A tribute to Dr. HK Mahtab, the visionary leader who shaped Odia journalism, enriched literature, and built Prajatantra as a voice for Odisha’s identity
Bhaskar Parichha
An astounding politician, Harekrushna Mahtab( 21 November 1899 – 2 January 1987)was an administrator, historian, poet, essayist, social reformer, organizer, and above all, a journalist par excellence. He was an institution by himself. Very few among his contemporaries have been so active in the public domain, even up to the last years of life.
If Politics and journalism are two sides of the same coin, Mahtab was the epitome of that amalgam. Dr. HK Mahtab’s journalism was closely connected to literature. In fact, they had a symbiotic relationship.
Dr. Mahtab’s earliest foray into reportage was with ‘Utkal Dipika.’ Those writings were largely focused on contemporary issues relating to Odisha during those turbulent times. He wrote bilingually. Mahtab began writing regularly when he pursued his higher studies in Cuttack, once the hub of literature and higher education. He wrote regularly for the ‘Amrita Bazar Patrika’, which was published from Kolkata.
Mahtab’s single most significant contribution to Odia journalism lay in ‘The Prajatantra.’ Prajatantra had been conceived and published as a newspaper since 1923, when Dr. Mahtab was in the thick of the freedom struggle. Prajatantra was first published in Cuttack’s Mukur Press. In 1924, it was shifted to Balasore and began its publication from the Town Press.
The paper was converted into a daily newspaper in 1930. The publication was suspended in 1932 following coercive action by the British rulers at the peak of the Salt Satyagrah, only to reappear with renewed vigor. Analogous to the splendid legacy of the Indian National Movement, Prajatantra ‘officially’ began as a daily newspaper on the eve of the Quit India movement.
Prajatantra has been the symbol of struggle against feudalism, orthodoxy, and dogmatism. It fought relentlessly against the pervasive stagnation that had characterized the contemporary Odia society. The Prajatantra, as Mahtab visualized, would be an instrument for fighting out the evils of society.
The newspaper set a new trend in our state by inspiring, encouraging, and promoting promising writers. Sections like Meenabazar, Rupa Rasa Chhanda, and Sunday literary page were the first to get space in any newspaper. New, young, and passionate writers were encouraged to write for these sections.
Prajatantra indeed set a milestone in Odia journalism. As a part of this journalistic endeavor, Mahtab started several other publications, including a weekly newspaper, ‘Eastern Times’ in English. These two newspapers, along with other monthly literary magazines like ‘The Jhankar’, ‘The Minabazar’, ‘Pratibha’, ‘The Prajatantra Saptahiki’, continue to be published uninterrupted.
In a sense, the sister publications have contributed to enriching Odisha’s culture and tradition. Generations of writers and journalists were associated with all these publications. These newspapers and journals essentially served as training grounds and workshops for the authors.
‘Prajatantra’ played its role effectively during the crucial integration of the Princely States of Odisha with the province under the guidance of Dr. Mahtab, who was not only the Premier of the state but was one of the trusted men of Sardar Patel, the Chief Architect of new India, who secured the merger of the princely states. As a matter of fact, ‘Prajatantra’ was the epicenter for many who occupied important positions both in politics and in public life.
After independence, the news daily came to symbolize the pride of Odia identity. Explaining the objective of the newspaper, Mahtab wrote in an editorial in 1950: ‘To give Odisha its due and put it in its just position in Independent India as well as to build a healthy national life are the twin aims of the Prajatantra.’ In fact, Prajatantra had waged an all-out war against the stagnation and the void that had gripped Odisha’s social life for ages.
What’s more, Prajatantra has been at the forefront of all the movements that have surfaced in the post-independence era. It is not just a mirror image of the society at large, but has taken the lead to bring to the forefront many burning issues. Whether it is the integration of princely states, the building of the state’s New Capital at Bhubaneswar, the state reorganisation movement, 1964 students’ agitation, National Emergency, Kalahandi’s poverty, Mandal Movement, and renewal of Odisha’s industrial spirit, Prajatantra has influenced the events and concerns significantly.
The most lasting contribution of Dr. Mahtab to the literary world of Odisha is the ‘Prajatantra Prachâr Samiti’, a literary organization that was registered on 14th July 1947 at Cuttack. The main objective of this literary body was to create a literary environment and develop Odia literature, culture, science, history, religion, and morality.
‘Prajatantra Prachar Samiti’ organizes the annual summer congregation of writers and journalists from across the country. ‘Vishuva Milan’ is a household name in every nook and corner of the state of Odisha. The Prajatantra Prachar Samity has been playing a dynamic role in spreading Odisha’s rich culture and literature and has been helpful in providing a wider platform to Odia journalism for the last 70 years.
It was decided not to make the Samity a profit-making organization but to make it a center for cultural change in society. He selected a band of young, enthusiastic, and talented young men to work for this Samiti. Mahtab himself met people of various spheres every day and discussed with them on literature, culture, politics, and even personal difficulties.
To organize a function like ‘Vishuva Milan’ as a large-scale literary and cultural event on Odia New Year’s day itself speaks of Mahtab’s profound love for the cultural tradition, identity, spiritualism, and the overall pride and assertion about Odisha’s cultural values.
Dr. Mahtab’s regular columns of ‘Gaon Majlis’, on the editorial pages of the Prajatantra, mark his clear conscience through which he intensely criticized the rampant corruption and malpractices of the system. He voiced the demands and grievances of the needy and the downtrodden through this column.
Every so often, people subscribed to Prajatantra just to read Dr. Mahtab’s lively column, ‘Gaon Majlis,’ and loved its scholarly presentation. The language, as well as the theme and message of this column, were very simple and persuasive. His style of presenting complex problems in simple and lucid language has remained inimitable. This column has been matchless for its unique contribution and socio-political impact on the masses.
Every minute aspect of a problem – in all its dimensions – was discussed by Dr. Mahtab in the weekly column ‘Gaon Majlis’. This column turned out to be a phenomenal success. These articles – compiled into four comprehensive volumes – brought him the Kendriya Sahitya Academy Award in 1983 and continue to evince interest among discernible writers.
Dr. Mahtab was a versatile personality, a poet, patriot, and patron of Oriya literature and culture, an essayist, a critic, and a journalist of the high order. He played the role of a truthful journalist exhibiting a sense of patriotism and candor.
Through his journalistic ventures, he devoted his life to building a strong public opinion in his own state as well as in the country. Notwithstanding his engagements in the socio-political life of the nation, he never withdrew from literary activities.
Dr. HK Mahtab was an institution and has produced several virtuosi in the field of journalism. He was a mentor to a large number of poets, writers, novelists, journalists, editors, political leaders, reformers, historians, and organizers in Odisha. Rightly, he is called ‘Utkal Kesari.’
(From my forthcoming book ‘Icons: Thirty Lives who Shaped Odisha to be published by BK Classics in 2026. The author is a senior journalist and columnist. Views expressed are personal.)
