Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das: Life, Contributions, and Legacy

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The President of India recently unveiled a statue of Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das at Lajpat Bhawan in New Delhi to honor the eminent freedom fighter, social reformer, and journalist.

Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das (1877 to 1928) was an iconic Odia freedom fighter, social reformer, educationist, poet, and pioneer journalist.
People respectfully gave him the title Utkalmani, which translates to The Jewel of Odisha. He devoted his life to national independence, unity of Odia speaking regions, open-air education, and relief work during disasters.

He was born on October 9, 1877, in Suando village near Puri to Swarnamayee Devi and Daitari Das, though his mother died when he was an infant.
While studying at Ravenshaw College in Cuttack, he created the Kartavya Bodhini Samiti to inspire social service and national duty among young students.
He completed his higher education from Calcutta University with B.A., M.A., and LL.B. degrees. He began practicing law in Puri and Cuttack, but soon left the profession to serve society full-time.

In 1920, he became the founding President of the Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), bringing Odisha directly into the mainstream national movement.
He actively led Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement in Odisha by encouraging students to boycott British institutions, which led to his frequent imprisonments.
Inspired by Lala Lajpat Rai, he joined the Servants of the People Society and later served as its national Vice-President.
Through the Utkal Sammilani, he championed the administrative unification of Odia-speaking regions. This effort helped Odisha become India's first language-based state in 1936.

In 1909, he set up Satyabadi Bana Bidyalaya, an open-air school at Sakhigopal based on the Gurukul model. The institution eliminated caste barriers by making all students study and eat together.
He launched the Odia newspaper The Samaja in 1919 to inform rural people about British rule and spread literacy through simple Odia prose.
While serving prison terms, he authored iconic literary works such as Bandi R Atmakatha, Dharmapada, and Kara Kabita.

Gopabandhu Das placed public duty above personal loss. He continued managing flood relief work even while his eldest son was dying.
Exhausted by continuous hardship and public service, he passed away on June 17, 1928, at the age of 50.
Before dying, he donated The Samaja newspaper and all his properties to the Servants of the People Society, leaving an unforgettable legacy of sacrifice.