Madhusudan_Das

His Life and Achievements 179
This was what happening in Orissa also in the first quarter of the Twentieth
Century. In Orissa, there was no change and newness in the mode of
production, no new dimension of social relationship and no emergence
of new men and new classes. Her history was as old and sterile as that of
the eighteenth century. Mr. Das spent away his time, energy and
enthusiasm on the unification of Oriya speaking tracts through the Utkal
Sammiiani. But nationalism without economic nourishment and material
strength of the people will be flabby and weak. Another intellectual orator
and stalwart of Orissa, Biswanath Kar once wrote that the mere welding of
me Oriya speaking areas will not help much tor the nse of the nation. The
vital requirement would be to rouse the life force and the vision requiring
new dunking and great perserverence. 28 Steps for the development of
capitalist enterprise in large number throughout the State with the help of
the affluent along with the urge for unification would have been the best
solution to aim.
In Western Europe industrialization created three new classes of
people — industrial capitalists, new middle-class of white collar workers
consisting of professional people and intellectuals and industrial workers
replacing the three old classes—arstrocracy. old middle-class consisting
of artisans and traders, and peasantry — with new awareness, mobility
and communications.Thus a well planned and effective way of
industrialization of Orissa and modernisation of her economy would have
delivered a new nation altogether under the leadership of the sprawling
intellectuals and territorial unification would have actualized in no time.
More intellectuals in the backward region means more quick is the social
change and the more eminent is the advancement to the desired goal. 30
Teachers, lawyers, engineers, white collar workers, managers, doctors
and political educators — all would have increased in large numbers to
increase the depth and breadth of culture and outlook for science,
technology, industry and standard of mode of living. In brief a renaissance
mixing the humane and materialistic aspects would have been generated.
It was being experienced during the same time in Bengal, because of
intellectual fermentation on the one hand by men like Raja Rammohan
Ray. Derozio and their followers, and on other hand the trade, commerce
and industry by the foreign investors and their indigenous associates
Orissa continued for a long period therefore with a 'Mass society' or
atomized society. Mass society is not to be identified as modern society.
It is not to be confounded with a particular class, the masses are not to be