Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das (Aged 86) , also known as Madhu Babu, was born on April 28, 1848, in Satyabhamapur, Odisha, India, to a Zamindari (Karan Kayastha) family located 20 kilometers (12 mi) from Cuttack during the Company rule in India. In 1864, he passed the entrance examination and went to Calcutta University, where he earned his M.A. in 1873 and an LL.B degree in 1878, becoming the first scholar from Odisha to receive such an education. He was also the first graduate and advocate of Odisha.
Madhusudan Das was a social reformer, writer, and the first graduate of the College of London Missionary Society. He was an advocate for the state, a poet, and a freedom fighter, known as Kulabruddha (Grand Old Man) and Utkal Gouraba (Pride of Utkal).
In 1881, he established the Cuttack Town School and was the editor of Brahma Dharma Preaching Society. He initiated the Utkal Union Movement, which was led by Utkal Sammilani. He emphasized the importance of the economic development of the state and was one of the earliest pioneers of modern industry in Odisha.
In 1866, Odisha experienced a severe famine called the “Naanka Durviksha,” during which more than one lakh people died of hunger. That year, he converted himself to Christianity and changed his name from Gobinda Ballav Choudhury to Madhusudan Das. This caused him to be boycotted in the village, forcing him to erect a small house at the end of the village, which was known as “Madhukothi” or “Balipokharikothi.”
After returning to Odisha from Calcutta in 1881, he started his legal practice and handled some important cases of his times, such as the Puri temple administration case and the Keonjhar Riots Case. He founded Utkal Sammilani, which brought a revolution in the social and industrial development of Odisha. He was elected as a member of the legislative council of Bihar and Orissa Province, and under the Diarchy scheme of the Government of India Act, 1919, he was appointed as Minister for Local Self-Government, Medical Public Health, and Public Works in 1921. He was also the first Odia to travel to England.
He invested a large amount of money and established the Odisha Art Wares in 1897 and Utkal Tannery in 1905. He also promoted the Swadeshi Movement in Odisha. In 1913, he made a resolution in the Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council regarding the expansion of railway communication in the state. Madhusudan Das is remembered as the architect of modern Odisha.
On April 28 in Odisha, his birthday is celebrated as the Lawyers’ Day of Odisha and Odia Swabhiman Divas (Odia Honour Day). He died on February 4, 1934, in Odisha, India.
Madhusudan Das
(1848 – 1934) – (Odisha)
Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das (Aged 86) , also known as Madhu Babu, was born on April 28, 1848, in Satyabhamapur, Odisha, India, to a Zamindari (Karan Kayastha) family located 20 kilometers (12 mi) from Cuttack during the Company rule in India. In 1864, he passed the entrance examination and went to Calcutta University, where he earned his M.A. in 1873 and an LL.B degree in 1878, becoming the first scholar from Odisha to receive such an education. He was also the first graduate and advocate of Odisha.
Madhusudan Das was a social reformer, writer, and the first graduate of the College of London Missionary Society. He was an advocate for the state, a poet, and a freedom fighter, known as Kulabruddha (Grand Old Man) and Utkal Gouraba (Pride of Utkal).
In 1881, he established the Cuttack Town School and was the editor of Brahma Dharma Preaching Society. He initiated the Utkal Union Movement, which was led by Utkal Sammilani. He emphasized the importance of the economic development of the state and was one of the earliest pioneers of modern industry in Odisha.
In 1866, Odisha experienced a severe famine called the “Naanka Durviksha,” during which more than one lakh people died of hunger. That year, he converted himself to Christianity and changed his name from Gobinda Ballav Choudhury to Madhusudan Das. This caused him to be boycotted in the village, forcing him to erect a small house at the end of the village, which was known as “Madhukothi” or “Balipokharikothi.”
After returning to Odisha from Calcutta in 1881, he started his legal practice and handled some important cases of his times, such as the Puri temple administration case and the Keonjhar Riots Case. He founded Utkal Sammilani, which brought a revolution in the social and industrial development of Odisha. He was elected as a member of the legislative council of Bihar and Orissa Province, and under the Diarchy scheme of the Government of India Act, 1919, he was appointed as Minister for Local Self-Government, Medical Public Health, and Public Works in 1921. He was also the first Odia to travel to England.
He invested a large amount of money and established the Odisha Art Wares in 1897 and Utkal Tannery in 1905. He also promoted the Swadeshi Movement in Odisha. In 1913, he made a resolution in the Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council regarding the expansion of railway communication in the state. Madhusudan Das is remembered as the architect of modern Odisha.
On April 28 in Odisha, his birthday is celebrated as the Lawyers’ Day of Odisha and Odia Swabhiman Divas (Odia Honour Day). He died on February 4, 1934, in Odisha, India.
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