Madhusudan_Das

190 Madhusudan Das:
of tenants from the district of Puri. Cuttack and Balasore responded to a
simple invitation of their Madhubabu. They did not know for what they
were coming and what were the huge conference was for. but they believed
that Madhubabu was something for the tenants. All resolutions were put
and passed unanimously when Mr. M.S. Das stood up and explained
them. That was the unique hold he had on his people whose interests he
was destined to guard and guide for ever a generation."
Moreover, with a view to put more emphasis on the nature and
extent of peasant exploitation in Orissa. Madhusudan, always used to
exhibit a painting on a canvas from the sammilani platform which was
not only awe-inspiring but also had a taste of radicalism underneath it. In
the painting, there stood at the bottom of the picture, a man symbolizing
an Oriya peasant, digging the field with the help of a spade. A stream was
seen coming out of me hole dug by the man. Sheaves of paddy were to be
seen floating on the surface of the stream, which ran into a reservoir, on
the top of which, a man stood keeping a close and constant watch overall
these. Words were writ large on that spot "petty trader and moneylender."
Soon after the stream came out of the reservoir, the floatage got changed.
It was all money, no longer paddy. Once again, all these went to a second
reservoir, which symbolized the zamindars kutchery. After coming out of
this second reservoir, once again the floatage of the stream became full
with currency notes and the stream deposited all these into a third reservoir,
on the top which was placed a Crown, symbolizing the British monarchy,
with the Union Jack unfurled by its side.
Moreover, in his capacity of an elected member of the Bengal
Legislative Council. Madhusudan while on his visit to London in 1897,
got published a pamphlet / monograph A Brief Account of Orissa Under
British Administration. In it, he had vividty analysed the pros and cons of
British administration in Orissa and had hold the Colonial State chiefly
responsible for the socio-ecomomic backwardness of the people of Orissa.
As a clever statesman, he circulated it widely in the administrative and
political circles and attracted quite a lot of attention by dint of its sound
analysis and convincing arguments. In the preface to this article, he had
called upon the Colonial State 'to make amends for the wrong done to
Orissa' before time lapsed out of hand.
By large, his was also the most strident voice, by far raised for the
abolition of the entire system of zamindari in Orissa as a whole. According
to Madhusudan, it was totally alien to the tradition of India. In a long but