Gourishankar Ray, better known as Karmaveer Gourishankar,[1] a prominent figure amongst the makers of Modern Orissa (Odisha) as well as the savior of Odia (Oriya) language and literature,[2] who led the Save Oriya Movement during the late nineteenth century working relentlessly for the protection and preservation of the Odia language. He was a Bengali from East Bengal from a Zamindar family at a time when an anti Oriya movement rocked the province to replace it by Bengali in the coastal, Hindi in the western and Telugu in the southern Orissa which ultimately was thwarted and Oriya was given its due place.
KarmaVeer Gourishankar Ray | |
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Born | Dixitpada, Asureswar, Cuttack, India | 13 July 1838
Died | 7 March 1917 | (aged 78)
Website | karmaveergourishankar |
He was the father of the co-operative movements as well as printing & publishing crafts in Odisha. He founded the Cuttack Printing Company[3] and Utkala Deepika, the first Odia newspaper to be printed as a weekly in 1866. Utkal Deepika owed its birth to the upsurge of nationalism playing a significant role in sociopolitical life of Orissa. He lived a life of honesty and sacrifice.
In memory of Gourishankar Ray, Utkala Cultural Association at IIT Bombay honors a prominent Odia with 'Karmaveera Gourishankar Ray Samman' each year on Utkala Dibasa (Odisha Day) for his/her outstanding contribution in different fields like arts, science, social work, entrepreneurship etc.
List of recipients