Odisha Famine of 1866:
Na-anka Durbhiksha

Why is Odisha poor?

As per NITI Ayog’s Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) published in 2021, Odisha is no longer among the poorest states of India *; yet many people ask: why is Odisha so poor?

Of several reasons, the most prominent are – the curse of geography, and the exploitation of the peasantry. Odisha has suffered persistent famines and floods, and the famines during the British rule have been the most devastating owing to the flawed policy of the Empire and the utter callousness of its key administrators. Usurious land revenue, particularly during the Maratha and the British rule, sucked out the lifeblood, as it were, of the peasantry.

Droughts continue to occur in years of failed, delayed, or erratic monsoon; but Amartya Sen argues that democracy has been instrumental in eliminating major famines in India since independence.[i]

Desh Kaal Patra

Desh Kaal Patra (1992) is the title of a historical fiction in Odia by J.P. Das, and translated as A Time Elsewhere by J. Nayak. The novel presents a panoramic view of Odisha’s (Desha) momentous history in the latter half of the 19^th century (Kaal) and the role played by several political, historical, and literary stalwarts (Patra). The book, available at Amazon.in, archive.org, and Google Books is a must-read for readers interested in the history and culture of Odisha.

The heart-rending portrayal of the terrible 1866 famine of Odisha (aka Na-anka durbhiksha** since it occurred in the ninth regnal year of Gajapati Divyasinghadeva), is an eloquent indictment of the callousness and ineptitude of the British officials. 

Cecil Beadon, Lieutenant Governor, Bengal Presidency had visited Puri and Cuttack during February 13-16, 1866 to address a Darbar at Cuttack. By then, Collectors of Puri, Cuttack, and Balasore had already apprised Commissioner, Cuttack about the acute rice shortage and starvation of the masses. Yet, this is what Beadon said in his speech at the Darbar:

"Such visitations of providence as these no government can do much either to prevent or alleviate." Dismissing proposal for intervention of the government to regulate the price of rice, he said, "If I were to attempt to do this, I should consider myself no better than a dacoit or thief."

The Famine Commission appointed by the Government of India in December 1866 submitted its report on 6 April 1867. On 2nd August, Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, Secretary of State for India, winding up a debate on the famine in the House of Commons said:

"This catastrophe must always remain a monument of our failure, a humiliation to the people of this country, to the Government of this country and to those of our Indian officials of whom we had perhaps been a little too proud. At the same time, we must hope that we might derive from it lessons which might be of real value to ourselves, and that out of this deplorable evil good of no insignificant kind might ultimately arise."

The British House of Commons censured T.E. Ravenshaw, Commissioner, Cuttack; the Board of Revenue of Bengal; and Cecil Beadon, Lieutenant Governor for their failure to provide required relief to avert the calamity in which one million people- about one third of Orissa’s population- died of starvation. 

The Indian Famine Code was drafted in 1880.

A Summary

A summary of the book is given in the end notes.[ii]

What reminded me of the book?

A few years ago, I had read the novel and learned much about the catastrophic Odisha famine of 1866-67. What reminded me of the novel now?

A Hollywood rom-com – Ticket to Paradise (2022), set in picturesque Bali, and with the still-adorable Julia Roberts (56) and George Clooney (61) in the cast.

Plot: Lily, a young American girl graduates from a Law college and is to join a top law firm soon before which she takes a holiday in Bali where she falls in love with Gede, a local seaweed farmer. Her distraught divorced parents bury the hatchet and ‘lockstep’ to sabotage her imminent marriage. The engagement ceremony is deferred since the ring is stolen by Julia Roberts using the ‘banana trick.’ That is when the prospective groom mentions ‘Desh Kaal Patra’ to invoke the Balinese custom of ‘right place, right time, right persons.’

That is a familiar saying in Odisha, but how did the script writers (Ol Parker & Daniel Pipski) get it, I wondered? From their research about Balinese culture, or overheard from an Odia? Were they aware of the best-selling fiction with that title?

The characters in the film mouth a few more words and phrases (Swasti Om, putri, etc.) to unsuccessfully present a look and feel of Balinese custom and culture. No wonder, the film has been panned by the critics and trashed by the audience (Rotten Tomatoes: 56%). The only saving grace of the film is the talented veteran duo whose on-screen chemistry sparkles and entertains.

Ecclesiastes: Right Time for Everything

This book of The Bible has that famous passage: There is a Right Time for Everything.[iii] That is Kaal!

Balinese Hinduism

My hypothesis that Balinese Hindus are of Odisha origin is based not upon historical research but on amateur archaeology, and semantics. During my trips to Bali, I had visited a few functional Hindu temples whose medieval architecture, especially the gargoyles at the simhadwara, was like that of Odisha temples. Further, Bali Dvipa was possibly so named by the Odia traders of ancient times upon sighting the sprawling, spectacular beaches there. In Odia (also in Bengali), bali means sand. Other sea-faring traders of India’s east coast - Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam - have other words for sand.

In ancient India, the Bay of Bengal was known as Kalinga Sagara, indicating the importance of Kalinga in the maritime trade, and the east coast was dotted with several ports - Tamralipta (now in Bengal), Katikardama (Cuttack), Kalingapatnam and Masulipatnam (AP), Calicut (Kerala), and others.

Commencing their journey when the sea became calmer after the monsoon and favourable winds blew, Utkala-Kalinga’s sea-faring traders travelled on sturdy Boitas as far as Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and Bali. This maritime tradition is still celebrated every year as Bali Jatra and Boita Bandana festival on the banks of river Mahanadi on Kartika Purnima at Cuttack and other places in Odisha.[iv]

Notes

* For an excellent summary of the current state of Odisha's economy and prognosis for future growth, read 'Keep the Juggernaut Rolling' by Poonam Gupta, Director General, NCAER in Economic Times of 11 Apr, 2024.

** Durbhiksha (Sanskrit & Odia) literally means the non-availability of alms or charity. In normal times, if someone hungry and poor is at the door, he or she is never returned empty-handed and is given food or alms. During a famine, most households are too impoverished to offer charity.  

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[i] ‘Though Indian democracy has many imperfections, nevertheless the political incentives generated by it have been adequate to eliminate major famines right from the time of independence. The last substantial famine in India — the Bengal famine — occurred only four years before the Empire ended. The prevalence of famines, which had been a persistent feature of the long history of the British Indian Empire, ended abruptly with the establishment of a democracy after independence.’ (Amartya Sen, The Idea of Justice)

‘No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy.’

Amartya Sen (2011). “The Idea of Justice”, p.343, Harvard University Press

[ii] A Time Elsewhere, written by J. P. Das and translated by J. Nayak, is a captivating novel that seamlessly blends fiction and history. Set in nineteenth-century Orissa, the narrative spans fifty years and intricately portrays the fortunes of the ruling family of Puri.

The central character, Divyasingh Dev, inherits the throne but descends into debauchery and eventually commits murder. As a consequence, he is banished to the Andaman Islands for life. Amidst this turmoil, Divyasingh's mother, Suryamani, the Rani of Puri, emerges as the true ruler. She skilfully navigates the pressures imposed by the Empire, revealing her shrewdness and grace.

A Time Elsewhere also delves into the intellectual and cultural ferment of the era, where figures from Oriya history play pivotal roles. Notable personalities include:

1. Fakir Mohan Senapati and Radhanath Ray, who challenge the dominance of English and Bengali languages.

2. Gourishankar Ray, instrumental in establishing the first Oriya printing press, publishes the Utkal Dipika, a periodical that becomes Orissa's conscience keeper.

3. Pyari Mohan Acharya, expelled from school for defying British authorities, pens Orissa Itihas, a historical account of the region.

Lucidly translated from the original Oriya best-seller ‘Desh Kaal Patra,’ ‘A Time Elsewhere’ offers a riveting glimpse into the lives of a people during this transformative half-century.

(Source: Bing)

[iii] ECCLESIASTES 3

There’s a Right Time for Everything

1: There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2-8: A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

[iv] I have published a blog previously on Bali Jatra for which the link is: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/11/bali-yatra.html