‘Declare Bande Utkala as State anthem soon’

The Utkal Sammilani has demanded that the State Government declare the ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ song as the State anthem at the earliest without changing the word ‘Utkala’.

“The word ‘Utkala’ epitomizes glorious history of all parts of the present day Odisha. Over a hundred years ago,  Kantakabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra had written the ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ and Biswakabi Rabindra Nath Tagore also mentioned the word in the national anthem ‘Janagana Mana Adhinayak’ before the Independence,” said Samillani State functionaries at a Press meet here on Sunday.

They said noted Odia poet Gangadhar Meher had in 1894 written ‘Utkal Laxmi’ in which he narrated beautifulness of rivers, waterfalls, mountains, gods and goddesses and generous kings of present Odisha and its neighouring States.

The ‘Utkala Laxmi’ narrates that Utkala comprised all parts of western Odisha, all other parts of Odisha and many areas of neighbouring States.

Household Purohits (priests) have been chanting ‘Jambu Dweepe, Bharat Barshe, Utkal Deshe’ as part of a Mantra since time immoral. Epic ‘Kapila Sahmita’ also mentions ‘Utkala’ at many places. There is still a place named Utkela, a wrong pronunciation of Utkal, in Kalahandi district.

On the request of Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Kantakabi Laxmikant Mohapatra had written Bande Utkala Janani in 1910, which created patriotism in each Odia in Odisha and outside during and it has been accepted as a ‘Mantra of patriotism’

With the word, the Utkal Sammilani had been formed under the guidance of Utkal Gourav Madhu Sudan Das to spearhead a mass movement to unite separated areas and to form a ‘Bruhat Utkala’.

“Utkala is a State of excellent arts, which comprise Odishi Dance, Sambalpuri Dance, Odishi Songs, Sambalpuri Songs, Rajarani Temple, Konarka Temple, Maniabandi and Sonepuri Sarees. What was written by poets and what has been accepted as national anthem by people over a hundred years ago, that can’t be changed,” argued members.

While Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra and other States have their own anthems, the Odisha Government should give official recognition to the ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ as the Odisha State anthem without further delay, they demanded.

The Press meet presided over by Sammilani State president Prof Adwaita Kumar Pata was attended by secretary Ananta Prasad Jena, Bhubaneswar Branch president Ashok Das, secretary Jaykrushna Das, central committee vice-president Usharani Mohanty, treasurer Bimal Chandra Sarangi, Cuttack president Kamarul Hussain, Kendrapada president Sudarshan Mohapatra, Kalahandi Branch president Jagadish Pradhan, Giridhari Patnaik, Dr Subhashini Mohapatra and Minati Mishra, among others.