Madhusudan_Das

62 Madhusudan Das :
favour of the appellants. Mr. Das appeared for the appellants. He did
not waste time over the facts but made a brilliant argument on the
right of private defence. His speech for the appellants lasted for about
an hour and a half, and at the end of it I was wondering how I could
have thought there was nothing to be said for the appellants.
Financial troubles drove Mr. Das to the Insolvency Court, but
nothing could quell his indomitable spirit. The universal respect with
which the man was regarded appeared even in the behaviour of his
creditors. If I remember right, only one of them persisted in the
application, the others being willing-nay aa\ious~to give up their
claims if this one creditor could be persuaded to drop the matter.
During the pendency of the case the High Court gave Mr. Das a certain
allowance out of his earnings, ordering that any earnings beyond that
amount should go to his creditors. A smaller man might have taken
advantage of this order to confine his earnings to his allowance. Not
so Mr. Das. He did all the work that he was capable of and gave
to his creditors what they were entitled to under the order of the High
Court.
Socially, Mr. Das was a prominent figure. His personal
attainments and his sense of humour made him an interesting and
amusing companion. Of what he has done for Orissa there are many
who are more qualified to speak than I am. He was a man that Orissa
can rightly be proud of. In him I have lost a personal friend for whom
I had a great regard.
• • •
(8)
WHO IS GOING TO TAKE UP HIS MANTLE ?
G.E. FAWCUS
It is indeed sad that though Mr. Madhusudan Das lived to so
great an age, he just failed to see Orissa become in independent
province. I suppose that there are few people who think that Orissa
would have reached this status so soon if it had not been for his work.
It is probably true that Mr. Das was interested more in the
economic advancement of his country than in its educational progress.