The flight left Chennai at 7 AM. The east coast travel in India is beautiful. The flight path crosses many big rivers. Most rivers in India have a tendency to flow east. The delta of the rivers are very fertile. The eastern sea coast was very prosperous during the period of marine trade in the first millennium. It gets ravaged by cyclones almost every year and gets rebuilt. It is the rice bowl of India.
The flight carried many businessmen who seemed constantly busy on their mobile phones. Sometimes their group is large and they seem to create strategies for possible negotiation. They talked to each other on the mobile phone inside the aircraft. On-air planning is possibly an indicator of a better economy. I was told that the new ruling party in India is business-friendly. I was noticing it directly. India's economy is complex. The average man on the street always seems deprived and helpless.
The flight reached Visakhapatanam, an in-between stop. It is a coastal city in Andhra Pradesh and is known for its cultural outreach. It is an old trading post, currently modernized with various industrial product centers including a Steel Mill. Visakhapatnam has the India's east coast naval base and was the command center when the conflict regarding the liberation of East Pakistan erupted in 1971. The Indian sailors had to deal with the massive nuclear carrier dispatched by President Nixon of the US. Coastal radars are placed here to monitor the weather in the Bay. I heard Oriya being spoken in the cabin. Oriya is an old language. It is a compact language with the colloquial use of words. There is an informality of expression indicating that the language diction is not easily emulated. There is a theory that the Oriya words might have origin in the pre-vedic languages of India. These words are short and have a distinct cadence. Scientific analysis may indicate that the Oriya speech sounds have a semantic content, but no research is yet done. Scholars trace the language from Sindh to the present region of Odisha following the river tracks.
Bhubaneswar has a small airport. Odisha is a secluded state. The British kept away from thecoast fearing the native boats. They utterly neglected the area through their administrative design. The old rich culture of the state gradually eroded with the impending famines and the artificial scarcity. The King of Puri was shipped out from the state under the charges of "treason." Though some of the brilliant literary compositions emerged in various pockets in the land, the general population was famished and demoralized.
The next state Bengal also had a neighborly rivalry to Odisha as far as the language and culturewas concerned. East India Company operated from Calcutta (Kolkata) and the people in Bengal had an upper hand on the administrative protocol. Through utter jingoism some in Bengal tried to remove Oriya as a language and annex the area to Bengal perpetually. It took a lot of efforts and sacrifice of many to gain the recognition through the political process. The simmering conflict continued even after the independence. My father participated in the agitations to consolidate the Oriya speaking regions together to the State of Odisha. This was a major movement in India in the '50s.
Being independent minded and being confined in a fertile piece of land, Oriyas had little need for social interaction with the rest of India. They had more business interests in far away lands of Bali, Thailand and Cambodia where they settled, ruled and built temples. They became good craftsmen and produced excellent pieces of art through stone, wood, ivory, silver and gold. It was a pair of Oriya businessmen who participated in the Buddha's first sermon. Guru Nanak picked up a Oriya boy for his kirtan party. When Guru Goving Singh asked for volunteers to sacrifice themselves for the cause of nation, an Oriya person stepped forward.
Though Oriyas are known in history as a people of valor and strength, the present Odisha would look oppressed and tired. Political corruption is rampant and there is no leadership worth writing about. I have not fully understood the reasons for the general apathy. A proud people who stood against the Army of Ashoka in 3rd century BC would now not stand for each other. I had to leave the State for family and economic reasons. It has been painful to watch the loss of dignity and pride in people.
Because Odisha developed its own style of dance, music and art, it does not classify itself as either Hindustani of the north or the Karnataki of the south. Odissi dance had to compete for national acceptance, Odissi music is still struggling. Odissi art patterns in silk and fine craftsmanship in filigree and wood do carry their distinctiveness in the national scene. Odisha does send officers to the national cadre and produces professionals, but neglects her language. The democratically elected "leader" of the people fails to speak in the native language.
The ecstasy of homecoming does get damped by the "maintenance" nature of the administration. There is the scare of disorganization and discomfort. While we always think not to be critical but "pitch in", one does not know where to begin. I have thought about spending more time in the state to participate in the planning and construction efforts. The passion reduces to helplessness by observing the general complacency.
I was picked by my younger sister who teaches in a local college. She loved dance as a kid and also took interest in vocal music. Having been a mother of two daughters, she had to reshuffle her priorities. She did not drive herself but hired a driver to get transported. My younger brother also lived in Bhubaneswar, but he did pass away earlier in the year after a prolonged illness. Another younger sister of mine was on travel to the US to visit her children settled in the US and the UK.
Experience in teaching provides seniority. My sister was the Head of her Department. Her husband worked as an officer in a bank. They seemed to have relatively comfortable living. Indian middle class lives insulated from the average person who lacks resources. The extremely skewed economy from the colonial times is being steadily repaired to have about 20% which can be called living in middle class. The middle class rarely becomes dutiful towards the poorer classes.
My sister was the cook in the house. While I went to take a wash, she prepared some food. I thought to take a bit rest in the afternoon.
