Pandit Godabarish Mishra (26 October 1886 – 26 July 1956) was a poet and notable socialist from
Odisha
Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
, India. He is known for his contribution to
Odia literature
Odia literature is literature written in the Odia language, mostly from the Indian state of Odisha. The modern Odia language is mostly formed from Tadbhava words with significant Sanskrit (Tatsama) influences, along with loanwords from Des ...
.
Early life
Godabarish Mishra was born to Lingaraj Mishra and Apsara Devi in a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
family in Srinibaspur Sasan, near
Banapur
Banapur is a town and a Notified Area Council in Khordha district in the state of Odisha, India. The town is named after the King Banasura of Lord Shri Krishna era (as the epic tells).
Banasura, a demon-king who is said to have ruled over thi ...
,
Khordha district
Khordha district is an administrative division of the state of Odisha, India. It was formed on April 1, 1993, by the division of former Puri District into Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh districts. In the year 2000 the district name was changed to K ...
. His primary education was from the village school and then received his higher education from the Puri District School in 1906 and enrolled in
Ravenshaw College
Ravenshaw University, formerly known as Ravenshaw College, is a co-educational state university situated in Cuttack, Odisha on the eastern coast of India. Founded as Ravenshaw College in 1868, the institution became a university in 2006. The u ...
. He used to take tuition to cover the college fees. He received his B.A. in philosophy in 1910. He obtained his M.A. in economics from
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...
in 1912.
Work
In teaching
He was a teacher in the Satyabadi School from 1913 to 1919. Then, he became the headmaster of
Chakradharpur
Chakradharpur is a municipal town situated in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, India, positioned strategically on the Chota Nagpur Plateau. Located 62 kilometers west of Jamshedpur, 115 kilometers south of Ranchi, and 101 kilometers ea ...
High School in the
Singhbhum district
Singhbhum was a district of India during the British Raj, part of the Chota Nagpur Division of the Bengal Presidency. It was located in the present-day Indian state of Jharkhand. Chaibasa was the district headquarters. Located in the southern ...
(Now in Jharkhand) from 1919 to 1921. He was sent there with the aim of preserving the
Odia language
Odia (;["Odia"](_blank)
''Lexico''. , ISO 15919, ISO: , ; formerly rendere ...
in the district of Singhbhum by
Pandit Gopabandhu Das.
After taking part in the non-cooperation movement, he returned to his home village in 1922 and was involved in establishing new schools, small-scale industries, farms and social welfare organizations.
''The Samaja''
In 1928 he became the Editor of ''The Samaja'', an Orissa local newspaper, holding that position for approximately two years, after the founder died.
In Utkal Samilani
He was associated with
Utkal Sammilani
Utkala Sammilani () The Utkal Sabha Sammilani was a welfare organization formed on August 16, 1882, in Cuttack, Odisha primarily meant for the unification of Odia (Oriya)-speaking tracts and promotion of elected local self- Government. It is an ...
from 1919 to 1955. He was the President of the ''Utkal Samilani Special Conference'' held at
Berhampur
Berhampur (; also known as Brahmapur) is a city on the eastern coastline of Odisha, India. Known as the "Silk City" it is the headquarter of Ganjam district, Ganjam district and home to Odisha's one of the major and the oldest railway station ...
in 1955. He met Gopabandhu Das by chance while staying in a hostel. He was one of Gopabandhu's "Pancahsakha" (five friends).
Social reformer
Although he belonged to a conservative
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
family, Mishra was a socialist. He was against
caste
A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
discrimination. He didn't wear his
sacred thread
''Upanayana'' () is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' or ''acharya'', and an individual's initiation into a school in ...
and also wore a moustache, which was against the Brahmin caste system.
Participation in the Non-cooperation Movement
He participated in the
non-cooperation movement of 1921. He was the head of Singhbhum DCC and led the campaigns in Chakradharpur and adjacent areas.
Political life
Inspired by
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
and Pandit
Gopabandhu Das
Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928), popularly known as '' Pandit Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das'' (''Jewel of Utkal'' or Odisha), was a social worker, reformer, political activist, journalist, poet and essayist.
Early life
Gopabandhu Das was born on 9 ...
, he joined the
Congress party
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement t ...
and was a member of the
Vidhan Sabha
The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Members of the legislative assembly are often directly elected to serve fiv ...
(Lower House) of the
Odisha Legislative Assembly
The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises List of constituencies of Odisha ...
. He was the member of the district board from 1924 to 1933. He was a member of
Odisha Vidhan Sabha from 1937 till his death, with the exception of a five-year break. During this time he did not hold a post in the Orissa congress, due to political differences. When the Orissa ministry of congress was created he was not included in the ministry. He became a Vidhan Sabha member in 1952 as an independent candidate. He served in the Vidhan Sabha as an eminent administrator and member of the opposition party. He left Congress in 1939 and joined the
Forward Block. He served as finance and education minister in the ministry of the Maharaja of
Parlakhemundi
Paralakhemundi shortly known as Parala is district Headquarter of Gajapati district and one of the oldest Municipality established in 1885, in the Indian state of Odisha. The city and the district share its boundaries with Andhra Pradesh. The ...
from 1941 to 1944. During his stay as minister in 1943 he played an important role in the establishment of
Utkal University
Utkal University (UU) is a public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. The university was established in 1943 and was operating from Ravenshaw College ...
,
Cuttack High court and various colleges in
Puri
Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...
,
Baleshwar and
Sambalpur
Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Samb ...
.
Literary works
His work includes many essays, stories, novels, poems, biographies and translations. His poems played a crucial role in creating awareness towards that nation. His dramas ''Purushottama Deba'', ''Mukunda Deba'' and autobiographical work ''Ardha Shatabdi Ra Orissa O Tahin Re Mo Sthana'' are some of his significant contributions to the Oriya literature.
He was also a competent editor. He published magazine ''Lokamukha'' from Banapur in 1924. He also used to write for the ''Eastcoast'' (An English paper) published by
Sashi Bhusan Rath. He was awarded a doctorate in literature from
Utkal University
Utkal University (UU) is a public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. The university was established in 1943 and was operating from Ravenshaw College ...
.
Some of his published works are as below
* Purushottama Deba
* Mukunda Deba
* Ardha Shatabdi Ra Orissa O Tahin Re Mo Sthana
* Godabarisa Parikrama
* Pilanka Kahinki
* Chatani
* Atharasaha satara
* Godabarisa Granthabali
References
External links
Khorda.nic.in* https://ebahi.in
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mishra, Godabarish
1886 births
1956 deaths
People from Puri district
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Odia
Indian male poets
Indian socialists
20th-century Indian poets
Poets from Odisha
20th-century Indian male writers
Ravenshaw University alumni