Madhusudan_Das

His Life and Achievements 13
When I went to Cuttack, along with the Hon'ble Mr. Justice
Wort to hold Circuit Court in December 1930, Mr. Das appeared
before us in several cases. His advocacy and the detailed mastery
of the facts of the case were really admirable. There was no sign
of old age. He pressed his points tenaciously. Later on, a few
months before his death, he appeared before me on behalf of the
Raja of Parlakhemundi and I found him exactly the same, as eloquent
and persuasive as ever. Though fairly old, he had the enthusiasm
and vitality of a youth. His sympathies were broad and he was
always ready to help the poor and needy. For decades he was an
idol of the people of Orissa and it falls to the lot of a very few
leaders to have such a hold upon the minds of people as Mr. Das
had. The gap caused by his death will not be easily filled.
• ••
(4)
RECOLLECTIONS
3. C. MALLICK
It was close upon 38 years ago. One December evening, 1897,
our little steamer came out of the Jagatpur Lock-gate of the Kendrapara
Canal on the broad expanse of the Mahanadi. The sun was setting
and a glorious sunset it was.
Just at about dusk we arrived at the Jobra Ghat. There
was a chaprasi of the Collector, Mr. E. F. Grouse, I.C.S., waiting
for me with a letter. Mr. Grouse wrote apologising for not being able
to meet me personally as there was no knowing when the steamer
would arrive and asking me to come over to his house to stay with
them until I could look about for myself. I was the newly appointed
Assistant Magistrate and Collector posted for Cuttack.
After staying a few days with Mr. Grouse at Tulsipur Circuit
House, I removed to a house near Katakchandi, the corner house
within the Cantonment area just opposite the bungalow where the
Indian Club was afterwards located. Mr. Madhusudan Das was almost
my nextdoor neighbour. Rai Hari Ballabh Bose Bahadur who was the
Government Pleader and Mr. M.S. Das were the leader of the Cuttack
Bar with Babu Janaki Nath Bose and Priya Nath Chatterjee as good
second. Among the rising young pleaders there were Babu Brajaraj-