THE ODIA RENAISSANCE

A NEW KEYBOARD DEBUTED FOR CHILDREN TO FACILITATE THE USE OF ODIA IN DIGITAL FORMATS

- Arkamoy Datta Majumdar

An hour-long dance recital, choreographed by the renowned Aruna Mohanty. Even if the Biswa Odia Bhasa Sammilani was supposed to be about verbal language, it could not have asked for a more eloquent piece of self-expression. The gestural language of Odissi, thus, came to body forth the spirit of the first World Odia Language Conference, inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on February 3. It served as a testament to the resilience of the Odia people, depicting their ability to spring back—grace intact—from every challenge history threw at them. Throughout the three-day conference at the state capital’s Janata Maidan, a recurring theme emerged: Odisha and its people have repeatedly risen like a phoenix from adversity, drawing strength from their language and culture—whether facing the might of British rule, tackling regional marginality or enduring repeated cyclonic devastations.

The language initiative of the Patnaik government, coming just months ahead of assembly election, is seen as a strategic step to elevate Odia pride and bolster the ruling Biju Janata Dal’s identity as the champion of Odia language, culture and heritage.

In April 1936, after years of struggle, Odisha became the first Indian state to be formed on the basis of language. Seventy-eight years later, in 2014, Odia became the second language from the Indo-Aryan family after Sanskrit and the sixth Indian language to have been accorded classical language status. Ten years on, the first global Odia language conference paid tribute to this rich linguistic heritage.