Madhusudan_Das

His Life and Achievements: 27
to begin and where to end. I did first come in contact with his great
personality in 1907 at the Utkal Union Conference, the aim of which
was the unification of the Oriya-speaking tracts, which to the
misfortune of Orissa lay scattered over four provinces, and which factor
acted as a great impediment to the growth and development of Oriyas
as a distinct race in the vast Indian subcontinent. He was the founder
and sponsor of the movement for this unification of all the Oriya
speaking tracts under one and the same administration.
I cannot express how glad he would have been to find the
creation of the new Orissa Province, howsoever partial and
unsatisfactory it may be, had he been spared a few years more. His
life was not only a life of toil and relentless and energetic activities,
sincere devotion to the cause he undertook, but was a life of intense
patriotism. He earned like a prince and spent more than a prince for
which he had to suffer pecuniary difficulties towards the end of his
great career. Revival of dead Orissan silver arts and filigree works
is due to his most lavish expenditure of his own hard-earned money.
Utkal Tannery which produced leather goods from the hides of dead
cattle was the monument of his industrial success. Even today this
tannery is a household word in almost all places in Orissa and even
some places outside it. In this connection I have clear memory of
two facts. One, during the earlier stages of this industry, one year's
guarantee was given to customers of shoes. In fact several thousands
of new pairs of shoes were given to customers who said that their
shoes did not last a year. On another occasion some defects having
been noticed by him in large quantities of tanned leather, major part
of which could without any deterioration in the quality have been used,
were destroyed in his immediate presence, the value of which would
have been several thousands of rupees. This will at once prove how
zealous he was of his reputation as an industrialist. Had this business
been conducted with a little bit more care and in commercial spirit,
it would have succeeded in occupying one of the first and foremost
places amongst the modern Indian tanneries today.
His legal acumen and mastery over English language and the
burning patriotism can always be very favourably compared with all
the best men of his time in India. His clear conscience made him
resign his office as Minister of the Bihar and Orissa Government and