“Let my body mingle with the dust of my motherland and let my soul mingle with the Supreme Soul.”
Bhubaneswar, Oct 9:
Odisha today paid rich tributes to Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, the legendary freedom fighter, social reformer, and journalist, on his 148th birth anniversary. Across the state, people remembered his immense contributions to the upliftment of society and the Odia language.
Chief Minister, ministers, and several organisations garlanded his statues and portraits in Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Cuttack. Special programs were held at Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya in Sakhigopal, the school he founded to promote value-based and nationalist education.
Born on October 9, 1877, in Suarasingh village of Puri district, Gopabandhu Das dedicated his life to the cause of the poor and oppressed. He was one of the torchbearers of the Odisha unification movement and a key figure in India’s freedom struggle.
A visionary journalist, Gopabandhu established The Samaja newspaper in 1919 to voice the concerns of the common people and spread awareness about national issues.
Popularly known as the ‘Utkalmani’ (Gem of Odisha), his humanitarian work during floods, famines, and epidemics earned him unparalleled respect.