Assembly election. But on the last date for the filing of nominations Naveen Patnaik chose somebody else. Naveen's calculated action gave Mahapatra little time to complete the formalities required to contest even as an independent.

Within six months of his expulsion, Bijoy Mahapatra formed a new outfit, the Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP) and merged with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2007. The alliance determined to wipe out BJD.

At one point of time, the NCP leaders were the strong critic of BJD government and garbed much public attention. Now, NCP is an ally of BJD. So, who is confused here? Voters. Aren’t they?

Let’s proceed from this and discuss about the political campaign. It is better to begin with Naveen Patnaik.

The BJD chief kicked up his poll campaign from his home district, Ganjam. Addressing a gathering in Gopalpur, he said, “I and my party feel free after snapping ties with the communal BJP,” .

Mr. Patnaik added that the people of Orissa knew that it was the BJP, which was guilty of “betrayal after enjoying power for a long time due to the alliance [with the BJD].” He said the BJP leaders decided much earlier to end the alliance. “So, on March 7 night they preferred to go to the Raj Bhavan and withdraw support to the government even while seat-sharing talks was still on.”

His entire speech was aimed at reinstalling faith among the people by justifying his decision to ending relationship with the BJP. However, Naveen did not raise issues that people expected from him.

Being head of the incumbent government, Naveen should have projected achievements of his government and future strategies for the development of Orissa. He should have explained his government’s steps to curb out unemployment problem, which forces thousands and thousands of people to join the army of migrants each passing day. He should have talked about the MOUs which his government signed in the last 10 years. He should have also discussed about the necessary steps to stop starvation death and farmers’ suicide in the state. At least, he should have bothered about the long standing local problems, like development of Gopalpur sea beach, implementation of water projects, road connectivity, tourism and so on. None of these issues were raised in the campaigning.

Not surprisingly, the BJP which has also started its election campaign did not raise the issues which should be publicly discussed. The party was part of the ruling coalition for the last 11 years. So, who can better know the drawbacks and hidden agenda of BJD than BJP?

In its first election campaign as dubbed ‘Vijay Sankalp’, flamboyant BJP leader Sushma Swaraj known for her oratorical skills and quick adaptability to other languages addressed the massive gathering in the state capital. She gave her introductory remarks in Oriya before changing her tune to Hindi. Well. It is the first attack on Naveen Patnaik on language front.

Naveen’s apathy towards Oriya language despite in power for the last 11 years is indeed regrettable considering the ethos of the state. No one can deny that Orissa as a separate state was craved out of language revolution.

In her lengthy speech, Swaraj did not highlight the drawbacks of the incumbent government. She only lamented the breakup of the BJP-BJD alliance. If Sushma was not familiar to Orissa politics, then the other leaders like Biswabhusan Harichandan, Juel Oram, Kharavel Swain, Dharmendra Pradhan, Manmohan Samal, Surama Padhi, Chandan Mitra and State Unit Chief Suresh Pujari should have exposed the loopholes that the incumbent government conceded at the developmental fronts.

While development and industries had remained limited to memorandums of agreement, the promised goal of creating 10 lakh jobs in 10 years’ time has remained a distant dream. The state’s debt situation had gone up from Rs 18,000 crores in 2000 to Rs 42,000 crores in 2008. The day is not far when the state exchequer will be hardpressed to pay the salary of its employees. In the past nine years the Naxalite menace had spread to 18 of the 30 districts in the state. While 76 policemen had fallen to rebel bullets, some 132 civilians were killed in red attacks. These are the real political issues, which the leaders are overlooking.

Perhaps, it is first time in Orissa’s electoral history, we see such a meaningless campaign where the ideological lines are so blurred and parties have shown the kind of flexibility that would make a trapeze artiste turn green with envy.

Image: Zee News

BJD-BJP bonhomie over: Is it Naveen’s bold step or political blunder?

2009-03-11T00:16:00.000+05:30

So, the 11-year old coalition between the Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) ended with bitter notes from both the sides. The coalition, once regarded most powerful, unbreakable and undefeatable was eventually collapsed ahead of the crucial Assembly and General elections drawing new equations both at the state and centre politics.

Public memory may be very short, but those who are close to Naveen Patnaik can not forget the blunder that his father late Biju Patnaik committed in 1995.

Biju joined hands with Left parties in the 1990 Assembly election and claimed a landslide victory for the Janata Dal. The Janata Dal-Left ally won 125 of the 147 Assembly seats. He was elected Chief Minister for the second term.

In 1995 Assembly election, he snapped ties with Left parties and fought alone. Despite popular waves across the state, Biju could not come to power because Janata Dal had to accept defeat in more than 50 constituencies where the dominance of the Left parties was strong. And Biju’s dream run for third time CM was shattered. Now, his son Naveen took a similar step by ignoring importance of BJP for the forthcoming elections. Before jump into any conclusion, let me present a brief profile of BJD.

BJD is a different entity. Unlike other political parties in India, BJD is not a product of political movement or revolution. It is largely based on Biju legacy, the legacy withhold Congress supremacy in Orissa, which is otherwise referred as political laboratory for the grand old party. The BJD was formed in 1997 to keep the legacy vibrant.

Apart from Naveen’s clean image as projected in the media, BJP’s association with BJD in 1998 was another strong factor for the growing popularity of the regional outfit in the state. Both BJD and BJP were united to topple their enemy number one- Congress and they did it a number of times.

In the 1998 general elections, its first, the BJD won nine of the 12 seats it contested and the BJP seven of nine seats. In the 1999 Lok Sabha polls the BJD won 10 of the 12 seats it fought and the BJP all the nine it contested. In the February 2000 Assembly elections, the alliance bagged 106 of the total 147 seats - the BJD winning 68 of the 84 seats it contested and the BJP 38 of 63. Despite dual anti-incumbency factors both at the centre and state, the coalition recorded record victories both in the Assembly and General elections in 2004.

Thus, Naveen’s unilateral decision to break the alliance with BJP seems to be a blunder considering the fact that the recent development has taken the state towards a triangular battle where BJD is bound to face strong competition from both Congress and BJP.

Unlike previous elections where ‘development’ was the major issue, the 2009 elections will be fought on religion. And undeniably Kandhamal violence will become the major issue for the political parties.

After the pogrom against the Christian community, Naveen realized that the BJP could turn out to be an electoral liability in some parts of the State. Despite its initial failings, the Patnaik government came out with a rehabilitation package for Kandhamal victims and allowed Christian voluntary organisations to distribute relief in the affected areas in an effort to heal the wounds.

When both the parties sit for seat sharing, Naveen was very tactful. He remained firm on his demand to field BJD candidates in nearly 80 percent of the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats, even though a series of efforts led by BJP high commands for compromise.

Going by Naveen’s track record, it is clear that the BJD chief has always scored over crisis. His latest move is aimed at distancing his party from the communal agenda of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. Time will tell how Naveen effectively manages the current crisis!

Image Source: Business Week

One year of Blogging: From An Oriya Voice to Oriya Voice

2009-02-28T20:06:00.000+05:30

Miles to go before I sleep… Learning is a continuous process, it continues even after death.

Jajpur boy marries dog

2009-02-18T21:44:00.000+05:30

This is the limit of superstition!

I watched Shyam Benegal’s latest comedy movie ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’. The movie is excellent. I enjoyed it from my heart. In the last part of the movie, Vindya (Divya Dutta) is chased by the entire village when she strongly protests her marriage with a dog and runs away. Shyam Benegal tried to present a vivid picture of superstition prevailing in rural India.

Such a superstitious incident has popped up from Orissa. 18-month-old Sangula, a tribal of Jajpur district married the village bitch. The marriage ceremony was performed at a Hindu temple with all the rituals observed at traditional weddings. The bride (village bitch) was decorated with bridal attire.

Sangula’s parents believe the marriage is important to save their child from a predicted death at the hands of a tiger when they noticed a tooth growing from their infant son's upper gum. This is the limit of superstition.

Can Congress stop Naveen making hat-trick?

2009-02-01T15:46:00.000+05:30

The wind of change is blowing across the state politics. As widely speculated, the state Congress has gone for a major reshuffling before the electoral war. Undoubtedly, the change of guard is aimed at strengthening the grand old political party in Orissa where it is steadily losing dominance against the growing popularity of Naveen Patnaik. However, the way changes have taken place under the close monitoring of Congress High Command, created new equations in Orissa politics.

Let me speak the first thing first. It is first time that Orissa Pradesh Congress will have four working presidents including the Pradesh Head, K.P Singh Deo. Other three are Union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu, MLA Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and the former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das. Apart from that, former Union minister Srikant Jena has been appointed as the chairman of the PCC’s campaign committee.

The Congress High Command is leaving no stone unturned to restore its lost glory in the eastern state. It was apparent from Rahul Gandhi’s two consecutive visits to the state last year. The AICC general secretary covered nearly half of the state and meet the tribals personally. Thus, the removal of four-time chief minister JB Patnaik and appointment of tribal leader Rama Chandra Ulaka as legislative party leader is considered major boost to woo the voters in the tribal belts in upcoming elections.

The three-member AICC team comprising Maken, Union Minister Narayan Swami and senior leader Janardan Dwivedi observed the moods of people and Congress MLAs in the state. Based on their findings, Union Minister of State for Urban Development and Orissa in-charge Ajay Maken proposed the name of Singh Deo, which was approved by party president Sonia Gandhi.

From the above developments, it is more or less apparent that the JB fraction has been overlooked to energize the struggling Congress.It is widely believed that the clean image of six-time MP K.P Signh Deo would help in their mission. Now the vital question, can Congress stop Naveen making hat-trick?

Under the leadership of Naveen, Orissa has turned one the most favored states for investment. For that, he took several hard steps when the BJD-BJP coalition came to power in 2000. He removed corrupt leaders and bureaucrats, although he faced sharp criticism from his party. In his second term, Patnaik focused on investment for the state. POSCO, Arcelor Mittal, Tata Steel came and money began pouring in. It will certainly provide an edge to BJD-BJP coalition in the campaigning.

Despite the great measures, the anti-incumbency factor has a role to play in the forthcoming elections. The reconstructed Congress will certainly look forward to take the advantage.
The pace of development remained slow due to violent developments in quick succession. The nagging Naxal menace assumed frightening proportions, leaving the state's preparedness looking abysmally poor.

The Naveen-government has completely failed to tackle the rising Naxal menace. Nearly 15 of total 30 districts of Orissa are now naxal-affected. These districts are Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Jajpur. The last one is obviously Nayagarh.

The disturbing picture is that the growing cities like Berhampur and Rourkela, the major commercial centers in the state, are now target of Maoists. The state capital, Bhubaneswar is not secure due to the imminent threat from other parts of the state.

The Kandhamal violence has tarnished the secular image of Orissa. The killing of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpata Ashram and the aftermath of which led to killing of thirty seven people, most of whom were Christians, burning of 3000 houses and damage of 115 churches was an unprecedented event in the history of independent India. The incumbent government will not be able to recover from for sometime to come.

The infamous Assembly sex racket in which the then speaker Maheswar Mohanty and Information and Public Relations minister Debasis Nayak resigned and the resignation of Revenue minister Manmohan Samal in connection with another sex scandal will resurface in the upcoming elections.

The memories of 2004 elections are still fresh. Despite dual anti-incumbency factors both at the centre and state, Naveen led BJD-BJP coalition recorded record victories both in the assembly and general elections.

In the view of changing scenario, Naveen Patnaik can not afford to go to the masses with romantic candles of ' feel good ' and expect a cake-walk.

Orissa Round UP 2008

2008-12-17T23:45:00.000+05:30

The year 2008 will go down as one of most eventful years in Orissa for numerous events. Here are some of the major events.

A Cauldron called Kandhamal

The killing of senior VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpata Ashram on August 23 night by unknown assailants and the aftermath of which led to killing of thirty seven people, most of whom were Christians, burning of 3000 houses and damage of 115 churches was an unprecedented event in the history of independent India.

The Kandhamal violence has completely tarnished the secular credential of modern Orissa and raised several questions,

Who is responsible for the communalism?
Were government machineries properly used to control the situation?
Why do conversions take place in the tribal belts of Orissa?
Does Orissa need an anti-conversation law?
Is Orissa government pro-Hindu in nature?
Why are Naxals active in tribal-dominant districts like Kandhamal, Gajpati and KBK?

Naxal mayhem continues to haunt

Naxal menace continues to give sleepless nights to the government and people of Orissa. They have spread their tentacles nearly half of the state. They spared nobody. They killed security personnel, political leaders and civilians. Some of the major Maoists attacks of the year include:

1. Nayagarh Attack

Nearly 200 Maoists attacked the police stations in Nayagarh, Dashpalla and Nuagaon and killed nearly 13 policemen and one civilian.

In the combating operation in Gasma forest, another three security personnel lost their lives, while 20 Maoists were gunned down.

2. Attack on Greyhound Force

In yet another gruesome attack, the Maoists drowned the boat carrying Greyhound jawans from Andhra Pradesh and Orissa Police. The incident took place in Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri district, in which 38 security personnel died.

3. Malkanagiri Attack

Continuing to build up pressure on Orissa Police, the Maoists killed at least 24 cops including two inspectors by blowing up the anti-landmine van in which they were traveling MV-126 in Malkangiri.

4. Congress leader killed

50-year old Gayadala Prakash Rao, a Congress sarpanch was killed by Maoists in Parlakhemundi district.

Only Politics

In his ‘Discovery of India’ tour, the Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi made two visits to Orissa this year. He traveled Nuapada, Koraput, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Cuttack, Jaipur, Khurda, Angul and met the Aam Admis and met tribals. His second visit was more interesting. He preferred to meet lower caste people, that too in the high profile cities like Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. He did not allow other people, even Congress leaders to gather around him. It hurt local leaders. In any case, Rahul won the minds and hearts of the common people through his pleasant words and low tempers. Shall it revive the Congress, which is steadily losing its grip in Orissa?
With both assembly and general elections round the corner, Naveen babu is leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to woo the poor, who constitute nearly fifty percent of the state population. His government made rice kilo Rs. 2 to all the BPL families in the state and both BPL and APL families in the KBK districts. As per the scheme, they are entitled to get 25kg rice every month. What an idea!
Orissa is not free from Reservation politics. The state assembly passed the Orissa Reservation of Posts and Services Bill, 2008, which makes reservation of 27 percent jobs for the backward classes in all civil posts. If the Bill becomes law, then nearly 66 percent of government jobs will be reserved for backward class and the general category candidates will have only 34 percent posts to compete for.

Controversy

Orissa politics was mired by some serious controversies this year. To begin with the infamous Assembly sex racket in which the then speaker Maheswar Mohanty was at loggerhead with Gayatri Panda, the first and only assistant woman marshal in the state assembly. The gravity of the situation led resignations of speaker and Information and Public Relations minister Debasis Nayak. The assembly went for sine die. It was the first of its kind, but a derogatory one.
In another sex scandal, senior BJP leader and state revenue minister Manmohan Samal resigned from his post in the light of mounting pressure both from the opposition and his party colleagues.
BJP MP Harihar Swain’s expulsion from the party was yet another political debate in the state. Swain defied the party whip and supported the UPA government during the trust vote in the Lok Sabha.
The World Bank report, which figured the former Health Minister Bijayshree Routray for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs. 5 lakh during the implementation of Orissa Health System Development Project in 2005 is a matter of deep concern considering the transparency in the governance.

Agitation and Protest

The lawyers in several districts of Orissa went on long protest demanding permanent circuit benches of Orissa High Court in their cities. The lawyers from South and West Orissa boycotted courts to get their resolution passed by the State Assembly. The protests disrupted court proceedings for several months in different districts this year.
The Rs.52, 000 crore POSCO project has been under furious attack from human rights activists, environmentalists, tribals and opposition parties, the day it signed the MOU with Orissa government. No headway in POSCO project this year too! The protest is still on.

They made us proud

Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Dr. Srinivas Udgata

Oriya dance Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and noted educationist Dr. Srinivas Udgata are among the 71 recipients of country’s most prestigious civilian award- the Padma Shri.

Sudarsan Patnaik

Sudarsan Patnaik hardly needs any introduction. The iconic sand artist brought international recognition to the state again after claming the first prize at the United States Sand Festivals (USF) World Double Championship in Berlin. He made a 25 feet height sand sculpture depicting impact of global warming.

Padmini Rout

The Standard-X student from DAV School, Bhubaneswar becomes the first Oriya to win the under-14 World Youth Championship held in Vietnam this year. She is now the Chess prodigy of India.

Kalpana Das

Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. Who can better prove it than Kalpana Das? The 38-year-old mountaineer, who failed twice to reach the world’s highest peak finally conquered when she scaled 8,848 peak of the Mount Everest.

Pragyan Ojha

After a long wait, we saw an Oriya face in the national cricket squad. The promising left-arm spinner, who hails from Khurda is now source of inspiration to thousands of young cricketers of the state.

Beyond Politics

Former Orissa Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik has been appointed as the new Chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit University, Tirupati. He was appointed by the Union HRD Ministry's Department of Higher Education.

Apathy

The Economy Survey report for 2007-08, tabled in the Parliament this year says nearly 40 percent of the state’s population is in BPL list, which is highest in India. The per capita income of the state is Rs. 5,747 against the national average of Rs 11,013. The average monthly per capita consumer expenditure is Rs 399 in rural areas and Rs 757 in urban areas, compared with Rs 558 and Rs 1,052 at the national level, respectively.

Development

Here are some developmental stories of 2008.

Mission accomplished: Orissa finally gets IIT

The Central Government agreed to set up an IIT and Central University in Orissa. The demand for an IIT in Orissa was as dominant as in other parts of the country. It took almost a decade of constant efforts from all quarters in the state to move the Central Government for the prestigious institute. Finally done. Better late than never!

2500 year old City discovered in Orissa

Archaeologists unearthed a 2,500 year old city at Sisupalgarh in Orissa. According to ASI (Archeological Survey of India) sources, the city is older and bigger than Athens in Greece. They also believe that it had a population of more than 25,000. Although Sisupalgarh was discovered in 1948, the actual excavation began only three years ago.

Ban on recycled polythene

The Orissa High Court banned on manufacture, import, storage, sale and use of recycled polythene in the State.

Ban on Gutka, Alcohol in Secretariat

The Orissa government banned the consumption of Gutka and Alcohol inside the State Secretariat premises.

Ban on use of mobile phones in colleges

The Orissa government banned the use of mobile phones in colleges in the state. The ban is applicable for both government and private colleges.

Orissa gets country’s first Geo-Spatial Data System

To combat frequent floods, cyclones and other natural disasters like heatwave, the Orissa government launched a geo-spatial data system, which is the first of its kind in India.

Empowering people

The State Information Commission (SIC) has decided to translate the basic aspect of the Right to Information Act in eight major tribal languages such as Ho, Munda, Sanathali, Kui, Kubhi and Desia.

Pension scheme for HIV+ Persons

A pension scheme for the HIV + persons has been introduced in the state, under which a pension worth Rs. 200 will be given per month to the HIV+ persons for life. The pension scheme is covered under 'Madhu Babu Pension Yojana'.

A lesson to learn

Ganjam district ranked second in India in implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). This inspired officials and local representatives from Chhattisgarh to learn secret of perfect administration.

Boost to tourism

The Union ministry of tourism included Puri, Bhubaneswar, Konark and Chilika among the top 20 tourist destinations of the country.

Other important developments

Former finance minister and a founder member of the ruling Biju Janata Dal Panchanan Kanungo resigned from the party alleging that it had failed on all fronts and led the state to the ignominy of becoming the poorest state of the country.
Marathon wonder kid Budhia Singh's former coach Biranchi Das was shot dead.
Orissa regularized nearly 52,000 Siksha Sahayaks and retain the EGS voluntary teachers as '"Gana Sikhyak" with enhanced pay scale. All Siksha Sahayaks who have completed six years of service, made primary school teachers. They are now working under the Zilla Parishad. Siksha Sahayaks, who have completed at least three years of service, are paid consolidated amount of Rs 3,500 per month. Others would get between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 per month.
Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Orissa High Court. He is the 22nd Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.
At least 6 people died and 12 injured in a stampede near Devi Subhadra's chariot during the world famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagnath in Puri.
Nearly 300 people died in flood this year.
Retd. High Court judge, Justice PK Patra has been appointed as the new Lok Pal of Orissa.
The Orissa Government approved 30 - 60% pay hike for the government employees in the state as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. The pay hike range will be applicable to all employees according to their grades.

Troubled Neighbours

The Andhra Pradesh government has put aside the 1962 inter-state water pact and went ahead to construct the Mahendra Tanaya offshore reservoir at Regulapadu village in Palasa madal of Srikakulam district.

Mahendra Tanaya is the lifeline of Gajapati district in the state of Orissa. It has its origin from the Mahendragiri range in Gajapati District. 80 percent of the river flows in Orissa before turning south towards Gosani and finally flowing into the Bay of Bengal near Baruva in Srikakulam district.The project is likely to cause serious water crisis in Gajpati district. Nearly 800 families living in around 30 villages under Raigarh and Gosani blocks of Gajapati district depend upon the river, while 1,100 acres of agricultural land would be submerged by the project.

In a tit-for-tat approach Orissa government laid the foundation stone for Mahendratanaya river project, 30 km from Paralakhemundi. This has virtually triggered the already tensed water war between the two neighbouring states, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

The Mahendra Tanaya dispute is a serious dispute considering the fact that the two governments are backed two strong political rivals at the Centre, NDA and Congress. As the two states will gear up for the assembly elections next year, the water dispute is very likely to reach its climax.
JMM's demand for a Greater Jharkhand with the inclusion of 3 districts each from Orissa and West Bengal met with widespread protests across the state. The three districts are Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh.

Orissa continues to remain favored state for investment in 2008

Orissa is the most favored state for investment in India due to large mining resources, port facilities, developing infrastructures, diverse culture and stable political history. The state has attracted bigwigs for investment this year. Some of the major MOUs and proposals of 2008 are as follow:

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) would invest $1.139 billion in Orissa to develop gas fields.
The Orissa government signed three MoUs for setting up three new steel plants with Pradhan Steel and Power Private Limited, Atha Mines Private Limited and Tecton Ispat Private Limited with total investment of Rs 2,00,000 crore.. They would produce one million tonne of steel per annum.
Isagro Asia Agro Chemical Private Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Isagro SpA of Italy and market leader in pesticide and insecticide products has targeted a total business volume of Rs 4 crore in Orissa during the next year.
The Kolkata-based Shyam Group is planning to set up an integrated minor port in Baliharchandi, which is south of Puri and north of Chilika Lake. In the first phase, the project will entail an investment of between Rs. 1,800 crore and Rs. 2,000 crore and a capacity of 12 million tonnes annually. The ultimate capacity will be between 30 million tonnes and 40 million tonnes and the implementation may have to be done in three phases.
Sahara Group has given a Rs 5,000-crore proposal to the Orissa government for setting up a 1,200 MW thermal power plant in Dhenkanal district.
Aditya Birla Group plans to invest about Rs 75,000 - 80,000 crore in Orissa focusing the sectors like aluminium,cement, telecom and retail.
Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL), the country’s largest stainless steel manufacturer, in the next three to four years will be investing around Rs 9,600 crore in its Orissa project.
The state government signed an MoU with Ruchi Group for establishing a three MTPA steel plant and a soya processing facility. Investments will be to the tune of Rs 8,609 crore.
The state government signed an MoU with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (Nafed) for establishing market linkages of several agricultural commodities.
The Arcelor Mittal signed an MoU with the state government for establishing a 12 MT steel plant at Patna in Keonjhar district.

Other Business Developments

NALCO got 'Navaratna' status this year. The PSU has its production units in Anugul and Damanjodi in Orissa.
Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has bagged the much coveted CII-EXIM Bank Award for Business Excellence instituted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Export Import (EXIM) Bank of India.
The World Bank approved a US$362 million assistance package to Orissa to improve the state’s road network and its agricultural tank systems.
Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) received the Think Odisha Leadership Award in private sector for its corporate social responsibility from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Prof. Sudhakar Panda, head of Economics department of Utkal University has been appointed as the chairman of the 3rd State Finance Commission.
Airtel brought the much-hyped iPhone 3Gin in Orissa.
The state government cut the stamp duty on registration of land. Those purchasing land will now pay 5 per cent as stamp duty.Earlier, people were paying 8 per cent as stamp duty during registration of land in rural areas and 11 per cent in urban areas.
KIIT School of Technology is ranked 18th among top 100 private technical colleges in the country, according to a Survey conducted by Outlook magazine.

Sports

Young woman rower Mamata Jena received the coveted 15th Ekalabya Award for the year 2007.
Former national cricketer and spinner Venkatapathy Raju has been appointed as the chief coach of Orissa Ranji Team.
Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) hosted this year's Challengers cup and India-England one-day match at Cuttack’s Barabati stadium

Art and Entertainment

Noted Oriya actor Hara Patnaik’s deteriorating health condition was a matter of deep concern all over the state. The veteran actor batted with blood cancer at the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore for several months. The cancer was at once threatened the life of Hara Patnaik.
Christened Radio Orange 99.9, the first campus radio went on air this year. The campus radio has been developed by Bhubaneswar-based SAI International School.
The Oriya news service of All India Radio, Cuttack has completed 50 years of its news service in Oriya.
Akashvani Jeypore has bagged the second prize at the national-level Akashvani Annual Awards ceremony for 2007 in the category of innovative programmes.

I am thankful to Orissa Diary, Kalinga Times, Odisha Today and Orissa Times for the information and images.

Orissa recalls its Maritime tradition

2008-11-13T23:35:00.000+05:30

Orissa celebrated Boita Bandana Utsav with traditional fervour and gaiety with millions of people floating miniature boats in rivers and water bodies across the State today.

The Boita Bandana Utsav is celebrated every year in keep with the maritime
past of the State when Sadhabas (Oriya traders) used to go to far off countries
in their typical boats called Boita for trade.

Why not Industry status to Jatra!

2008-11-05T22:23:00.000+05:30

I thought of writing a post on Jatra. Somehow, I could not fully focus on the topic. Last month, I met one of my old friends, who is a theatre artist. He has spent nearly 15 years on stage and still on. I had an interesting discussion with him on the current state of Jatra industry in Orissa. The discussion led me to complete the post.

If medium is the message, then I must say, Jatra is one of the most powerful mediums. The reach and impact of this traditional art form is unquestionable. It has made a long journey to dominate the mainstream without any governmental support. The popular folk theatre has evolved itself with the changing times to reflect our society, life and people in a vivid way.

Although the origin and development of Jatra is hazy, it is believed that the folk theatre flourished during the Mahameghavahana dynasty. During Kharavela’s era, the artists used to get patronization and rave reviews. The show was mostly on mythological themes.

Jatra has gone sea-change over the years. It is now focusing social-relevant issues. Neither the growing popularity of album culture, nor the glamour Oriya film industry could shrink the growth of Jatra. Today it is one of the thriving industries. It generates an income of Rs. 150 crores and provides direct employment to more than 20,000 semi-literate people, who otherwise would have joined in the army of Oriya migrants. Apart from that, nearly 10,000 people get indirect and seasonal employment in various parts of the state during the performances.

There are several Jatra troupes in Orissa. Each troupe hires a group of artists on contractual basis and rehearses them during the off-season i.e. rainy season. They get into business in August. They travel from place to place to perform the shows. They perform nearly 300 shows in a year. The shows are appealing, especially to the rural-folk.

Ironically, the potentiality of Jatra is largely untapped. If government would give industrial status to Jatra and make use this medium to create awareness among the rural people on several polices and schemes, then we can see the change. There is no doubt.

Wish you a happy Diwali

2008-10-28T00:07:00.000+05:30

May the warmth and splendor, that are a part of this auspicious occasion, fill your life with happiness and bright cheer, and bring to you joy and prosperity, for the whole year and ahead.

An appeal to all Oriyas

2008-10-25T02:38:00.000+05:30

We all know what Wikipedia is. The online encyclopedia is available in more than 250 languages. Fortunately, Oriya is one of them. However, it is most unfortunate that the number of entries in Oriya is less, very less in comparison to other Indian languages.

According to Wikipedia, there are more than 10,000,000 articles.Off them, 2,598,058 articles are in English. The free encyclopedia gets thousands and thousands of entries in each passing day. Here is the stat. How many of them are in Oriya? None.

Wikipedia launched its Oriya version in 2004. Almost four years to complete, no major headway. It has failed to make its substantial presence in the free encyclopedia. There are no major articles in Oriya. Most of the articles are incomplete.

It shows our total apathy towards the native language, the language that shaped the state and cultured the people. When the state was mired with identity crisis due to language uprising during the pre-independence India, the founders of modern Orissa gave the call, ‘Orissa for Oriyas’. It was their continual hard work that protected the language.

In this context, I appeal to all Oriyas to contribute to Wikipedia in Oriya, so that we can have a strong database on Orissa and promote our vibrant culture at the international level.

One in every 15 infants dies in Orissa: Poor Health Infrastructure Responsible

2008-10-22T22:52:00.000+05:30

I came to know that one in every 15 children dies within the first year of their birth while one in every 11 dies before they reach the age of five years. Further 65 in every 1,000 infants die before they reach the age of one year in Orissa, against the national average of 57 per 1,000.

Apart from other reasons, the poor health infrastructure is responsible for the infant deaths in Orissa.

Health Infrastructure of Orissa

Particulars	Required	In position	shortfall
Sub-centre	7283	5927	1356
Primary Health Centre	1171	1279	-
Community Health Centre	292	231	61
Multipurpose worker (Female)/ANM at Sub Centres & PHCs	7206	6768	438
Health Worker (Male) MPW(M) at Sub Centres	5927	3392	2535
Health Assistant (Female)/LHV at PHCs	1279	726	553
Health Assistant (Male) at PHCs	1279	168	1111
Doctor at PHCs	1279	1353	-
Obstetricians & Gynaecologists at CHCs	231	NA	NA
Physicians at CHCs	231	NA	NA
Paediatricians at CHCs	231	NA	NA
Total specialists at CHCs	924	NA	NA
Radiographers	231	8	223
Pharmacist	1510	1984	-
Laboratory Technicians	1510	311	1199
Nurse/Midwife	2896	637	2259

Source: National Rural Health Mission

Are women safe in Orissa?

2008-10-18T18:21:00.000+05:30

Absolutely no! It’s an irony being a woman in Orissa. They are in danger in the place where they should be safest. For them, ‘Home’ means a regime of terror and violence. Their fundamental rights are oppressed and severally violated in their families. We no need to speak about their social status.

According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 34 percent of women in Orissa experience physical violence, 20 percent suffer from emotional violence and 15 percent face sexual harassment.

Only one per cent women had ever initiated violence against their husband in the State. On the other hand the men were carrying out different types of violence against their spouses, physical violence being the most common form of torture.

As far as spousal violence was concerned, the State is positioned at the 11th place with 38 per cent of women saying that they had experience of violence from their husband. Bihar tops the list.

What are factors responsible for domestic violence in Orissa?

No singular factor can be attributed for the increasing domestic violence in Orissa. There are several factors, which I feel can be summarized as below.

Cultural:

Gender-specific socialization
Belief in the inherent superiority of males
Values that give men proprietary rights over women and girls
Customs of marriage (bride price/dowry)

Economic:

Women’s economic dependence on men
Limited access to cash and credit
Discriminatory laws regarding inheritance, property rights
Limited access to employment in formal and informal sectors
Limited access to education and training for women

Legal:

Lesser legal status of women either by written law and/or by practice
Laws regarding divorce, child custody, maintenance and inheritance
Low levels of legal literacy among women
Insensitive treatment of women and girls by police and judiciary

Political:

Under-representation of women in power, politics, the media and in the legal and medical professions
Notions of family being private and beyond control of the state
Limited organization of women as a political force
Limited participation of women in organized political system

Image

Back to Work

2008-10-17T23:42:00.000+05:30

Dear friends,

I am extremely sorry for not updating the blog for the past several days. I was so busy that I could not even reply to your mails. There were hundreds of unread mails in my inbox. I just checked. Most of the mails convey Dasara wishes. Thank you very much. I hope you all had enjoyed this Dasara.

I was on a tour for the last three weeks. I had visited remote areas of Orissa, which kept me away from accessing Internet. I am back to work. I promise I will regularly update the site. I look forward to your constant support and feedback.

Regards,

Bhagaban

When would Oriyas awaken for their self-esteem?

2008-09-29T22:10:00.000+05:30

This is a big question, which I would like to ask every Oriya following the below incident.

Infosys Bhubaneswar has organised a show called ‘Affinity’ to collect funds for the flood victims in Orissa. The show was held on 26^th September. Euphoria was invited and obviously the excitement was pretty overwhelming. The employees were requested to bring in their family. There was song, music and dining and lot of fun... Who the hell would like to miss? Obviously no one…

The whole focus was on Palash Sen, the lead vocalist of popular band Euphoria, who was seen as the lead actor in Manish Jha's "Mumbai Cutting”.

Palash Sen seems like a very decent man on screen and being a doctor also adds a lot of charm to his personality. Pretty well expectedly he started the show with chanting Bakratunda Mahakya and impressed all.

However, all my cherished dreams of watching this cute doc perform live went away as soon as, Palash Sen trying to heat up the crowd with these words, ‘Bhubaneswar mein toh ladkiyan nahi milti aur khubsurat toh bilkul nahi milti (there are no girls in bhubaneswar, forget about beautiful ones).’ I was stunned at such remark.

He forgot that nearly 3000 people watching him. Surprisingly he hardly apologised for what he said and the crowd never gave it a thought...surprising...had he told any comment about any other city...people would have had him blacklisted but in Orissa, one hardly bothers.

A Good Decision though late: Students, Teachers barred from using mobile phones inside campus

2008-09-17T21:29:00.000+05:30

Better late than never… Orissa has finally decided to ban the use of mobile phones by teachers as well as students inside the college campus. It is an effective step in ensuring a healthy academic atmosphere inside the campus, which otherwise is disturbed due to frequent mobile calls.

Samir Dey, the Higher Education Minister says,

No one, including teachers, would be allowed to come to the campus with a mobile phone. It has been alleged that the study atmosphere of the colleges was vitiated because students brought mobile phone to classrooms.

He went on saying,

Heavy fine will be imposed on those found to be guilty of carrying mobile phones.

Someone may argue here, why should we ban using cell phones inside the campus? After all, the use of mobile phones ensures parents to know whereabouts of their children. They can talk to their children during emergency. And the argument goes on…

I don’t dispute the advantages of using cell phones inside the campus. However we should not forget the increasing number of MMS scandals taking place in our campuses due to the use of mobile phones. In each case, the victim is exposed.

In these days, mobile phones are not means of communication; rather handy devices of entertaining factors, like music, video and games and so on. And the students are the soft targets of them. I don’t need to tell you more.

Rising Intolerance in Orissa

2008-09-08T20:05:00.000+05:30

Orissa is no more a peaceful state

Riot after riot…Crime after crime…Violence after violence… This is what now happening in Orissa. That was year 1999, then 2007 and now 2008. The communal violence has tarnished the secular image of Orissa. Nearly a hundred and thousand men, women and children are in relief camps, their loved ones killed or missing, their homes were burnt.

It was an unprecedented event in the history of independent India, for never before have Christians felt so compelled to stand publicly and unitedly against the forces of communalism in India.

The unrest in the state of Orissa started on 23 August 2008 after the murder of a 90-year-old rightwing Hindu nationalist leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati; four of his associates were also killed in the attack. Although the police suspected Maoist guerrillas for the murder, members of the radical Hindu group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) blamed Christians and went on the rampage - killing several people, and destroying a Christian missionary-school, house-churches and other buildings.

Of the estimated 50,000 Christians forced to flee, most have little to go back to: more than 3,000 homes and 115 churches have been destroyed.

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) estimates that fifty people (most of them Christians) have been killed. Thousands of Christians have fled their homes to seek shelter in the forests or government camps. The murder of the Hindu leader is clearly reprehensible, but this is a matter for the judicial authorities and - even were the culprit found to be a Christian - would not justify what effectively became an assault against an entire local Christian community.

The latest trauma is part of a history of Hindu-Christian clashes in Orissa over the last decade. In January 1999, the Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive while sleeping in their jeep. Around Christmas 2007 there were Hindu-Christian clashes that have some parallels with the latest events. The main conflict then was between two communities: Kandh tribals (who are mainly, though not exclusively, Hindus) and Dalit Panas (many of whom have converted to Christianity over the years). Christian missionaries have been active in the area for many years; with the entrance of radical Hindu groups, vehemently opposed to the conversion of Hindus to Christianity and cow slaughter, the potential for communal tension has deepened.

Muslims have traditionally borne the brunt of attacks by Hindu extremist groups but since the late 1990s there has been a marked increase in the number of attacks on Christians. Between 1950 and 1998, only fifty anti-Christian attacks were recorded. In 2000, the figure shot up to 100, and then rose further to at least 200 incidents annually in 2001-05; perhaps it was no coincidence that this came after after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the federal level (until their defeat by the Congress-led coalition in May 2004). In 2007, the number of attacks on Christians exceeded 1,000 for the first time.

In several Indian states governed by the BJP, anti-conversion laws are now in place. These laws are largely intended to prevent the flow of people from Hinduism to other faiths. Many low-caste Hindus have converted to Christianity willingly to escape the rigid and repressive caste system; the Dalit Panas of Orissa are an example. In this context the anti-conversion laws - which sanction interference in a person's right freely to choose a faith - have become a weapon used by radical Hindus to beat Christians. In areas like Orissa, the tensions that result are intermingled with disputes over land, legal status and local power.

Christians officially constitute only 2.3% of the Indian population. Christianity is believed to have been brought to India by St Thomas, Christ's own apostle, to the shores of Kerala in 52 CE (common era). Much later, colonial powers such as the British, Portuguese, Dutch and French made strenuous efforts to convert the population. These were usually without success; Christianity has never grown to be a dominant religion in India and it is unlikely it ever will. Yet Hindu extremist groups like the VHP are fixated on the issue of conversions to Christianity - in part from dogmatic opposition to people leaving their religious fold, in part from insecurity about members of the lower castes trying to break free from the caste system. Hence, the majority of attacks on Christians are directed against the formerly low-caste converts such as the Dalit Panas of Orissa.

India is a deeply religious place where the boundaries of religion and politics are somewhat porous. The country is not today blessed with philanthropic politicians of the stature of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru who always strove for communal harmony. There is a disturbing tendency among some of their successors to exaggerate the religious divide between communities in order to polarise voters along religious lines and win the votes of the majority community. This can both encourage and justify attacks on members of minority faiths, many of which are orchestrated in advance and carried out with the connivance of the authorities. In their aftermath, very few people are prosecuted.

The next Indian general election is looming - it must be held by May 2009, and could even be sooner. The BJP seems to have returned to its policy of hard-line Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) to capture votes. The ruling Congress Party professes commitment to India's famed secularism, but it often fails to match action with rhetoric. This is disappointing because to break the cycle of communal violence more needs to be done than just issuing statements and pointing the finger of blame at the BJP. A good start would be consistently to bring the perpetrators of communal violence to justice.

Hindus are in their vast majority tolerant and peaceful - as are members of other faiths in India. It is political manipulation and fear-mongering that turns peaceful coexistence into terrible violence, as in Orissa. The political instigation of of anti-Christian sentiment by the Hindu rightwing for electoral gain is another danger to Indian democracy. In the interests of a peaceful, progressive and just India, it must be opposed.

The state of online journalism in Orissa

2008-08-28T10:54:00.001+05:30

Venting mindsets of Oriyas with Online Media is a tough call

I have already introduced Mr. Bulu Pattnaik. He is the CEO of the Puri Online Pvt. Ltd. and VP of Hyderabad-based Kanvy Technologies. He is also the founder of Full Orissa. He has been in the online business for the last five years. He started his dream project Puri Online in 2003, which is now fullorissa.com. Full Orissa is a complete portal on Orissa dealing with news to views to social networking and many more things in the pipeline.

Keeping my readers’ request to do a series on the State of Online Journalism in Orissa, I sought Mr. Pattnaik’s views on the topic. I requested him for an interview. And he agreed. I am grateful to him for sparing his valuable time for my blog.

Here goes the interview.

1. What is the USP of your website?

Full Orissa is mainly an entertainment-centric site for Oriyas. We have developed an online Community called Oriya Khatti. The name says it all. People come here for get-together. Some of the unique features include chatting, photo sharing and mailing etc... In nutshell, an online community for Oriyas! Apart from that, the site also provides online Oriya songs, sub domains for latest Oriya movies, wallpapers, video trailers, interviews, credits and other details. We also have a photo gallery on Orissa.

2. Has newspaper industry faced tough competition from the online media in Orissa? Or reverse is the situation?

No doubt Orissa is catching up on the e-front, yet online media has way to go in the state. Orissa is a lively state, where people lead a serene and peaceful life. Human relationships and household chores are of greater importance than leading a mechanical life. With few cities to name, and most of the population living in small towns and villages, the luxuries of life are not in the modern amenities, but in the quality time that people spend. In this context, venting into the mindsets of people with Online Media is a tough call.

So Basically the people who are from Orissa but stay outside Orissa they prefer online media a bit, as that is the easiest and daily source of information.

3. Don’t you think that Orissa-centric websites also face competition from established giants and big brands who also focus on Orissa these days?

About the other established giants focusing on Orissa- well as of now I don’t think there are any such websites coming up on Orissa, but may be in future there might be a few of them.

But Where there is business, there is competition all around. But success lies in keeping your basics grounded. It is not big brands that build their rapport with the masses. Rather, those who fabricate their relationship with the masses, become big brands in the long run.

We are Oriyas by heart and head. So our connection with our state is incontestably strong. We are working towards reaching out to the general public in Orissa, the government officials, the college goers, the housewives and also those Oriyas who are currently not in Orissa. We want to make their life easier, by giving them information on demand; we entertain them when they are far from Orissa.

4. How far, online media has succeeded in forming public opinion in the state?

From zero to a handsome percentage, I would say. The city people have become e-savvy. The forums on FullOrissa.com are flooded with opinions on every contemporary issue. People find it an easy and beautiful medium to share their thoughts. For example, housewives in the state are not much exposed to the world around and they hardly have a say in matters other than their kitchen. But with Online surfing, we have brought information about the world so close to them. They get a forum where they can shout out their opinion on every matter, from politics to the beaming actors and actresses in Ollywood; and more so as they can preserve their anonymity.

5. Is there any scope for a webmaster getting private ads like traditional media?

Mostly what I find is the people who visit our website are the people who are from Orissa but staying outside Orissa. So this means we are lacking with local visitors whom the advertisers generally target. So they prefer the local media to promote their products rather then the online media. So it’s a tough job for us to fetch Private ads from the state.

6. Can an Orissa-based website sustain by solely banking on Google ads?

No I don’t think so, at least a portal like fullorissa.com might not sustain keeping in mind the kind of expenses we have for maintaining the portal. There need to be some other relevant business plan, or may be some funding sources which can help the site to be kept live.

7. What is the scope of citizen journalism in Orissa?

People in Orissa discuss more on their internal affairs than on the issues of the state or the country. The outlook is very limited. Hence, in order to establish citizen journalism in the state, we have to stretch a bit further to just providing information.

8. How is Full Orissa promoting citizen journalism?

Fullorissa.com is already working in these lines by ensuring Audience participation by having user comments attached to news stories, facilitaing for personal blogs, photos or video footage captured from personal mobile cameras, or local news written by residents of a community.

9. What are your views on the current state of online journalism in Orissa?

What I think is the number of online websites related to Orissa need to increase with frequent updates, and still there are lots of areas where websites should come up. And that would target more and more audience to the web world.

10. What are the critical problems that a webmaster faces here?

Well for a webmaster of an Oriya website the main problem is getting the correct information at the correct time is a tough Job. Recently I had a plan to startup a page 3 concept for Orissa on web, literally it was really a tough job for me to collect the information, and the basic problem which I find was people were not much impressed about the online web media. So things are getting delayed like anything.

What are the major setbacks for the growth of online journalism in Orissa?

There are many Core Sector and Software companies coming up in Orissa. So the need to communicate is increasing day by day. Even if people cannot own a computer of their own, the Internet Cafes are certainly helping them connect.

The mental block is the major set back for the growth of Online journalism. Mothers in Orissa still feel that Internet Cafes are not good places to send their daughters.

The next setback is the financial aspect. The common man in Orissa is still incapable to afford a computer and an internet connection.

Also, less of the organizations in Orissa use the web exclusively and most of them use it as a secondary outlet for their content.

12. There are millions and millions of blogs in the blogsphere. However, there are very less number of blogs on Orissa. And most of the blogs are rarely updated. Don’t you think the modest number of blogs affect growth of other full-pledged Orissa-centric sites?

I think the average Oriya is not that blog savvy as his counterpart in the rest of India. However I do also feel that more blogs about Orissa would mean the more spread of information related to Orissa, but still the effect on Orissa-centric sites might not be huge.

13. Do you think the digital gap is narrowing in Orissa?

People in Orissa are certainly turning techno savvy these days. After education and medical facilities have boomed, the people are moving towards joining the pace of the world. Every household which earlier didn’t have a landline, now boasts of more than a couple of mobile phones. People can access to over a hundred TV channels now unlike just surfing between DD1 and DD2. And all this has happened only in the past decade. With less power shut downs, and more the reduced costs of electronic gadgets like PC, Laptops, Mobiles, IPods, and TVs, the digital gap is certainly narrowing.

Orissa sees Apple iPhone

2008-08-24T21:15:00.000+05:30

Airtel has launched the Apple iPhone in Orissa. As I said, the mobile market is in full swing in the state. So, any new launch can not ignore the Orissa market. Like rest of country, the iPhone hype will stay here for some days.

Have traditional courses lost their relevance?

2008-08-12T16:11:00.000+05:30

It may be surprising but true. Not a single student has taken admission into the two-year Linguistics course in Berhampur University this year. Only one student enrolled in the Oceanography, which comes under Marine science department. The total strength of Oceanography is 8.

Most of the departments have registered less than 50 percent. Some of the major departments are History (10 out of 24 seats), Oriya (14 out of 32 seats), Zoology (five out of 24 seats) and Home Science (6 out of 24 seats).

Only five departments filled up full strength. These departments are Journalism and Mass Communication, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Master in Financing and Control and Computer Science.

Does it mean that the traditional subjects have lost their relevance in the changing job market?

Berhampur University VC chews Gutkha before students

2008-08-12T15:09:00.000+05:30

Chewing gutkha is injurious to health. But who cares? Not even the Vice Chancellor!!! Prof. Bijay Kumar Sahu, Vice Chancellor of the Berhampur University has reportedly chewed gutkha before girl students.

The VC says,

Though it (Chewing gutkha) was considered injurious, I don't think it is injurious for me.

It is really matter of deep concern that the man of high esteem like Prof. Sahu ignored students to commit this laughable act.

Image: Odisha Today

Orissa tribals vow to ban child marriage

2008-08-08T21:17:00.000+05:30

In a nutshell, child marriage is a social disaster. It is one of the prime of causes of population explosion in our country. The prevalence of child marriage is rampant in rural and tribal areas.

Koraput being one of the most predominant tribal districts in India, has had dubious distinction of registering maximum number of child marriage.

According to a recent private data, over 90 per cent of girls were married before reaching the legal 18 years of age and almost all of them soon became pregnant in Koraput district.

In Koraput, there is a village called Tutiaguda recorded 26 marriages off 27 were of underage girls and boys. The marriages have taken place between 2004 and 2006.

The tribals in Tutiaguda village took a remarkable step. The tribals have decided to ban child marriage in the village.

Janaki Durva, a tribal woman of Tutiaguda says,

Earlier, we did not know about the ill effects of child marriage but now we have decided to get our girls married only after 18. In the past, our tribal people used to get married before they had turned 18.

Despite the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, 40 to 50 percent of marriages in India involve a girl under 18 or a boy under 21, the legal ages for marriage.

In such a scenario, the step taken by Tutiaguda tribals is remarkable. Others should follow them.

Image: Asia News

What non-Oriyas think about Orissa-IV?

2008-07-26T22:39:00.000+05:30

Oriyas are gentle and kind-hearted

At the very outset, I must seek an apology from my readers for not continuing this Series since long despite growing demands from them. Any way, I am back.

I met Jaiyant Cavale here. And we became good friends. I asked him for an interview. He agreed. For, I am ever grateful.

Jaiyant Cavale belongs to Maharashtra; the Indian state very much in news all time. I don't need to explain. He has been in Bangalore for the last seven years continuously for his study. He is now pursuing his Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology at Bangalore University. He has spent many years before that too, in Bangalore. He is one of the prolific writers of this growing netwok.

I am very fortunate to take some time from Jaiyant out of his busy schedule to take this interview. Here goes the interview.

Q. Please tell me something about your state?

My home state being Maharashtra, doesn’t need much introduction. It is one of the largest states of the Indian Union, with respect to area and population as well. We have a lot of immigrants coming everyday and they bring in their unique cultures. This makes Maharashtra one of the most cosmopolitan states in our country. It faces problems such as over population, unemployment, drought and high living costs. However, it is one of the more developed states in the country.

Q. How long have you been in Bangalore?

I have been in Bangalore continuously for about 7 years and even before that, I have studied here for many years. The reason isn’t really academic or professional but my folks have a house here and some other personal reasons.

Q. What is your impression towards the city ?

The city has changed a lot during these years and suffers from over-population, pollution, bad infrastructure and crime. Once it was called the ‘Garden City of India’ but now you hardly find any trees. It has a growing economy and the outsiders have contributed a lot to the development of the city and it’s culture.

Q. Have you ever visited Orissa? How was the experience?

I have not visited Orissa but I definitely would love to.

Q. Please tell something about your Oriya Friends?

I have a few friends from Orissa and I must say they are really gentle and kind-hearted. A friend stays in Cuttack and we had become friends while in Poona. He studies at an engineering college there and speaks of the proximity to the capital city Bhubaneshwar. I have a few more Oriya friends who are mostly into IT and other technical fields.

Q. What is the best thing, you find among them?

Oriya people I have met have all been very gentle as I said earlier and are also some of the kindest people I have met. They usually adapt to the local cultures easily and are easy to get along with. The ones I have met have all been into technical fields. Though gentle, they are also very strong and hard working. In spite of a hard situation in their state, they usually do well wherever they go.

Q. What is the bad thing you found among Oriyas?

I wouldn’t say I found anything bad about them, but I would say they find it difficult to cope with a fast paced life, especially in places like Bombay. I think the Oriya people go through a number of hardships due to the Naxalite problems and also due to political parties.

Q. What is your impression about Oriyas staying in Bangalore and Pune?

Pune being a city with a number of colleges, attracts many students from all over. There are many Oriya students who usually fare well but are mostly into engineering and other technical courses. What I have noticed is they rarely opt for humanities related courses. In Bangalore, they are mostly software engineers who work with MNCs. There are also many students from Orissa who study here.

Q. Please tell me something about Orissa?

Orissa for me is an ancient land steeped in history and culture, Kalinga to be more specific. Temples in Orissa are usually the topic at home with my mother once wishing she could spend her old age in Puri! Jokes apart, I think Orissa is a beautiful place and the state can do much more in the field of tourism and attract both domestic and international tourists. The state also has a good scope in developing software parks and also attracting investments. I definitely would like to visit Orissa as soon as possible.

Naveen’s poll gimmick: Rice @ Rs. 2

2008-07-07T20:53:00.000+05:30

With assembly elections round the corner, the Naveen government has geared up to take a series of populist measures to woo the people. After announcing farmer-friendly agricultural policy, the state government has now targeted poor.

The BJD-BJP coalition government has decided to supply 25 kg of rice to all the families living below the poverty line at Rs 2 per kilogram. It will be effective from next month. Nearly 55 lakh people are likely to be benefited by this price-cut.

Any way, it is a great relief for the people in the wake escalating inflation and rising food prices.

Orissa introduces farmer-friendly agricultural policy

2008-07-06T11:51:00.000+05:30

The government of Orissa has targeted overall development of agricultural sector along with protection of interests of farmers in its a new agricultural policy, cleared by the high level cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The new agricultural policy targets to achieve four percent growth in agricultural productivity in the 11^th plan against 2.3 percent in the 10^th plan period, while raising capital investment subsidy from 20 to 25 percent with a ceiling of Rs 25 lakh.

It provides for increasing subsidy for private lift irrigation projects like shallow tube-well and dug well from 30 to 50 per cent.

In order to ensure speedy farm mechanisation, the new policy doubled the subsidy on purchase of tractors, self-propelled reaper, paddy transplanter and specialised power driven equipment from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

It would enable the farmers to get government assistance of Rs 90,000 for buying tractors up to 40 hp while the maximum subsidy for self-propelled reaper and paddy transplanter is Rs 80,000.

The maximum subsidy has been raised to Rs 24,000 from Rs 12,000 for purchase of power threshers of all varieties, they said, adding those developing model horticulture nursery at district or block levels would get substantial assistance.

The new policy gives emphasis on supply of quality seeds, use of better technology, irrigation and market linkage for the agricultural produce. The new policy will also ensure more subsidies on agricultural implements and diesel pump sets.

One village will be identified in each block for conservation of seeds. Attempts will be made to make technology based seed production, seed multiplication and related farm activities as an industrial activity, the new policy stated.

It also focused on intensive training programmes along with demonstrations at all levels on improved cultivation practices. The farmers will be exposed to successful adoption of modern technologies by other farmers inside the district, State and outside the State, and agricultural fairs will be organised in every district.

Ratha Jatra: Symbol of socio-cultural-religious ethos of the Indian civilization

2008-07-04T11:01:00.000+05:30

Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha, the symbol of universal love and brotherhood is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of

India

. It is the grandest festival on earth. Everything is on a scale befitting the great Lord. Full of spectacle, drama and colour, the festival is a typical Indian fair of huge proportions. It is also the living embodiment of the synthesis of the tribal, the folk, and the autochthonous with the classical, the elaborately formal and the sophisticated elements of the socio-cultural-religious ethos of the Indian civilization.

The grand festival is also celebrated in other parts of state and outside India. The image above shows celebration of Ratha Yatra by Oriyas living in Delhi.

Read more about Jagannatha Cult

Orissa has 20 lakh Airtel customers, how much?

2008-07-01T22:17:00.000+05:30

Airtel has registered two million mobile customers in Orissa. The last one million was added in about 13 months time. As of now, the service provider covers nearly 30,379 towns and villages in the state.

It seems very difficult to get accurate data on the total number of mobile phone users in Orissa. Any way, from Airtel’s achievement, it can be predictable that the number must be hitting something around 70 lakh since the number of mobile users and service providers are increasing day by day.

Envisaging an IT superpower Orissa

2008-06-30T13:50:00.000+05:30

My friend has prepared a list of Top 20 Engineering Colleges in Orissa. This is the comprehensive list based on extensive research and hard work. The list includes almost all the premier institutions of the state, the alumni of which are working in the reputed IT companies and MNCs in the country and abroad.

Indeed the number of engineering colleges is increasing with each passing year. Meanwhile, the government of India has approved setting up an IIT in Orissa. The state is now putting its resources to set up the premier institution near Banki in Cuttack.

It is heartening to announce that Orissa is on its way to become one of the IT superpowers in India. We should feel proud for that. At the same time, it is equally challenging for us to provide employment to the growing number of IT students, who otherwise will become liabilities rather assets for the state.

As I have argued here that despite all potentialities, Orissa remains poorest of the poor in India. The state has played a significant role in the industrial development of modern India. However, it has grossly failed to industrialize the state.

Of the total mineral resources of India, Orissa has 99 per cent Chromate ore, 92 per cent of Nickel ore, 65 per cent of Graphite and Pyrophylite, 66 per cent of Bauxite, 31 per cent of Mineral sand, 32 per cent of Manganese, 28 per cent of Iron ore and 24 per cent of coal within its geographical boundary.

Ironically, the most of these resources lie unutilized or underutilized. Consequently, the state remains poorest of the poor in India. With about 48% of its population are in below poverty line. In other words, nearly 17-28 million people are under BPL category.

The biggest challenge before the state is how to get rid of poverty and ensure rapid industrialization. There is a solution.

Recently the number of companies who have signed Memoranda of Understanding to set up steel plants in the state has gone up to 50, including POSCO of South Korea. Arcelor-Mittal has also announced plans to invest in another mega steel project amounting to $10 billion. Russian major Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Company (MMK) plans to set up a 10 MT steel plant in Orissa too. In power generation, Reliance Industries (Anil Ambani Group) is putting up the world's largest power plant with an investment of US $13 billion at Hirma in Jharsuguda district. Vedanta Resources’ 1.4 million tonne alumina project in Kalahandi district is the largest investment in aluminum. Vedanta has also announced a $3.2 billion dollar huge private University project on the lines of the Ivy League Universities, which is unprecedented in the history of education in India.

The Central Government has agreed to accord SEZ (Special Economic Zone) status to eight sites in Orissa, among which are Infocity at Bhubaneswar and Paradip. But all these plans are facing massive resistance from the people of the state who mainly depend on agriculture for livelihood.

Hence, the state government should come up with a balanced approach, so that interests of people who are likely to be displaced due to these projects, should be protected while creating a favorable atmosphere for industrial development.

Where is news?

2008-06-27T14:03:00.000+05:30

Is it news?

Berhampur Over Bridge: God knows when it will complete!

2008-06-24T00:35:00.000+05:30

God knows when the construction of the first ever Railway over Bridge (ROB) of Berhampur will complete.

In search of spiritualism...

2008-06-17T23:45:00.000+05:30

Who could be the better example than Sriram Panda? A photo captured by Orissa Diary shows a total change of this Ex-Oriya film actor, who is now a spiritual guru, Swami Nitya Chaitanya Baba. His life gives us a message of spiritualism, isn’t it?

Down the memory lane

2008-06-12T15:16:00.000+05:30

Someone has rightly said,

For our countrymen, Agriculture is not merely an occupation or a business proposition; it is a tradition, a way of life, which for centuries have shaped their thoughts, out look and culture.

Perhaps it is more appropriate for Orissa.

That’s why rain has special importance for the state and its people. It brings mystic joy in all.

A to Z of POSCO Deal

2008-06-05T16:06:00.000+05:30

The Orissa government has been under furious attack from human rights activities, environmentalists and opposition parties, the day it signed the MOU with POSCO. Very soon, the government will complete three years of the deal, yet no major headway in the project. Why? Let’s explain A to Z of the deal.

What is the deal?

South Korea’s Pohang-based Pohang Iron and Steel Company(POSCO), the third largest steel producer in the world, has entered into a pact with Orissa government on June 22, 2005 for an eventual investment of $12 billion or Rs 52,000 crore for setting up a steel plant in the state. It is the biggest foreign direct investment in India.

The project will be completed in two phases. Each phase will consist of two modules of 3 million tonne per annum. The first module is expected to be completed by June 2010. Thereafter, 3 million tonne capacity will be added every two years and the plant will reach its full capacity of 12 million tonne by 2016.

Gains from POSCO Deal:

The project would fetch revenue for the government to the tune of Rs 700 crore to Rs 800 crore (Rs 7-8 billion) annually. It would provide direct employment to 13,000 people and ensure indirect employment for another 35,000.
Other economic efforts to sustain schools, services, small businesses etc are other benefits. Some of the investment will also help build infrastructure for mining which may affect local communities – roads, schools, electricity – and that will be 5% if one is magnanimous about ones numbers. The rest of the investment is mostly on equipment and services to support production – investment that does not necessarily trickle into the local economy.

Disadvantages of POSCO Deal:

Around 4,000 tribal families would be displaced as a result of the POSCO project.
To help POSCO produce steel, the Orissa government has promised to hand over coal mines to POSCO so that they may produce their own electricity. POSCO will have to make no payments for the use of these mines.
As per this plan, POSCO needs 600 million tonnes of ore from the government of Orissa. Free. POSCO, in fact plans to export 30% of the coal and in addition bring in similar amounts from Brazil to use in this plant. In addition, there seem to be clauses that may allow POSCO to take away up to 400 million tonnes to Korea. For free.
Iron Ore is available at Rs. 2000 to Rs. 26000 per ton. Discounting extraction costs at Rs 400 per ton, the state government is subsidizing POSCO at Rs. 96000 crore per year in only the use of iron ore. And this does not include the amount it may take away.
The MoU also promises water to POSCO from the Mahanadi from Jobra barrage. For free. The MoU is silent about the quantity of water to be provided. The government does not answer where those regions currently getting water for irrigation will find water.
The state government has promised to provide about 20-25 acres of land in Bhubaneswar and hand it over to POSCO for its office. At what price the company will take this land has not been mentioned. The state government will also provide about 6500 acres of land for the plant site in Paradeep. There is no statement regarding the price that POSCO will pay for this land.
As per current understanding, in 30 years time, the government of Orissa will get Rs 22,500 crore and the central government Rs 89,000 crore i.e. a total of Rs 1,11,500 crore in the form of tax revenue. This works out to Rs 3,700 crore income per annum. This is less than the amount Orissa is paying POSCO in subsidies only for Iron Ores.
Central and Orissa state Governments of India have granted Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status for the steel plant and the POSCO owned port, which is unprecedented. SEZs are exempt of the sales and import taxes. It is estimated that Indian government will lose Rs 89,000 crores and state government of Orissa will lose Rs 22,500 crores for SEZ alone.
Altered demand-supply equation: Will the terms of the POSCO deal disturb the delicate demand-supply equation of iron ore availability in Orissa? Indeed, this is possible. Uncommitted iron ore reserves of 2 billion tonnes are estimated to be available in Orissa. The 36 MoUs said to have been signed with the Orissa Government account for 34 million tonnes of new steel capacity. If all these capacities come up, they will use up 1.7 billion tonnes over 30 years, leaving only 300 million tonnes for the POSCO project. If a supply of 600 mt is committed for Posco, it will probably deny ore availability to the others who have already signed up.

Other concerns

What are the government's estimates on agricultural losses for surely the Orissa state government must have accounted for this (unless it is truly incompetent)?
What are the Orissa state government estimates on the hydrological impact of such high rates of withdrawal and processing?
What does the Orissa state government plan to do about this? It might plan to use the profits from POSCO to subsidize these agricultural losses or compensate these communities with better healthcare facilities and schools. Or it might use profits from POSCO to help start small industries in these communities. But we need to see that plan – what does Orissa state government plan to do?

Orissa state government is clearly under-representing the interests of the people of the state. Even at global market conditions, it would have been able to get orders of magnitude greater benefits for the people than it is today as part of this deal.

Orissa to reduce infant deaths

2008-06-01T23:33:00.000+05:30

With a view to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to 50 per 1,000 babies born and Mother Mortality Rate (MMR) to 250 per one lakh pregnant women by 2010, the state government has appointed a group of volunteers named "yasodas" to ensure survival of newborns and their mothers.

According to latest census report, The IMR and MMR are quite high in Orissa. The IMR in the state stood at 73 against the national ratio of 58 and the MMR was registered at 401 against the national average of 358.

Viewed so, the appointment of volunteers to aware the masses is a welcomable step.

Orissa shining: It’s not myth, real

2008-05-22T23:17:00.000+05:30

Orissa is in transition. The state, which is always in news for its dubious distinction of being the poorest state in the country, did everything to remove poverty and achieved.

According to World Bank, Orissa has lifted around 3 million people out of poverty and has made the strongest fiscal turnaround among all states six years between 2000 and 2006.

Although, more than 45 per cent of Orissa's population is still living below poverty line, the state government’s efforts to bring down the poverty level to below 10 per cent by 2020 can be achievable. It can be predicable considering the number of MOUs signed by the government to take the state towards rapid industrialization.

The study "Orissa in Transition: From Fiscal Turnaround to Rapid and Inclusive Growth" was conducted by the World Bank in 2007.

The study points out that the poverty headcount ratio for the state, after rising during 1993-99, declined during 2000-2005 by more than 8 percentage points in rural Orissa and 2.5 percentage points in urban Orissa.

This is better than the all-India average decline of 5 percentage points for urban India and 2 percentage points for rural India.

What is most heartening about Orissa's economic transition is that growth has been most rapid in the southern region, which was one of the poorest parts of India. This turnaround carries important lessons for the rest of India as it seeks to ensure inclusive growth for all, the study notes.

Image: Premgit

What non-Oriyas think about Oriyas III

2008-05-20T21:43:00.000+05:30

Oriyas are helpful

I am back to run this series. I had a talk with Santosh Mishra today. He is one of leading online cartoonists. In those days, he used to draw satirical cartoons for Instablogs, one of the largest blog networks in the world. At present, he is busy in developing his own network, Duniya Live, a fast growing Hindi news portal having niche features.

Born, brought up and educated in Bihar, Mr. Mishra has moved to Kolkata to fulfill his dream to become a journalist. He has worked with a couple of newspapers and web portals. I am really grateful to Santosh Mishra for agreeing to give this short interview for my blog.

Q. First of all, tell me what you think about Bihar?

In Bihar, all of India's longtime problems are plain to see: destitution, illiteracy and lack of basic infrastructure and health care. Add to that the venal politics and rampant corruption. One of the great problem is migration too. Instead all of these issues, one thing is clear to say that Biharis are quite nice people to handle.

Q. What about the incumbent government?

The Nitish Govt is trying its level best to do things better. The state is planning to spend Rs. 3,000 crore (Rs. 30 billion) on building roads and this does not include the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojna. Even Patna, which was the dirtiest place, has got spanking new roads and being ready to challenge other Indian cities. At the same time Bihar has formulated an excellent land acquisition policy. Earlier, the state government used to give land at the price at which it was registered, and add a solarium. This time, government is acquiring land at the cost at which it is registered, but they add 50 per cent of the market rate to it. Plus, if the person gives the land willingly, he gets a solatium of 60 per cent. So if the cost of the land is Rs 100, Govt. pay him Rs 240.

Q. In your opinion, what is the major problem your state is facing today?

Power problem is a serious one. Especially because a solution cannot come overnight. Power plants take time to build. Here again, Bihar's problems are different. Power generation by the state is near zero. State has to purchase every unit of power we consume from the Centre. The sub-transmission system in the state is poor. But future is bright, I guess. In three or four years, NTPC will set up plants in Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Barh. The than Prime Minister Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the Barh plant. So this is not a new plan. NTPC was committed to it. But the earlier Bihar government never bothered to get the Power Purchase Agreement signed.

Q. Have you ever visited Orissa? How was the experience?

I never visited to Orissa and don't have such type of experience, but I crossed the state a number of times. Actually I was associated with a media house in Nagpur. I used to cross the state by train. It was good to see the Utkal Bhumi, nice state indeed. These days I'm staying at Kolkata and it touches the Orissa boarder.

Do you have friends from Orissa?

Yes. In fact I've many Oriya friends.

What do you think about them?

They are well educated, quite good human being and helpful to. One thing I noted, they prefer to speak in their own language whenever they come together. Its nice to see this practice. Its really a big thing to maintain.

Q. What is your impression about Oriyas staying in West Bengal?

A. As I mentioned earlier West Bengal and Orissa share the same boarder, so it's common to find many Oriyas here. Even in my locality of North Kolkata, there's thick population of Oriya people. They are proud to be a part of the booming economy of the state. One can't deny their role in the betterment of West Bengal

Is it germination of caste politics in Orissa?

2008-05-19T18:08:00.000+05:30

Rahul Gandhi made two frequent visits to Orissa in recent months. I would rate his second visit more important than the first one. The objectives of the first visit were clear. It was all about winning the hearts and minds of people , I mean Aam Admi. And Orissa was part of the process. Let me come straight to his second visit.

During his second visit, the congress youth leader preferred to meet only the lower caste people. So he selected two famous cities, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. He did not allow any other people; people from other castes and even the congress leaders to attend the meeting. It disappointed the congress leaders.

Why did Rahul decide to take such a decision when he knows that his caste politics formula was unsuccessful in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat?

Let me explain the nature of Orissa politics in brief (very brief).

In Orissa, Brahmins and Karans (more popular as Pattnaiks or Kayasths) have been dominating politics for the last 50 years. If you take a close look at all the leading parties in the state, you may admit that either a Brahmin or Karan at the top?

The Pattnaiks - Biju, J B, Naveen are Karans. Nandini Satpathy is a Brahimin. And so it goes.

From 1980 to 2000, it was Karan leaders who ruled the state -- J B Patnaik for the first 14 years and Biju for five. In between there came two tribal leaders: Giridhar Gamang and Hemanand Biswal. These two leaders remained in power for a short period that missed public memory largely. Now Naveen Pattnaik! He is in power for the second consecutive terms.

If caste is not a factor then why is it that only Brahmins and Karans have ruled the state for most part of the last 50 years.

The first chief minister of Orissa, the late Nabakrishna Chaudhry was a Karan by caste. He was succeeded by Harekrushna Mahtab, a Chatriya (Rajput). After him, another Karan Biran Mitra became the CM. Biju Patnaik succeeded him. Then came Sadashiv Tripathy, a Brahimin. He was followed by Biswanath Das, his caste brother. In the early 70s, a Chatriya, R N Singh Deo, became the chief minister. Then Nandini Satpathy came to power. She was succeeded by another Brahmin, Binayak Acharya. It was only in 1977 that a backward caste politician, Nilamani Routray, became chief minister. Even then, it is believed that he was just a rubber stamp of Biju Patnaik.

In Orissa, Brahmins constitute about seven per cent of the population while the Karans are about four per cent.

Whenever, a tribal has become the chief minister of the Congress, the Karan and Brahmin lobbies within the party have campaigned so that the high command replaced him. It is evident in the way Gridhar Gamang was replaced.

Viewed so, should I conclude that the second visit of Rahul Gandhi is the germination of caste politics in Orissa?

Bondas represent a unique facet of humankind: Premgit

2008-05-12T10:07:00.000+05:30

Premgit is one of the noted photographers, famous for his strong urge to explore the world. He has visited different countries and spent times with multi-ethnic minorities including the Akha and Hmong of Laos, the Lantien, Lisu and Padaung of northern Thailand, and Sadhus in Varanasi, and other parts of India.

During his 28 years of photography, the UK-based photographer has come in contact with tribals of Orissa, the eastern state of India. These include the Bonda, Mali, Paroja and Gadabaa tribes. He captured in his lens various facets of Tribal lifestyle. They are printed on silver gelatin fiber based paper using traditional darkroom techniques.

Really, the photos that he captured speak millions of words, I can not express here. Being the son of Orissa, I am very much familiar with the Tribal lifestyle. And the photographs brought back my luminous memories that I had with these tribals.

I am deeply impressed at his wonderful job. With a heavy heart, I wrote a mail to Premgit for an interview. He agreed. For, I am ever grateful to him.

1. How did you get into photography?

A cheap plastic Kodak camera was my introduction to picture taking and in my late teens I progressed to a decent SLR.

2. Can you describe the first photograph you took that made you, or someone else, thinks that you might have a calling as a photographer?

At about this time I did some close up work of flowers, and with encouragement from my father, who was an artist, and friends, kept on persevering.

3. What types of assignments attract you most?

I have always worked on a thematic basis, and have found that photographing things that touch me in some way always produce the best images. In the last few years, the plight of tribal peoples of Asia and especially India prompted me to explore this photographically.

4. I hope you have visited different parts of India. What is your impression on India?

I have been traveling in India for over 30 years, and. for 6 years I lived in an ashram. The country and the people have therefore had a great influence on my life. During my lifetime I have seen the population more than double and places change dramatically, but the soul of India in its people and atmosphere has remained the same.

5. The image gallery (Your) made me clear that during your visit and stay in India, you came in contact with Orissa tribals. How is the experience?

I went to Orissa for the first time last year, and was lucky enough to visit with 5 different tribes. For me it was a great experience.

6. What made you to spend times with Tribals?

I wanted to see how the Orissa tribes differed from the tribes in Laos and Northern Thailand. I found many similarities and few differences, excepting of course the Bondas.

7. Please tell me the peculiarities of Orissa Tribes?

I found extraordinary the way their social structures are almost opposite from that of mainstream India.

8. Which aspects of Bondas have impressed you a lot?

The Bondas must be one of the most primitive tribes in India. They are preserving their ways against governmental and civil pressures, and too me that is admirable. Change is only ever good by consent, and so many tribes I have visited are under formidable pressure. To make them change they have been marginalized and in many countries land grabbing has pushed them right back to the borders. Inappropriate so called help from government can also do much damage. In Orissa I heard of a scheme to raise the standard of housing for one of the villages. All the practical thatched round houses the tribe had been living in for hundreds of years, were knocked down and replaced with concrete block houses with tin roofs. Useless for keeping cool in the summer and certainly a nightmare to spend a monsoon in.

9. As widely known, Bondas are primitive people. They are untouched by rapid strides taking place in all fronts of human civilization. What is your opinion in this regard?

It seems to me that whatever advances that have been made in India have had no effect on their way of life. This has been for hundreds of years the case. They did not strike me as a very curios people. My presence was not of much interest to them. So maybe they have no interest in what happens in the world outside their community. If that is the case then they should be left to simply be themselves. Help in any matter when given should be unconditional.

10. The number of Bondas is steadily dwindling. If it continues, they may be extinct sooner or later. Of all reasons, I believe, the lack of recognition is one of most vital factors. Do you agree on this?

The Bondas represent a unique facet of humankind. I think diversity should be encouraged, and help and resources extended to these people when asked for or when appropriate.

11. What step should government take to protect them?

I think government and civil society should become much more aware of the value these people have in the kaleidoscope of humanity, and celebrate their difference.

12. What is your impression towards Orissa?

I was very impressed by Orissa. It truly is a beautiful state. It does seem to have political problems, of which I don’t fully understand. Food and water will be great issues in years to come, so I think as much support to all the farmers as possible would be to the states great advantage.

13. Before end, please give your frank comment on my blog?

Your blog I found most instructive and interesting. Most of my time is spent in England and of course the issues that you write about are absent from our press. So keep up the good work.

Orissa to become Odisha

2008-05-08T11:01:00.000+05:30

Orissa will be officially known as Odisha. The state government will pass a resolution to change the name of the state. The Centre has been briefed about this.

Orissa Journalists to get State Identification

2008-05-05T23:58:00.001+05:30

Here is certainly some good news for the newspersons in Orissa. The state Labour and Employment Minister, Pradeep Kumar Nayak made some generous announcements for them.

First of all, the government has agreed to provide recognition to journalists. The identification process will be completed in the six months.

The government will consider execution of a pension scheme for the journalists. The problems faced by journalists will also be addressed, the minister asserted.

A sound media and advertisement policy is in pipeline. It will benefit the small and medium newspapers.

Journalism is the most critical profession in Orissa. A journalist faces challenges in daily work. There is always constant deadline pressure. Also pressure from somewhere or other! Job is not secure. The mode of payment is also low. Above all, if you are working in a local newspaper, all these problems get compounded. Those who are in the profession, can better narrate their daily struggle.

Viewed so, I must welcome Labour Minister’s recent announcements.

Tit for tat: Orissa declares water war against Andhra

2008-05-03T20:46:00.000+05:30

Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for Mahendratanaya river project, 30 km from Paralakhemundi. This has virtually triggered the already tensed water war between the two neighbouring states, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

As I said, Mahendra Tanaya dispute is a serious dispute considering the fact that the two governments are backed two strong political rivals at the Centre, NDA and Congress. As the two states will gear up for the assembly elections next year, the water dispute is very likely to reach its climax.

Orissa Development Mantra II: Need to implement RTI at all levels

2008-04-30T00:06:00.000+05:30

The State Transport and Commerce Minister, Jayanarayan Mishra, who is an MLA from Sambalpur, has not passed the degree examination contradicting his claim made in his affidavit during the 2004 Assembly elections. It is exposed when a query has been made regarding his educational qualification under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Right to Information is a powerful weapon in hands of a citizen. Other states have tested successfully this weapon.

However, the implementation of RTI is not satisfactory in Orissa. It is high time to use this Act at all levels for the development of the state.

Is it enough for KBK?

2008-04-29T16:50:00.000+05:30

Let me reintroduce the infamous KBK region:

1. It shares 19.72% population and 30.59% geographical area of the State.

2. Nearly 40 percent people are Tribals.

3. As per an estimate (based on 1999-2000 NSS data), 87.14% people in Southern Orissa are below poverty line (BPL). Most of them belong to KBK region.

4. The literacy rate is just 36.58%.

5. High morbidity is common phenomena on account of under-nutrition as well as endemic malaria and other localized diseases.

6. Forget about Rail and Air. Road connectivity is a distant dream.

7. Per hectare yield of rice is substantially low.

8. Employment opportunities are limited.

9. Naxal threat poses serious challenges in the region.

While browsing for today’s top stories, I got to know that KBK received a peltry Rs 115.02 crore for development during 2007-08, of which, only Rs. 82.46 crore has been reportedly utilized for healthcare, education, drinking water and food.

If something is better than nothing, then it is good. Long Live Oriya Babus and Long Live Delhi Babus.

For More Images

Is Online Journalism picking up in Orissa?

2008-04-20T17:50:00.000+05:30

This fine morning, I got a mail from Bulu Patnaik, the owner of Full Orissa, a complete web portal on Orissa dealing with news to views to social networking and many more things in pipeline.

The mail reads like this,

I had a dream of an online Orissa, when I came to Hyderabad before 5 yrs, I got to find lots and lots of websites on Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad which were having great ideas involved with great designs and contents... from that time I had an idea to startup something for Orissa... baash seei sabu ideas ku nei purionline.com start karithili... and now I made it fullorissa.com.

I have big plans for the website, atleast 30 more services are in my mind which I would startup by this year end... Some of them are like Oriya web TV, Campus life, and some more ... lets see Prabhu Jagannathanka krupa ru kethe sighra sabu kichi agauchi..

May God bless him in his humble beginning? My best wishes are with him.

The striking point of the mail is Online Journalism in Orissa. And it is picking up, though slowly.

Some of my friends are in the race quite long. They are doing well, catering needs of the diversified readers in Orissa and outside Oriyas. Many more sites are in the pipeline. The alpha versions of most these sites have been sent to me for review. Since, the sites are under construction, it is not right time to talk about them.

Any way, one thing is clear that we must prepare to see many more sites on Orissa in the next few months. So there will be healthy competition in the web sphere, the outcome of which is good for the state and people, who otherwise have to look upon other sources for Orissa matters.

However, the real challenges before the Oriya webmasters as I foresee are as follows;

1. Where is the traffic?

Traffic means readers or visitors. I don’t need to discuss how importance they are for a web site. For Oriya webmasters, pulling traffic is the big challenge considering the fact that the number of online readers in the state is negligible. And those who visit the sites rarely make a returning visit. Why? The reasons are numerous. The following points can explain some of them.

2. Original Content

Lack of research-based content is the existing problem, which Oriya webmasters can not deny. Being the serious online reader, I find same content in almost all the sites. Can I say it a classy art of copy and paste? Why should a reader visit multiple sites, when he is sure that other sites must have carried the same content what he has already read. Viewed so, I must seek an apology for hurting their sentiments of our webmasters.

3. User-generated content

Readers are writers, isn’t it? Online publishing tool is available everywhere. And it is free. The growing popularity of citizen journalism has inclined readers to become writers. I mean the readers-generated content assume greater significant to make a site Live. Orissa based sites fail to meet this growing demand of the readers.

4. Premature death of Orissa Blogs!

There are millions and millions of blogs in the blogsphere. But, how many blogs are there for Orissa? The number is modest. Most of the blogs in the blogspot are rarely updated.

5. Online reading habit of Oriyas

I don’t need to discuss this point. Those who belongs to the state, knows it better.

6. Competition from established giants

Orissa-based web sites face strong competition from the already established media giants.

7. Lack of financial support

It is yet another problem before the webmasters, for which they fail to the risk.

Orissa Development Mantra-1

2008-04-15T23:37:00.000+05:30

Need to change our poor mindset

Some other day, I was in an extensive discussion with my friends on the Economic Survey Report 2007-08. Virtually, the discussion moved from Indian economy to Orissa economy, since the report has candidly refereed Orissa as the poorest state in the country.

My friends, they are all media persons and have depth knowledge on the current state of affairs in Orissa, pointed out countless reasons, responsible for poverty in the eastern state. However, I had a different argument.

Once in this blog, I have said we are poor sons of a very rich state. I profoundly said considering the abundant natural resources of Orissa, a part of which was utilized for the industrial development of India. Then, what is pushing us back in utilizing these resources?

Let me answer it apolitically.

Poverty is a mental phenomenon, which affects different people differently. Let me prove it.

I had visited a remote area near Ankushpur in Ganjam district and come in contact with farmers. In the course of discussion, a farmer (Raghu) revealed he does not want his children to be highly qualified. He has two sons and a daughter. For him, education means primary education. It makes him no sense how his children are doing in study. He just wants his children to know how to write their names; which he has not learnt in his life time. And no regret…

When I asked him the reasons, he said he is poor. And education can do nothing. He would be happy if his children will engage in cultivation apart from study. Like him, other farmers in that remote village share same views.

Both Central government and state government spend a lavish amount on education in the form of free schooling, free meals and obviously free clothing and many more. But who accepts!!! They (remote villagers) don't want changes. They are happy what they are. No government can move them. Poverty has deeply affected their mind and thoughts that anything happens in the village, they simply curse poverty, be it cyclone or flood or drought.

Ironically, the youths in Orissa also suffer from the same syndrome i.e. poverty syndrome. They are very much passionate criticizing everything in the name of poverty. I noticed same mentality among the elites.

No one has ever asked this question, what is my contribution for the development of the state? Instead, we go on criticizing the system; political system. Politics is muddy water and to purify it, the government needs to follow long-run systematic actions. The real question arises here, what role we are playing an individual. Is it confined in criticizing the government on poverty?

Is not it a sign of our apathy and poor mentality towards poverty? And for a developed Orissa, we need to change our poor mindset.

Orissa, Andhra at loggerhead over Mahendra Tanaya

2008-04-11T01:18:00.000+05:30

Chandra Babu Naidu was ousted because of his hyper dream at the cost of farmers’ suffering. The incumbent government will not dare to that dream.

With assembly elections round the corner, Chief Minister YS Rajsekhara Reddy thinks it right time to start his pro-farmer campaign and get its return in right time.

That’s why his government put aside the 1962 inter-state water pact and went ahead with the Mahendra Tanaya irrigation project.

The Mahendra Tanaya offshore reservoir will be built at Regulapadu village in Palasa madal of Srikakulam district. The project costs nearly Rs 127 crore. If everything goes well, then it will take one year to complete the reservoir, which will benefit more than 105 villages in that district.

Mahendra Tanaya is the lifeline of Gajapati district in the state of Orissa. It has its origin from the Mahendragiri range in Gajapati District. 80 percent of the river flows in Orissa before turning south towards Gosani and finally flowing into the Bay of Bengal near Baruva in Srikakulam district.

The project is likely to cause serious water crisis in Gajpati district. Nearly 800 families living in around 30 villages under Raigarh and Gosani blocks of Gajapati district depend upon the river, while 1,100 acres of agricultural land would be submerged by the project.

So it’s natural for the Gajpati people to react the project sharply. They did that. Hundreds of people brought out a rally and burnt YSR’s effigy.Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also written strong letter to his counterpart insisting him to stop the construction of the project till a joint inspection by the technical experts of both the states was completed.

It is not first time that two neighbours are at loggerheads over sharing of water. Just a few years ago, they were in fight over the Vamsadhara river. The dispute is not resolved yet.

The Mahendra Tanaya dispute is a serious dispute considering the fact that the two governments are backed two strong political rivals at the Centre, NDA and Congress. As the two states will gear up for the assembly elections next year, the water dispute is very likely to reach its climax.

What Non-Oriyas think about Oriyas-II

2008-04-07T23:23:00.000+05:30

Oriyas are compromising

As promised, I am back to continue this Series. Last weekend I had an opportunity to talk to Mr. Monish Mishra, a senior engineer at NTPC. He belongs to Uttar Pradesh. He is now in New Delhi.

He has spent nearly three years in Orissa over an NTPC project. During his stays, he came in contact with both rural people and elites in the eastern state. Being an outsider, his views on Orissa are free of biasness.

The overall scenario in Orissa is changing over the years. The state is speedily catching up the emerging trends being taken place in every front. Today Orissa is not, what it was 10 years ago, recalls Mr. Mishra.

The developmental projects, the incumbent government has undertaken, are promising for the facelift of the state. The Oriyas are mobile than before. They have strong base in other states and are well settled.

One of the peculiarities among Oriyas is their compromising nature. They compromise everything. Perhaps, it is one of the retarding factors for the development of the region, which otherwise is rich in raw materials and man powers, he says.

Danda Nacha: It's not just Religion!

2008-04-05T01:04:00.000+05:30

Scorching sun…Bare feet…Miles and miles of walking…Day long fasting…Sleepless nights… Very hard rituals…

Yes, I am referring here one of oldest folk dances of Orissa, Danda Nacha, the Punishment Dance. Those who have seen the dance, can better narrate the pains of Danduas (the Participants) during lashing summer.

While the ‘Just Chill Chill’ culture has hijacked most of the traditional folk dances from mainstream, this tradition folk dance is still winning hearts and minds of Oriyas down the years.

The origin of Danda Nacha is a mystery to history. According to popular legends, the dance is observed as per the will of Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. The mythology may have some reality. I can not decline.

Having spent my childhood and study career in Berhampur, I am very much familiar with this popular folk dance. For me, Danda Nacha is not just a religion ritual, rather a reflection of country lifestyle, which is largely influenced by agriculture over the centuries.

The content of Danda Nacha revolves around agricultural life; the life far from the Madding Crowd.

Image: The Hindu

Why is Naveen popular CM in India?

2008-04-02T21:56:00.001+05:30

Despite the fact that Orissa remains poorest of the poor and the Chief Minister, is also poor (in speaking Oriya), Naveen Patnaik is still in the list of popular Chief Ministers in India. Why?

As known widely, Naveen stands tall because of his clean image and strict disciplinary action against the bad images. Let me prove it once again in the light of recent sex scandal, which has caused uproar in Orissa Politics.

The people of Orissa can not forget the infamous Anjana Mishra sex scandal during the JB Patnaik regime 11 years ago. The sex racket had ruined the image of Congress, which otherwise would have been remained undefeatable in this eastern state of India.

JB Patnaik, the then Chief Minister of Orissa was lenient towards his friend former Advocate-General of Orissa Indrajit Ray, against whom Anjana brought serious allegation, consequently led to strong protests against the government from all quarters.

Let’s come to the Mahewar-Gayatri episode. Naveen Patnaik axed the Information and Public Relation Minister, Debasis Nayak after the allegations made by the Orissa Assembly Speaker, Maheshwar Mohanty Speaker that Nayak was part of the conspiracy. Mohanty has also stepped down from his position. Naveen Patnaik urged the Governor to declare sine die for Assembly.

In a letter to Governor, Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Naveen said,

I have lost confidence and trust in Debashis Nayak. He may please be removed from the state cabinet with immediate effect.

In the light of all these developments, shall I conclude that Naveen is articulate in exploiting crisis to maintain his public image as a good CM?

Orissa turns 73

2008-04-01T00:44:00.000+05:30

Orissa is today 73 years old. At 73, the state is young, dynamic and energetic. The passing years are the years of learning and self-realization. Beating all odds, the state has sailed forth to make her people happy and prosperous.

Rich in cultural heritage and skilled human resources, the eastern state is strong enough to beat poverty, malnutrition and hunger.

April 1 is not merely a day in our calendar, rather a metaphor towards the relentless efforts and dedication made by our founding fathers at the time of language uprising, felt strongly in pre-independence India. It was their constant efforts that brought ‘Orissa for Oriyas’.

The eastern state has played a significant role in the industrial development of modern India. Today, we are poor of the rich state. Of the total mineral resources of India, Orissa has 99 per cent Chromate ore, 92 per cent of Nickel ore, 65 per cent of Graphite and Pyrophylite, 66 per cent of Bauxite, 31 per cent of Mineral sand, 32 per cent of Manganese, 28 per cent of Iron ore and 24 per cent of coal within its geographical boundary.

The state is now down Naxal threats. Nearly half of the state is under Maoist threats. The political scenario is gloomy in Orissa in the wake of recent sex scandal, which forced resignation of Assembly Speaker and sine die for Assembly. It is the first, but most horrendous one.

Still there is hope. We need to join hands for the development of the state. Bande Utkal Janani.

Disclaimer: The above article was posted at around 1 A.M yesterday i.e. on April 1, 2008. However, the customized dateline shows 31^st March.

Orissa in political crisis: Speaker resigns, I & PR minister removed and sine die for Assembly

2008-03-31T17:58:00.000+05:30

While the preparation for the Orissa Foundation Day is in full swing, the eastern state of

India

, is mired with deep political crisis. As speculated, Orissa Assembly Speaker, Maheshwar Mohanty has resigned following the criminal case filed against him for allegedly involving in the sex racket.

The Minister of Information and Public Relations, Debasis Nayak is pressurized by the Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik to step down after the allegations made by the Speaker that Nayak was part of the conspiracy in the high profile Assembly Sex Scandal. It is apparent that Debasis Nayak will relinquish his post. The twist of events has led the Governor to declare adjournment of Orissa Assembly for sine die.

It is a great shame that Orissa is under political crisis due to the war between the Speaker and lady marshal over sexual harassment. It is the first of its kind, but a derogatory one.

The crisis seemed to reached its climax barely a few hours left for Utkal Divas, the time meant for joining hands by both ruling and opposition leaders for the development of Orissa. We don’t know when the Assembly will resume functioning. It is a self-killing melancholy, which raises the question of safety and security of women in Orissa.

The most important thing is now ensuring fair play of justice, which otherwise has been covered up in the highly sensitive cases involving political leaders.

The step down of Speaker and decision to remove the PR minister, are just immediate steps, which a ruling party, I mean Naveen-led coalition government is bound to initiate. What is important now is finding the truth behind the sex scandal.

Gayatri Panda, the first and only assistant woman marshal in the state assembly is in the limelight. For, she brought the allegation against the speaker; the allegation strongly declined by the later.

The first and foremost thing for determining the truth is to conduct a polygraph test with Gayatri Panda whether she is telling the truth specifically as the lady Marshal is facing charges for frequent negligence in duty. And, an independent enquiry commission, free from political influence should be inducted to investigate the matter. The political leaders, who try to take a mileage out of this draconian incident, should be dealt with swiftly.

Orissa Round UP

2008-03-30T18:05:00.000+05:30

Orissa Assembly Sex Scandal, Inter-State river water dispute and criticism to National Mineral Policy 2008 are major developments of the week

This was an eventful week for Orissa. Some of the major developments have taken the state for national debate. To being with, it was the much-talked and widely condemned Orissa Assembly sex scandal allegedly involving Speaker, Maheswar Mohanty.

The sexual harassment against the Assistant Marshal, Gayatri Panda is highly sensitive in the sense that it puts safety and security of Women in Orissa in stake.

The gravity of the incident has led us to write a series of stories in media, hold a number of gatherings and witness strong protests from all quarters in the state. What is urgently required now, is fair play of justice, which otherwise has been covered up in the high profile cases involving politicians.

In a major revelation, the New Indian Express has highlighted a looming threat of inter-state river water dispute between Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. In its Friday March 28 story ‘Andhra’s dream, Orissa’s nightmare’, the paper said neighboring Andhra Pradesh government has geared up to construct an off-shore reservoir on water of the Mahendra Tanaya river without bothering about Orissa.

In another shocking development as reported in Merinews, Bondas, one of the oldest tribes in Orissa, whose lifestyle remains mysterious to the civilized world, is on the verse of extinction.

Orissa’s criticism on the National Mineral Policy 2008 is yet another national debate of the week. Joining hands with other mineral-rich states, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has reiterated state’s demand for value addition within the state to attract investments which will lead to employment and revenue generation as against standalone mining stated in the mineral policy. Orissa has made it clear that the over emphasis on attracting FDI in mining in the mineral policy will result in a situation where a few multinational mining companies will acquire control over the vast mineral resources of the country that are essentially required for the domestic manufacturing industry.

Orissa is the land of creative people. Proving it once again, Orissa’s world famous sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik depicted the threat to India’s cultural heritage sites along the coastline from global warming induced sea level rise.

This academic year’s High School Certificate Examination has begun this week. Nearly 3, 76,763 students including 3, 19,026 regular candidates appeared the exam, which will end on April 5.

Justice S R Singaravelu was sworn in Judge of the Orissa High Court this week. Orissa Chief Justice Justice A K Ganguly administered the oath of office to the new Judge on the HC premises.

Mission accomplished: Orissa finally gets IIT

2008-03-30T16:25:00.000+05:30

Here is some good news. The Central Government has finally agreed to set up an IIT and Central University in Orissa.

The demand for an IIT in Orissa was as dominant as in other parts of the country. It took almost a decade of constant efforts from all quarters in the state to move the Central Government for the prestigious institute. Finally done. Better late than never!

Oriya Film Industry veils its curtain!

2008-03-27T00:10:00.000+05:30

In those days, I was a serious movie watcher. And my home town, Berhampur had a good number of cinema halls. I used to spend a major part of my pocket money in movies. I can not forget the horrible experience when I got into SSVT film talkies ten years ago. It is the first cinema hall in Orissa. That was also my first visit to SSVT. The next time, I will not enter…Oops the hall is closed down permanently. Let me brief the frightful experience of that night.

I heard my all time favorite movie, Pushpak is running house full in SSVT, although the movie was very old by then. Without a second thought, I neared the ticket counter. I purchased a first class ticket (Sorry! No class. All tickets were priced at Rs.6).

The screen was bigger than any other cinema halls in Orissa. The sound system was also perfect without Digital Dolby. Inside the cinema hall, I found broken chairs and windows as if some violence had taken place before show. Any way, I managed to get an adjustable seat after looking here and there for 15 minutes. The hall was dirty with heap of garbage giving the impression of a public lavatory. The movie began after 10 minutes. The door (only one door entry-cum-exit) was opened. The outsiders, most of them were rickshaw-pullers, got inside. They were hooking biddies. No seat for them. They were standing and watching like a monkey show. The environment was unhygienic. After 15 minutes, two dogs entered chasing each other. The movie (Pushpak) is a silent movie. The only sound audible was audience noise. I would have left the hall, but the movie had forced me to control my uneasiness. The scenes (not the movie) after intermission were disgusting. I saw people were vomiting due to alcoholic influence. The experience was horrible. I do not want to proceed….

The first ever cinema hall was a in a state of dismay. The 1999 Super Cyclone had further damaged the hall, which led its permanent closure. A large of number of cinema halls in Orissa faces similarly fate. Some of them are closed, other are on the verge of closure and a very small number of talkies attract audience.

The government claims that as many as 177 cinema halls were running while more than 25 per cent of these could not keep pace with the time. Contrasting the government, Orissa Cinema Hall Owners’ Association (OCHOA) asserts not more than 120 cinema halls are running in Orissa while more than half of it have been shut down. According to media report, more than 65 cinema halls have been closed down in the state.

While the neighbouring states collect big bucks from their movie industries, the Orissa Film Industry suffers heavy loss due to the closure of cinema halls gradually.

The reasons for the drastic scenario can be attributed to the following reasons,;

Increasing number of cable TV channels
Video piracy
Rapid popularity of Oriya Albums
Strong influence of Bollywood Movies
Lack of modern film studio
Lack of innovative
Lack of strong genres
Same old faces in most of movies
Too much family-centric movies