Sushil Kumar Bag: Where literature supersede TV broadcast media

Often in the Bollywood movies a villager is shown migrating to Mumbai with an empty hand, but he become successful on reaching over there. Likewise there are several instances across Odisha, where youths from our villages went to Bhubaneswar. Despite confronting  several hardships for the survival, finally able to bloom out in their life with flying colours. 

Somewhere in the mid 80’s of the last Century Sushil was born to a humble family to the Secretary of Lenda Panchayat. That boy was brought up in the rural atmosphere while being deprived of the basic amenities. Sushil attended his primary and upper primary school in his village Lenda. On passing out Standard 7^th his father made his admission at Govt. Boys High School, Barpali. In order to attend school every day he had to walk four kilometres to reach Barpali. Likewise at evening it consumed almost one hour to walk back to his village from Barpali. Under such hardships our children were brought up in the villages of Odisha. 

[His house at Lenda where he was brought up]

Sushil was fond of riding a cycle, but never dare to touch the cycle of his father, because while learning to ride the cycle, the tube of the rear wheel busted and he got a thrash from his father. Replacement of a cycle tube burdened his father with an additional expenditure of Rs.30/- which was a difficult job on the part of his father to bear. His father was rearing his four children with an abysmal income. His father was a man of strict discipline and Sushil used to fear him a lot. At evening on returning from school, Sushil used to play with children on the village street. But at dusk hour when Sushil would spot his father returning from his Panchayat office he   would run home and sit on the floor with his study books as if he was doing his homework. He recalls at home they had 60 watts bulb and due to low voltage at evening he was studying with low luminosity of a kerosene lamp called baitha. Sushil passed 10^th exam even without taking any private tuitions. It boosted his spirit. He was motivated to excel further in the studies.

Sushil took admission in +2 Arts at Barpali College. His father bought a second-hand cycle for him so as he could reach his college conveniently. 

During his graduation in Arts at Barpali College Sushil was inclined towards writing stanzas in Odia. For two years his writings were published in the college magazine. But when he submitted a feature article to Ganaistahar a Odia weekly newspaper, it was published. He was overwhelmed when he saw his article was printed in the newspaper. He carried it to show one and every family members at home. Next day he even carried it to his college. Those days there was neither Facebook nor the WhatsApp so as he could have shared his achievement with his friends.  

(while felicitated with Katha Nabapratibha Puraskar)

On graduating he joined MA in Odia at Sambalpur University. All the while he undertook the job of a sub-editor of two local newspapers by the name Agnisikha and Dakra at an abysmal monthly salary of Rs.750/- from each of these two assignments. During the year 2001 while doing Master Degree in Odia, he was felicitated by the acclaimed international writer Manoj Das with the “Katha Nabapratibha Puraskar”. On acquiring doctorate he joined as a reporter of Sambad at Sambalpur. It was where he came to the mainstream of Odia print media. 

With his Odia professor Dr Manindra Kumar Meher the great grandson of swabhaba kabi Gangadhar Meher

At Sambalpur he made an investigative journalism on the infant mortality rate by collecting data from the Chief District Medical Officer(CDMO). When this news was printed in Sambad, that  made a hue and cry in the entire region. The District Collector of Sambalpur called the CDMO to take stock of the situation. During this spell of time the print media of Odisha started recognising the dexterity of this budding journo. All the while Sushil kept on writing in Odia. He even went on to reading his short stories in the All India Radio(AIR) Station of Sambalpur. He was paid Rs.250/- for each of the ten story telling programs that he conducted in the radio. This is how he got acquainted with the electronic media. 

Subrat Sahu the Sub-editor of Odia newspaper Prameya consider his own self to be the Arjuna and he learnt all the tricks of modern day warfare of journalism from his guru Sushil Kumar Bag. He says in the epic Hindu mythology of Mahabharata Ekalabya had to sacrifice the thumb of his right hand even when he learnt archery while hiding himself beyond a tree. Whereas Sushil Sir is the modern day Guru who has chosen able disciples and imparted training of the highest order to produce lot many Arjuna’s to work in the press. There is rampant cut throat competition in press media. And you never know, if at all you would be in the payroll of the company, until the next edition of the newspaper is thrown by the boy at your doorstep next morning.  

By the mid of the last decade Sushil shorted out the limitations of print media. He found his works able reach only to the Odia literate people. Whereas a major segment of the society is deprived of his journalistic works because they are illiterates and cannot read newspaper. He found television broadcast industry is reaching more people across all the segment of the society. Through TV he could reach even the illiterates. In the year 2008 he got a big leap  in his career when he joined OTV as a News Executive at Bhubaneswar. It is the prominent regional television broadcast company of Odisha with an estimated 7,526GVTs(Gross Viewership in Thousands). OTV is a media venture of Mrs. Jagi Mangat Panda. She is wife of Ex-MP Baijayant Panda. Over here Sushil produced  many episodes on different religious and cultural festivals of Odisha like Ratha Jatra of Puri, Dhanu Jatra of Bargarh, Bali Jatra of Cuttack, Thakurani Jatra of Berhampur or be it Sital Sasthi Jatra of Sambalpur.

Despite being on the centre of the limelight, he used to have a sense of hollowness in life. And to encounter the monotonous job he resorted to take shelter of his fort i.e. Odia literature. Over the time he had written four Oriya books. The first one was a biography on the life of writer Hata Kishore Panigrahi titled “Nirmala Nirjhara”. 


The second book was on the life and works of a poet titled “Brajanath Ratha: Kabi O' Kabita”. The third book was a comparative study on the literary works of Saint poet Kabir along with that of swabhaba kabi Gangadhar Meher of Barpali titled “Santha Kabir O' swabhaba kabi Gangadhar”.

He says when he is working for a company he need to be loyal to his profession. Seldom has he got any freedom to break the high standard of discipline that is needed to observe in his professional work. So to ventilate his inner and personal views he resorted to take shelter of literature. But the irony is that, Sushil don’t get any royalty from the publisher of his books. The publisher in exchange of the copyright fee gives him 30 to 40 pieces of paperback books to sell them in the market and to earn money. Ironically instead of selling the complimentary books in the market Dr.Sushil is always tempted to gift those pieces to his well-wishers so as to get loyalty, instead of royalty.

He is a member of Odisha Sahitya Academy and is holding this position consecutively for three terms spanning over nine years. It is obvious one who works for the society let in whatever form, he ought to get the acknowledgement. Over the span of past 15 years he was felicitated by different organisations across Odisha and India. So far there are a bunch of awards in his kitty.

In the 2017 Bhubaneswar Book Fair he was felicitated with the Literature Award by Shri Ramakanta Ratha(IAS). Later he bagged "Ashok Chandan Smruti Sanman" at Patnagarh. That apart he got "Kanduri Charan Smruti Sanman" at Cuttack. The boys of western Odisha living at Bhubaneswar have a organisation of their own by the name Sambalpuri Folk Academy. And they have felicitated Dr.Sushil Kumar Bag with the coveted title of “Juhar Sanman”. And he was felicitated by Shri Prabhas Singh the MP of Bargarh at a grand event conducted at Bhanja Kala Mandap of Bhubaneswar.

Sushil says it is only literature that has made his life wholesome and he will keep on writing so long he survives. And the day he halt writing, he is likely to breathe his last.

kiranbima@gmail.com

Mobile# +918249314972

​http://barpalidays.blogspot.in/p/ekiran-mohan.html

E.Kiran Mohan(The writer)

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D)
Main Road
At/PO : Barpali-768029
Dist.Bargarh,Odisha, India