Bhubaneswar: A prolific Odia writer, philosopher, teacher and poet, Madhusudan Rao was born January 19, 1853. The social reformer set a milestone and a mark in all of our hearts.
The very mention of ‘Barnabodha’, that was written by him, makes every Odia nostalgic as we have grown up reading this book. This book was recognized and prescribed by the Education Department and more than one lakh copies were sold from 1947 to 1948.
Popularly known as ‘Bhaktakabi’, his contribution in the field of education is unforgettable. He was born to Bhagiratha Rao, an employee of Orissa police department at Puri. Bhagiratha Rao brought him up as he lost his mother, Ambika Devi, at the tender age of five.
After schooling from various schools in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, he pursued his education at the then Ravenshaw College and served as a teacher later. In 1880, he became the Deputy Inspector of Education and the Inspector of Orissa Schools Association in 1906. His life after 1907 was spent writing and participating in literary discussions.
Some of his remarkable works for children include ‘Sishubodha’, ‘Balabodha’, ‘Sahitya Kusum’, and ‘Prabandhamala’. ‘Utkal Gatha’, ‘Basanta Gatha’ and ‘Padma’ are some of his most popular poems. Magazines like ‘Sikhyabandhu’, ‘Asha’ and ‘Utkal Darpan’, were published with his efforts.
His poem ‘Ki Sundara Aha’ was made into song for the movie ‘Gouri’, and still sung in schools as a prayer song.
During his career as a student in Cuttack, he be-friended Pyarimohan Pradhan and became a spiritual Brahmo Samajist. As a school teacher at Balasore he encountered the great Fakir Mohan Senapati and in Cuttack was a student of Radhanath Ray.
He had established the erstwhile Cuttack Town School in 1881, which later came to be known as ‘Bhakta Madhu Bidyapith’, in Cuttack. He also laid the foundation and became the first president of ‘Alochana Sabha’, now ‘Utkal Sahitya Samaj’, in 1890.
Madhusudan Rao died in 1921 December 18th.
PNN