Madhusudan_Das
Madhusudan_Das
Madhusudan_Das
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III<br />
MADHUSUDAN DAS :<br />
THE CASE OF HIS INSOLVENCY<br />
SADANANDA CHOUDHURY<br />
This paper is based on the typed true copy of the deposition<br />
submitted by the late <strong>Madhusudan</strong> <strong>Das</strong> in the court of the District Judge.<br />
Cuttack on the 25th of July. 1927 in declaring himself as insolvent.<br />
Classified as Form of Heading of Deposition: Misc. Case No 36 of 1927.<br />
this document was recovered from the collection of old papers of M. S.<br />
<strong>Das</strong> kept in his once living room now turned into a museum (concerning<br />
the papers and articles of the late M.S.<strong>Das</strong> ) within the buildings of the<br />
Sailobala Womens' College which once belonged to Mr. <strong>Das</strong> as his<br />
residence and herein he breathed his last as a tenant. The reading of this<br />
document in its first few sentences evoke a sense of pathos about Mr. <strong>Das</strong><br />
who as maker of modem Orissa and its Grand Old Man was adored by his<br />
people as their uncrowned king.<br />
It is an irony of fate that M.S.<strong>Das</strong>. who as a minister the then Bihar<br />
and Orissa province was getting a salary of more than Rs. 5.000/- per<br />
month in those days, had after a few months to declare himself insolvent<br />
in court on solemn oath. An extract of the said deposition reads as follows :<br />
My name is Babu <strong>Madhusudan</strong> <strong>Das</strong>. 1 am son of Raghunath<br />
<strong>Das</strong>. My age is eighty years. 1 am by caste a Christian and a<br />
resident of Cuttack where I am an advocate. I am the applicant in<br />
this case. My debts are about Rs. 1.80.000/-. My assets are books<br />
about Rs 10.000/- and furniture about Rs 5.000/- and tools,<br />
appliances and machines of an industry 'Orissa Art Wares' about<br />
Rs. 5.000/-. I am unable to pay my debts. I am willing to pay my<br />
assets at the disposal of the court. The immediate cause of my<br />
insolvency was because my Tannery which was worth Rs.<br />
2,50,000/- was sold in execution of a decree for Rs. 65.000/-. To<br />
my knowledge I have no other property except that I have<br />
mentioned in my petition. The house in Cuttack which belonged<br />
to me was purchased by Mr. Hazra at the end of 1925 in execution<br />
of a decree against me in which the Raja of Parlakemidi was<br />
decree holder. Mr. Hazra purchased the decree. 1 am living in that<br />
house as a tenant. At first I used to pay Rsl50/-. Then for a time I
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