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Abstract: The last half of the nineteenth century in Odisha witnessed the
periodicals and journals fuelled the demand for short literary writings. The
literary form best suited for the situation was the essay. Writers in late
nineteenth century Odisha rose to the demand and fuelled it with essays on
range of topics ranging from personal reflection to social satire. The present
paper aims to trace the genealogy of the essay as a literary form in Odisha.
form in Odisha. The paper will undertake a critical survey some major Odia
essayists like Radhanath Ray, Saibhusan Ray, Biswanath Kar, and Gopal
literature
The Geneology of the Essay in Odisha
The last half of the nineteenth century Odisha witnessed the rise of
issues, strife, and conflict in the society. They were the chief medium of
periodicals were very crucial for Odia essay writing, as most of the essays
published in the newspapers and journals of the last half of the nineteenth
order to form a tentative history of the origin and development of the essay
as a form in Odisha. The paper will undertake a critical survey some major
Odia essayists like Radhanath Ray, Saibhusan Ray, Biswanath Kar, and
Bengali, he switched to Odia later on. He was the first Odia essayist and his
essay Bibeki, which was published in Utkal Darpan in 1873, is arguably the
first essay written in Odia. This long essay deals with the principles, ethics
and ideals of human life. The essay begins with the rhetorical question:
Who will measure what sufferings, difficulties and scarcities that a man
faces? (Translation ours) In this essay, Radhanath Ray provides ways which
can provide strength and solace to a man in such situations in life. This
essay aims to establish peoples faith in principles and ideals. Ray expresses
kindness and sympathy for the miseries of human existence. The essay is
the first part, Ray has showed the ideal path for man after discussing the
sorrows and suffering of the material world. In the second part, he talks
about hubris in human beings. In the third part, he discusses the immaturity
immaturity. In the fourth part, he advises how to cope with the sorrows and
sufferings of the world. The essay posits that if the strong can show
kindness to the weak, then the sorrow and sufferings of humanity can be
man forget all his sorrows and sufferings. The essay concludes that by
A perusal of the essay Bibeki brings back the memories of the essays
of Bacon and Emerson in the west. Radhanaths ideas are very much similar
with the naturalistic and practical philosophy of Bacon. The study of the
as the essay makes abundant use of sanskritised words, long sentences, and
archaic words.
Sasibhusan Ray
have added a new chapter in the Odia literature. Rich in output, his essays
bear the imprint of much experience and style of representation. Till the mid
twentieth century, he ruled the realm of Odia essay by writing profusely in
different magazines and periodicals. His essays have not been compiled
from his early childhood. At the tender age of four, his father used to take
him to the river Kathajodi and showed him different mountains. Besides this,
beings is the most important duty of all. His father advised him to build
relationship with all sections of people in the society. He also made him
habituate with different festive rites from the early childhood. He gained
devoted himself for writing essays in Odia. His essays were published in
Sasibhusans sincerity towards national integrity and deep love for nature in
Rutuchitra is a work that deals with social life of people in Odisha. This book
depicts different facts about different festivals of varied seasons, car festival
The book Palli stands conspicuous for its description of the serene
deceased members of his kith and kin. In the essay Pitrusmruti, he shows
reflects his concern for the premature death of his acquaintances and
style. Most of his essays reveal his objectivity of judgment and his critical
bent of mind. Biswanath Kar was a great orator of his time. His speeches
He not only possessed the ability for minute observation, but also had deep
the society as per the need of the time. In order to awaken the people from
their deep slumber, he has expressed his revolutionary ideas in some essays
men who have been distracted by these two demons and that such people
and bad practices for the welfare of the society, is known from his strong
views on female education, for which he wrote the essay Stree Sikshya.
In this essay, Kar expresses the view that before trying to achieve political
freedom we must strive for freedom from senses. In the essay Bibekara
Praharajs use of satire and irony to expose the evils of the society shows
satirical writing heralded by Fakir Mohan in Chha Mana Atha Guntha finds its
full flowering in the writing of Praharaj. Apart from Fakir Mohan, Praharaj
shows direct influence of the American essayists Oliver Windel Holmes. For
writing satiric essays among all the essayists of his time. So much so that,
and journals fuelled the demand for essays. Writers in late nineteenth
century Odisha rose to the demand and fuelled it with essays on range of
topics ranging from personal reflection to social satire. The most significant
aspect of the genealogy of the essay in Odisha is that the Odia essayists
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