Bhubaneswar: August 4, 1866, is a day of glory for Odia journalism. On this day, Gaurishankar Roy launched ‘Utkal Deepika’, the first Odia newspaper, and became its editor. ‘Utkal Deepika’ was first published as a weekly magazine before becoming a daily newspaper.
‘Utkal Deepika’ was published in Cuttack by Gaurishankar Roy and his close friend Bichitrananda Das through the Cuttack Printing Company.
“Utkala Deepika” was crucial in reshaping the social and political landscape of the era and putting forth forceful requests to the government for the self-defense of the Odia people. It worked towards social reform by speaking out against a number of reprehensible societal norms, such as child marriage. The popularity of “Utkal Deepika” started a trend in the Odisha newspaper publishing industry.
As a result, August 4 is commemorated as Odia Journalism Day annually.
The publication of ‘Utkal Deepika’ was discontinued after three years for a number of reasons. Later, in 1873, Balasore served as the publishing hub for the monthly publication Utkal Darpan. It is the first literary journal published in Odia. Utkal Madhup was published in 1878, while Pradeep magazine was published in 1885 and it also stopped publication after a few years.
About 70 years later, in 1862, Orisha appeared on the Indian newspaper map and provided resistance to the British regime. In 1848, RP Shastry had a firm foothold in this region of the nation. Thus, the history of journalism in Odisha spans just a little over a century, or to be more accurate, 138 years. Odia journalism was crucial in shaping the socio-political climate of the province as a whole and, in particular, in raising people’s awareness. Back then, the great individuals who established this noble profession in this region of the nation were simply motivated by a sense of altruism and fervour for missions.
The 1897 publication of the Utkal Sahitya journal marked the beginning of a new era in Odia literature. Several magazines were subsequently released – Sahakara in 1920, Mukur in 1906, Satyabadi in 1915, and Navabharat in 1934. In fact, magazines played a significant role in promoting Odia literature and language.
