Surendra literature on the back drop of history

Past of the present has its foundation on the present of past and what is not present becomes past in the coming days, a page in history. If ancient history, medieval history and pre and post independence history of India are taken as base, many stories pass through the screen of memory and many characters in the stories come to front. That history contains from truth and on the base of the truth, rests some legend. The so called legends are developed into full fledged literature embracing major and minor characters. That is the special trait of Mr. Surendra Mohanty.

Literature has different divisions consisting of Autobiography, Biography, Short stories, Essays and Novels. To look at these divisions of Oriya literature, would reveal the literary maturity and artful handling of them by this versatile writer.
Rather it can be told that there is no easier and developed medium to recollect history on path of readers other than the writings of Sri Mohanty. Surendra literature has an identity of its own on its mythological and historical background.

SHORT STORY SECTION

The short stories days back to the emancipation of the Jews under the leadership of Mojes, from the shackles of Egyptian empire, to the rise of Orissan Empire, its history laden with rise and fall, fortune and bad days with rich historical knowledge. The short story collection ‘Kabi O Nartaki’ is based on mythological and historical characters.
BIOGRAPHY

Starting of British occupation of Orissa in 1803, and decline of Orissa nationalism till 1903, the declaration of regeneration and rebirth of it from the platforms of Utkal Sammilani the history of Orissa over a century is epitome in the Biography of Utkal Gourav Madhu Babu ‘Shatabdira Surya’ is unique.
Surendra Mohanty’s autobiography ‘Patha o Pruthibi’ discloses the declining trend of values and morals of the post political landscape of India as well as Orissa.
NOVELS
His milestone creations ‘Neela Saila’, ‘Neeladri Bijaya’, ‘Krishnabenire Sandhya’ on the background of 16th century history of Orissa Gajapati kingdom give inklings of Orissa history, its achievement and subsequent disintegration which revolves round the great lord Jagannath. On the other hand, his novels ‘Andha Diganta’, ‘Neti Neti’ on the back drop of British rule, pre and post independent Orissa highlights the ups and downs in political and social life.
Be it a case of flood or famine, where individuals are treated like pawns on the political chess board, his writings represents the soul of oppressed, mute individuals, their silent protest on established moorings of society and indifferent bureaucracy. His literature had the echoes of unfulfilled dreams, aspirations, frustrations of the common man as its background and foundation.
This will offer an interesting subject to be looked into and to be researched.

The fate of the writers

Recently I have gone through an Oriya Magazine (monthly). In the rules and regulation column, it is written that priority of publishing articles should be given those writers, who are the subscribers of the magazine. That means quality of the article has no value. On the other hand, the writers, whose articles are published, should get a free copy as complement. But the rules imply that the writers have to pay for the free copy. The editor has also forgotten about the payment to the writer. So, how can one make writing his/her profession?

Provision of toilets in D.M.Us (local trains)

Some days before, a person who is known to me was died in an accident. He was going to Bhubaneswar from Berhampur. It is a three and half an hour journey. He was getting down for urinal, as there is no urinal in such trains. One the other hand such trains used to stop only 2 to 3 minutes at the stations. While trying to get into the just running train, he slipped down and died. Most of these local trains are long route trains like Visakhapatna to Paradeep, Berhampur to Bhadrak, Khallikote to Bhadrak, without having any urinal. That is why these types of accidents occur everyday. So, there should be provision of toilets in local trains to avoid this type of accidents.

Urmila

The post master Uncle

BY WHOM I AM INSPIRED

I am inspired by every step of my life, every moments of nature and every natural object. Moreover, I am inspired by my failure. I think getting inspired at every moment is in the subconscious mind of everybody. When a child starts walking, he falls many times before its success. At the dawn I think ah! There is again another new hope after a dark night. The bright light of Sun ray and the calm beams of moon inspire me to be impartial to everybody. When I see the flying birds, the animals gazing in the field, I think they are having nothing with them. Still they do not deviate from their nature. So, why should I, where I have a roof on my head, a monthly salary to meet my basic needs? The same thing I think in my office (which is a small cabin, where there is no electricity). In the midsummer, when day to day life is disturbed due to excess heat, I do manage by a small hand fan to avoid sweating. But at the same time when I see the trolley pullers with load of vegetables or groceries or some other things, I get inspired. My situation looks negligible before them. When I do listen the song of calmness and sound of quietness in the darkness of night my heart fills with pleasure. I feel the beauty of night. The fragrance of scented flowers fills my heart with pleasure. If there is no darkness, how could these beauties of nature would have come? A red ant gathers food for the rainy season; small white ants could make an anthill. So, why can not I struggle?
My parents inspired me in every step of my life. They always tell me to march forward, not to look behind. My siblings give the assurance of their presence at every step of my life. And the sentence, “I am with you” being told by my dear one gives me the feeling that I am not alone. There are so many inspiring hands with me.
The flowing river tells me that I have a great aim ahead to meet. If there is power in the small wing of the birds to touch the sky, why not my strong legs could march forward? If the tiny droplets can make a large ocean, if the little sands help to make a big desert, why can not I helpful for the society?
Last but not the least I am inspired by my failure. Because failure is the pillar stone of my success. My mother always tells that Bheemas (a character of Mahabharata, one among the Pandavas) are defeated in the first war. In my course of life, when I meet with failure at any time, the voice of my parents inspired me to march forward, in the hope of betterment in future.

WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

Good and bad are two relative terms. When a thing or a situation is good for one person, it may be bad for another. So, it can be judged from one’s point of view. It is difficult to judge the goodness of a person. He may be good for one, at the same time he may be bad for another.
Just take an example of our earth. When it is dart in the eastern region, it is bright in the western part and vice versa. Can we say that the Sun is vanished in there regular intervals? No…… Because the Sun is still at its place. It is the earth while moving around its axis causes day and night. Similarly, we can not judge a person from a single instance.
Now coming to the topic, we will analyse, what happens when bad things happen to good people?
Mf…
Nobody is completely good or completely bad in this world. It is the situation, time and surrounds that make a person good or bad. Sometimes emotion is also the big factor which is responsible to make a person good or bad.
Take an example of a knife. A cook uses it for cutting vegetable into pieces. A student of Zoology uses it for de-section purpose. For a doctor it is a surgical instrument. Somebody can use it and keep it with him for self defense. But when it is used to kill others, obviously it is a bad thing. Here the knife is same. But, we human beings make good or bad by using in different ways for different purposes.
A person has to play different roles in society. At home he is a father, husband or a son. In outer world, he is a social person. At workplace he is an employee. He has to render several works at workplace. So, he has to give proper justice to his roles played at different places. He may be strict to his child for his career development. But, in other times he is a loving father to his child. At workplace, he is a disciplined employee. That does not mean that he is adamant of arrogant.
There are people who are very emotional, very touchy, very sensitive and very affectionate by heart. But, sometimes they are covered with a mask of graveness. We can not simply say that he is a heartless person. Because it is the circumstances which compels him or her to act so.
Just like the example of knife cited above, it is the surrounding, it is the attitude and it is the behaviour of others which controls the activities of a person. But, everyone should take care that nothing bad should be happened to a good people.
Our law says that let hundreds of criminals be freed, but one innocent should not be punished. But things happen otherwise. In our society the innocent suffers a lot. Take an example of a Government employee. Mf…
Somewhere I have read a satire that “My country is great, where ninety nine our of hundred are corrupt. There is no place for an honest person in a corrupted environment. He has to face many problems. He may suffer like anything. He may be transferred to a remote area, where there is no facility for education, health etc. Sometimes, the remote area is so polluted that it may not suit an outsider. He may fell ill. There may be no cooperation for him. Even he may not get cooperation from his family also. Sometimes it happens that he may get severe punishment for a small mistake. Web of conspiracies tied him like anything and he may not get a chance to overcome the troubles. It he raises his vice against corruption or takes any step to stop corruption, then his life will also be in risk sometimes. Sometimes, conspiracies made to delay his promotion, to hold up his monthly salary, to stop his annual increment etc. So, the ultimate thing will happen is that, he may get mad; he may commit suicide or will be bound to become corrupt. But, a few among them are there, who have the power to face the storm and have patience to get justice.
Sometimes, the same thing happens to a student, a competitor also. Last year, one student of Buxi Jagabandhu College of Bhubaneswar named Richa Mishra committed suicide due to this type of corruption. She was a good student. But, when she saw that students lower standard get better marks than her, she was disappointed. Out of depression she committed suicide, with a suicidal note against the lecturers responsible. After revaluation of hr paper, it is found that the new score is much more than the score given in her progress report. Action was taken against the culprits. But, did her parents get back their child? Did this punishment stop this type of corruption in future? What steps were taken to stop this type of humiliation in future?
Mf…
From a survey, it is found that most the terrorists in the borders of our country are educated unemployed. They are compelled to become so for money. Can we say that all of them are bad by nature? No……. Some of them are revolutionaries. They are so tortured by the society and so fed up by the circumstances that they have no faith on law, order and justice. With the dream of getting more money and keeping their family away from poverty, they are purchased by the intruders and ultimately they become the enemy of our county.
Long years ago, the daughter of a political leader of Jammu and Kashmir (I could not recall his name) was kidnapped by the terrorists. Their demand was to release another terrorist who was in the police custody at that time. Our Government was compelled to free the terrorist t bring back the girl. I do not blame the Government for this act. Because, by this act, an innocent life was saved. But, I am sorry to say that some days after this incident, a school teacher was kidnapped, with the same condition and no steps like the former was taken by the Government and the teacher was slain. After this incident I had read somewhere in the newspaper, the version of his son that “My father was not the relative of apolitical leader, that is why no steps was taken for his rescue and he was killed.” And no wonder when we listen that his son has become a terrorist or rebellion later.
On the other side, it is the mentality of a person to utilize the situation in a bad way or drive it towards a good path. In these circumstances I would like to cite a story. There are two son of a person, who was a drunkard. Years after it is seen that one of them become a drunkard like his father and another become a respectable person of the society. Being asked both of them told that, it is because of their father, they become so. In other words both of them are influenced by their father. Mf…
The son who became a drunkard said that being influenced by his father in a wrong way, he became a drunkard.
But, the answer of another son was different. He politely told that from the very childhood when he saw his father being hated by the family members, by the society due to his bad nature, he decided that he will not be like his father and the ultimate result is that he is now among the respectable persons of the society.
So, why should not we be like the second son? There water in the ponds, in the ocean and also in the drains. But, the Sun is indifferent to all. It soaks water from everywhere. We should be like the son.
It is natural that in the present society, we have to struggle for getting justice. But, if we will keep our mind strong, we will get justice in someday or other. Yes, it is true that most of the good people are facing troubles. But that does not mean that they will be disappointed, disheartened. They have to struggle hard to prove their identity, to prove their innocence. And it is sure that someday or other things will be solved and they will be recongnised by the society. But for this we have to keep patience.