A visit to Sambalpur on December 2, 2007 was a poignant walk in the memory lane. I had spent a few years of my adolescence in the town. When I joined the Zila School in Class VII, the school was in a temporary, unkempt barrack-like structure in a small portion of the sprawling campus of the Gangadhar Meher College. A new building for the Zila School was under construction in Pension pada, just below the hillock atop which is located the Circuit House.
It was indeed a great day for me, and I believe, for all the students and teachers, when the school shifted to the new imposing and bright building. It became an important landmark of the town and was in harmony with the great tradition of the school. I was in Class VIII. Our Class Teacher, the respected Sarat Sir, asked his students to suggest a leader whose photograph would be displayed in the new classroom. I remember to have spontaneously suggested the name of Chandra Sekhar Behera and this suggestion was accepted. A few days thereafter, a nice photo of the great leader adorned the Classroom. I felt elated. Daily walk to the new school building from the Commissioner’s colony, where we used live, was a walk with pride with my head held high.
Paltan Kuaan is a grand, historic well and was an old landmark of the town. The well was dug years ago, probably by a military unit. We had lived for sometime in a house in pension pada, in close proximity to this great well. It was an experience in adventure for small children of the locality like me to run to the well and crane our slender necks over the big circular wall of the well and peep into its great depths of mystery. Water inside was in the deep bottom of the well and the stony walls of the well would show cruel, sharp teeth protruding all over. When someone would put a bucket into the well to draw water, the bucket would commence a perilous journey into the depth of darkness with frequent contacts with the protruding rocks, thereby emitting tinkling sound, loud enough to be audible from a distance. The bucket in its return journey would also have its cruel tryst again with the teeth of the stones and always a good quantity of water would spill into the well. The tinkling noise from the well at dawn would always serve as a wake up call for a child like me and I would get up to start my day.
Hirakud reservoir was in its final phase of development and I remember the drive in a motorised boat with my father in the reservoir to go to a few villages. In the reservoir I would sometime notice a few big trees, partially submerged and also see the majestic pinnacle of a nearly submerged temple. I would be momentarily overcome by a feeling of remorse when my father would say that a prosperous village had been submerged in the reservoir. Our people had made great sacrifice by quitting their homes, land and emotions, to build a grand temple of modern India, my father would explain.
Years later, I remember to have had a discussion with the Chief Minister Biju Patnaik about agrarian prosperity. “I have travelled throughout the state”, I said, “ but I smell prosperity only when I cover the stretch between Hirakud railway station and Bargarh”. This has been possible through the enterprise of our farmers and the Hirakud Dam. Sambalpur farmers taught the farmers of our state the benefit of rabi paddy. Today the state is planning to procure as much as twentyfive lakh tons of rice for the central pool. When the prosperity of our farmers is so closely linked to irrigation, it is unfortunate and cruel that a government would even think of utilising the water of the reservoir for industry. The majestic reservoir seems to be under seize by the merchants of plunder, aided and abetted by short sighted and petty minded people.
My journey to Sambalpur was my modest gesture of support to those valiant farmers who would like the majesty of the reservoir to prevail and to free it from seize and plunder. While the huge turnout of the farmers confirmed the resolute posture of our farmers, I would address my concern to the present deterioration of the Zila School building, its surrounding ambience and to the state of utter neglect of the Paltan Kuaan. The building has lost its shine with cracks all over; the campus looks desolate and thoroughly inhospitable. There are shops all over so that the school building is barely visible from outside. The well looks abandoned. One can understand that people would prefer to use water taps but that does not mean the well would not be preserved well and looked after by a grateful and sensitive citizenry.
It is sad the well no longer makes its wakeup call. It is sad the majestic building of the renowned Zila School is in real bad shape. Both seem to be afflicted by the same malady that has affected Hirakud reservoir. Inhumane approach towards our public assets and institutions and growing inability to articulate saner feelings are creating havoc at many places. I would only hope the valiant people of Sambalpur would preserve the glory of Hirakud Dam and would not forget the venerable Zila
School and the majestic Paltan Kuaan.
********
6th December, 2012
It was indeed a great day for me, and I believe, for all the students and teachers, when the school shifted to the new imposing and bright building. It became an important landmark of the town and was in harmony with the great tradition of the school. I was in Class VIII. Our Class Teacher, the respected Sarat Sir, asked his students to suggest a leader whose photograph would be displayed in the new classroom. I remember to have spontaneously suggested the name of Chandra Sekhar Behera and this suggestion was accepted. A few days thereafter, a nice photo of the great leader adorned the Classroom. I felt elated. Daily walk to the new school building from the Commissioner’s colony, where we used live, was a walk with pride with my head held high.
Paltan Kuaan is a grand, historic well and was an old landmark of the town. The well was dug years ago, probably by a military unit. We had lived for sometime in a house in pension pada, in close proximity to this great well. It was an experience in adventure for small children of the locality like me to run to the well and crane our slender necks over the big circular wall of the well and peep into its great depths of mystery. Water inside was in the deep bottom of the well and the stony walls of the well would show cruel, sharp teeth protruding all over. When someone would put a bucket into the well to draw water, the bucket would commence a perilous journey into the depth of darkness with frequent contacts with the protruding rocks, thereby emitting tinkling sound, loud enough to be audible from a distance. The bucket in its return journey would also have its cruel tryst again with the teeth of the stones and always a good quantity of water would spill into the well. The tinkling noise from the well at dawn would always serve as a wake up call for a child like me and I would get up to start my day.
Hirakud reservoir was in its final phase of development and I remember the drive in a motorised boat with my father in the reservoir to go to a few villages. In the reservoir I would sometime notice a few big trees, partially submerged and also see the majestic pinnacle of a nearly submerged temple. I would be momentarily overcome by a feeling of remorse when my father would say that a prosperous village had been submerged in the reservoir. Our people had made great sacrifice by quitting their homes, land and emotions, to build a grand temple of modern India, my father would explain.
Years later, I remember to have had a discussion with the Chief Minister Biju Patnaik about agrarian prosperity. “I have travelled throughout the state”, I said, “ but I smell prosperity only when I cover the stretch between Hirakud railway station and Bargarh”. This has been possible through the enterprise of our farmers and the Hirakud Dam. Sambalpur farmers taught the farmers of our state the benefit of rabi paddy. Today the state is planning to procure as much as twentyfive lakh tons of rice for the central pool. When the prosperity of our farmers is so closely linked to irrigation, it is unfortunate and cruel that a government would even think of utilising the water of the reservoir for industry. The majestic reservoir seems to be under seize by the merchants of plunder, aided and abetted by short sighted and petty minded people.
My journey to Sambalpur was my modest gesture of support to those valiant farmers who would like the majesty of the reservoir to prevail and to free it from seize and plunder. While the huge turnout of the farmers confirmed the resolute posture of our farmers, I would address my concern to the present deterioration of the Zila School building, its surrounding ambience and to the state of utter neglect of the Paltan Kuaan. The building has lost its shine with cracks all over; the campus looks desolate and thoroughly inhospitable. There are shops all over so that the school building is barely visible from outside. The well looks abandoned. One can understand that people would prefer to use water taps but that does not mean the well would not be preserved well and looked after by a grateful and sensitive citizenry.
It is sad the well no longer makes its wakeup call. It is sad the majestic building of the renowned Zila School is in real bad shape. Both seem to be afflicted by the same malady that has affected Hirakud reservoir. Inhumane approach towards our public assets and institutions and growing inability to articulate saner feelings are creating havoc at many places. I would only hope the valiant people of Sambalpur would preserve the glory of Hirakud Dam and would not forget the venerable Zila
School and the majestic Paltan Kuaan.
********
6th December, 2012
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