Odisha govt forms 10-member panel on controversial ‘Barnabodha’

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, July 4:

The Odisha government has constituted a 10-member expert committee for a thorough revision of the controversial Odia Barnabodha, the Odia primer published by the state-run Odisha Bhasa Pratisthan (OBP), indirectly admitting that it had committed mistake by publishing the distorted book, which has made several alterations to the original book written by Bhakta Kabi Madhusudan Rao.

The committee, to be headed by School and Mass Education additional secretary Dasarathi Satpathy, has been asked to submit its opinion within eight weeks, said a notification of School and Mass Education department. It had been asked to keep its report under wraps, the notification said.

The Odisha High Court has granted an interim stay on the publication and distribution of the controversial Odia Barnabodha in response to PILs filed by noted Odia writer Binapani Mohanty and Anant Debadarshi, convenor, Odia Chetana Parishad, seeking restraint on the distribution of the controversial new Odia primer.

The government would decideon  its next course of action based on the opinion of the experts after the order of High Court is pronounced.

The expert committee can summon the two compilers of Barnabodh and OBP director and allow them to present their viewpoints over the alterations to the original book.

It is to be noted that different organisations and noted writers had denounced the move of the government and demandedretention of the 130-year old primer written by Bhaktakabi Madhusudan Rao.