Dharani Bhuyan

KENDUJHAR MISSES YOU

The Great Sepoy mutiny of 1857 is generally considered by history to be the first Indian freedom fight against colonialism. Mangal Pandey blew the trumpet of war then. But much before the tyrannies of ‘Whites’, we, the Indians were undergoing sufferings inflicted upon us by uncounted oppressive kings and queens. Though the rulers were of our own Indian genetic, but the autocratic monarchs were ascending the throne feudally. Democracy was a far reaching hypothesis. Hence the subjects were under the whimsical decree of the emperors and kings. I am not encompassing all the rulers into one circle, but history memorizes the royal cruelty for thousand and one times in various occasions. Erstwhile Kendujhar kingdom of ours was not an exception. Being a native of Kendijhar district, I bow my head before the brave son of our soil Dharani Bhuyan on his birth anniversary i.e. today, the 5th May. Our land was hill and forest fringed. Most of the dwellers were from tribal ancestries. Ignorance was their pleasure. And the royal dynasty was taking pleasure to exploit them with ease. Manual labour by the poor subjects were being extracted for different state projects without payment of any wage. Dharanidhar Bhuyan was the first Indian to raise a voice of protest. During the years of 1840-50, an irrigation dam was being constructed at Machhkandana in Kendujhar state. The tribals were deployed their for physical labour devoid of wage. This lion of adivasi species, Dharani Bhuyan couldn’t suppress his anger. Their started the historic ‘Bhuyan Meli’. Though the tyrannical imperial administration suppressed the mutiny on gun point, but the king became so scared that he imprisoned Dharani Bhuyan in Cuttack Jail. I shall rather say, history didn’t analysis this ‘Machhkandana’ movement properly. After a half century, Bolsevic revolution took place in Europe in the year of 1917. Like the Machhkandana movement, Bolsevic revolution was also based on theory of surplus value. Both the movements were for the causes of labour and labourers. But Karl Marx and Fredrick Angeles achieved immortality in pages of time, where as starting to fight for the same cause before 60-70 years, Dharani Bhuyan is forgotten. I think, had the royal dynasty been defeated in the hands of Dharani, then the history would have been written with other words and Dharani could have got higher a position than Marx and Angels. Economists and historians would have called Dharani as the father of ‘Surplus value theory’ instead of Karl Marx. Irony of fate! This great warrior had taken birth at Kusumita village near Raisuan in my Kendujhar dist. Today i.e. the 5 May is going to be observed as his 149th birth anniversary. Dharani went Aul and passed the rest of his life there after being released from Cuttack Jail. Most important responsibility of us is to reminiscent him with regards to his immortal soul and especially we, Kendujharian should promise on this sacred day to fight more voraciously for the cause of our district than to finish the formality of garlanding the statue and sit. Jay Maa Tarini.