Important facts to know about Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 28:

Even as Odias have been switched to live in high expectations and materialistic world in the course of time, they still remember the dreams their mothers treaded for them giving example of legendary Madhusudan Das during childhood days. The aspiration of Odias might have changed, but they bow their head to the great soul on his birth anniversary.

Facts to know about great Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das alias Madhu Babu

* Madhu Babu is known as Grand Old Man and Utkal Gourab (Pride of Odisha). He was a poet and freedom fighter.

* Born on April 28, 1848, at Satyabhamapur village in Odisha’s Cuttack district, he was the first graduate and lawyer of Odisha.

* His father was Choudhury Raghunath Das and mother Parbati Debi.

* The real name of Madhu Babu was Gobindaballabh. He had two elder sisters and a younger brother Gopalballabh, who was the magistrate of Bihar and father of freedom fighter Ramadevi.

* He had married to Soudamini Devi

* Madhu Babu had two adopted Bengali girls — Sailabala Das and Sudhansubala Hazra. Sailabala was an educationist and the renowned college in Cuttack has been founded in her name. Sudhansubala was the first woman lawyer of British India.

* He was the house teacher of former Calcutta University VC Ashutosh Mukherjee and Janakinath Bose, father of Subhash Chandra Bose.

* He was the first scholar from Odisha to pursue M.A. and B.L. degree in Calcutta University.

* He was the lawyer, social reformer and freedom fighter. He was the key leader for formation of modern Odisha on April 1, 1936.

* Madhu Babu was the first Odia to become a member of both Legislative Council and Central Legislative Assembly of India.

* He was the first Odia to travel England

* As the poet and writer, he had penned a number of poems and articles in English and Odia. Some of the literary works are “Utkal Santan”, “Jati Itihash” and “Jananira Ukti”.

* He was the founder of Utkal Sammilani, Utkal Tannery, Orissa Art Ware Works — the orgnaisations to showcase Odisha’s rich heritage and power before entire nation.

* Despite his illness, he delivered his last speech on Feb 13, 1933 in Cuttack for more than 90 minutes

* Former Prime Minister of England, Sir Ramsay Madonald had referred to Madhu Babu as the Uncrowned King of Odisha.

* He died on February 4, 1934.

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