Madhusudan_Das

108 Madhusudan Das :
APPENDIX : 6
MADHUSUDAN DAS
HAREKRUSHNA MAHATAB
Madhusudan Das was born on 28 April, 1848 in a small village
named Satyabhamapur in the district of Cuttack, Orissa. Madhusudan's
father Choudhury Raghunath Das was a Persian-knowing Mukhtear
practising in the revenue courts at Cuttack. His mother Pravati Devi,
though illiterate, was a pious lady.
Madhusudan had his early education in the village Pathsala. He
passed the Entrance examination from the Cuttack Zilla School in 1864.
As there was no College in Orissa, he had to discontinue his studies and
accept a post in the Postal Department. After some time, with a
determination to receive higher education, he went to Calcutta emptyhanded
and on foot, as there was no railway communication in those
days. On his arrival at Calcutta, he secured the assistance of some Christian
missionaries for higher studies. He adopted Christianity at this time. He
passed his M. A. examination from the Calcutta Free Church Institution
in 1873. He worked as a lecturer in a College for some time. Then he
passed the B.L. examination. While at Calcutta, he married a pious Bengali
Christian lady named Soudamini, who died a premature death.
In 1881 Madhusudan returned to Cuttack where he, in course of
time, established a roaring legal practice. As a lawyer Madhusudan
earned reputation not merely for his legal acumen, but for his fight for
right and justice. From 1891 to 1895 he became the first non-official
Vice-Chairman and then the Chairman of the Cuttack District Board.
In 1896 he was elected as a member of the Bengal Legislative
Council. He worked as a member of the same Council for three
consecutive terms, from 1896 to 1911. In 1913 he went to the Central
Legislature in Delhi as a representative of the Bihar and Orissa
Legislative Council. During his membership of the Bengal Legislative
Council he fought strenuously for the cause of the depressed and the
backward classes. His motto was to promote the civil and political
consciousness of the people. In politics he belonged to the camp of the
liberals, vigorously denouncing revolutionary methods and advocating
constitutional ways for the good of the country. He was a prominent
member of the Indian National Congress till 1911. In Orissa he tried to
bring a sense of self-confidence in the minds of the Oriyas, who were
then feeling suppressed on all sides.