The Barpali Days

This blog is the Facebook of Barpali which picturise its "life" and "culture". It was a "palli" or a village a century back where the all time great Oriya poet swabhaba kabi Gangadhar Meher had taken birth. Now this bustling little town is renowned world-over for the weaving of Sambalpuri ikat handloom fabrics. Agriculture is its prime economy. And when you happen to visit this little town don't miss to taste Chaul bara.

Breaking

Aug 6, 2013

7:31 PM

Blackmail

On 9th July 2012 early in the morning I got the following SMS from +918260165845 :

"WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT YOU DO. ALL WE WANT YOU GIVE US THE MONEY AND JOIN OUR GANG"

I ignored this SMS thinking it to be a mischief by a  rival. Next day I got a call from that number. The person on the other end was speaking in Hindi. He  gave me death threats over the phone. He hurt my male instinct. I was furious and shouted back at him. I said  "I as well got my boys with me. You come and let’s see  what harm you could impose".

The hot conversation followed by yet another SMS : 
"THANK YOU FOR  INVITING  ME. NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHEN  I REACH. NOW YOU GO AND INFORM POLICE AND THEY AS      WELL CAN'T HARM US - LAL SALAM"

When I called back he said, “Lal Salam. Tell me how much you are going to give us". I was speechless. I pleaded I am just a writer. How could I serve you. He said, then watch us.

I had sympathy for this blackmailer for his unprofessional approach. Because he asked, how much I am going to pay. As an insurance agent of LIC I always tend to do my homework before approaching a potential customer. I judge the monetary value of a customer before quoting my insurance premium. But this blackmailer unable to judge what I am worth.

Very next day he sent yet another SMS saying :
"YOU ARE LEFT WITH FIVE DAYS. SEARCH WHO WILL SAFEGUARD  YOU – LAL SALAM"

Now I guessed something fishy. I was restless and  showed this SMS to my Dad at noon hours when he returned from the clinic. He was furious. He asked me, do you know who this LAL SALAM is. I told by name he seems to be a Muslim. He said you stupid, the slogan of   Maoists is Lal Salam. Though very brave, on hearing our conversation my Mother started worrying. She said, she can’t lose her son all again for the second time.

My Father issued the summon for me. He asked me to go underground and not to step outside the home for  couple of weeks. He asked me to lodge the FIR. I went to Barpali police station to lodge the FIR. The Officer in Charge [OIC] Inspector Meher immediately called the number from which I was getting the threats. But it was switched off. He called the District Superintendent of Police [SP] at Bargarh to intimate the gravity of the situation. The SP was a lady and she collected the phone number from which I was getting the calls.

As such I am a person having no friends in life. To ease my heart,  I expressed my anguish to Bablu Tripathy our youth leader of Congress. Immediately he got into action to safeguard his Kiran Da. He courted the premises of the police station for two days. By next evening the police traced  the owner of the phone number to be someone by the name of Rudra Dash of Balangir. But no one by that name exist at Balangir. The SIM was issued with a fake ID proof. More to it the calls have been transmitted from the Reliance Tower of Nand Lal Sahu’s building. The OIC acquired the summary of all the phone numbers with whom this culprit was speaking to. All those persons confessed that even they are as well getting the life threats for a ransom. Than OIC had a sigh of relief that it is not Maoists but some anti socials to extort the money. Off late the goons of UP and Bihar made Jharsuguda and the surrounding area as their base camp ever since the rampant industrialisation drive by the Government of Odisha.

I walked back to home in the deserted road fearlessly all alone from Police Station around at 10.30 PM in the late night as if I am the King and Barpali is my Kingdom. And this writer is unhurt and alive even if one year has been past ever since the happening of these bizarre incidents. How ridiculous, 15 years back when I was sick and jobless the loved one ill treated me, but now when I am sound and successful the world has got an evil eye upon me.

WhatsApp# +918249314972
E.Kiran Mohan(The Blogger)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO. BARPALI – 768029
Dist. Bargarh, Odisha, India

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May 14, 2013

6:50 AM

Jugal Kishore Rana – The Lad on top of the Ladder


In India there are thousands of bright students who are eventually  dropped   out  of school every year due to abject poverty. Yet there are a chosen few, who never want to surrender to the given circumstances of their life.  Jugal Kishore Rana,  the young lad of Barpali  was able to acccomplish a feat  of which not only his parents but his school [Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir] and entire Bargarh Dist  is proud of. Jugal topped  the 10th  standard examinations conducted  by the HSC [High School Certificate]  Board for  the year 2013. It is one of a kind accomplishment, for  he stood 1st among the 5.32 lakh students who had  appeared for Odisha’s Board of Secondary Education [BSE] examination. A point to be noted is that Jugal is neither the son of a doctor, engineer or a professor, and therefore could not  get the requisite care and guidance for his schooling.    

You would be taken aback to learn that Jugal is the son of Suresh Rana who works as a fourth grade employee in the Barpali Pharmacy College. His father   has been working as a fourth grade employee in the pharmacy college for the past 24 years. Jugal's family belongs to the  OBC (Other Backward Class) and occupies the lower rungs of society. But that did not deter him from proving his mettle.  His family belongs to the potters caste. They chiefly make earthen pots out of clay.  But Jugal never learnt  the basic techniques of  how to operate a potter's  wheel, as his interests  were purely academic.

According to his Maths Teacher Sh.Bipra Bira Patra, Jugal is very shy, calm and quiet   by nature. He is  always very respectful to  his teachers at school. He was always punctual and knew the value of time management. In the class room many  times he discreetly told his teacher  not to deviate from the syllabus. His inspiration in life  was always his maternal grandfather Shri Gangadhar Rana, who himself was a English and Maths teacher of  Government Boys High School of Barpali. This boy was able to achieve this feat all by himself  by attending classes diligently in  school. Neither of his parents were educated beyond class 12. So neither his father or  mother could help him with his homework. Due to  financial constraints which  his family had to face Jugal was never able to attend any private tutorial classes.  School was the only place where he could acquire knowledge. Unlike many of his classmates Jugal  did not have a laptop, Facebook ID or a study table at home.  All his studies was done on his bed. As he had to sit for long hours cross legged, his legs  used to get stiff.


In life he wish to be qualified as a doctor to nurture the society. You all too keep a watch on this lad who someday soon would bring even greater  laurels to Barpali.

What's App# +91 82493 14972

E.Kiran Mohan
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029
Dist. Bargarh, Odisha, India

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Barpali, Orissa, India Barpali, Odisha 768029, India

Apr 5, 2013

10:58 AM

Dayalu Meher – The Whole Circle of ikat handloom fabrics


It was the good fortune of Dayalu Meher to be born to a Bhulia family  which has contributed immensely to bring the ikat weaving of Odisha to the global map. He is the eldest son of the legendry ikat weaver Late Shilpiguru Padmashree Kunjabihari Meher. He fondly recalls the golden era of Barpali ikat which he witnessed in his own life time. In the year 1975 he was carrying a piece of Bharat Ratna cotton saree made by his father and exchanging it for a tola (11.664 grams) of 22 carat gold with Meher Handloom Emporium at Sambalpur. So now you could judge the worth of our ikat handloom fabrics which was traded at par with the price of  bullion.


It was not only his father but the paternal grandfather Braja Mohan Meher of Budapali too was a reputed weaver of the yester years. In the early decades of last century there was a folk lore in the entire Western Odisha about his grandfather. There was a popular saying in Oriya : 

“Baraj bhuliar kapta pate, aur kapta pateke maheji gute”

Which in essence means, wearing  a piece of “Kapta” of Braja Mohan Meher was so much dignifying,  but the price was so expensive that equal  to the cost of  keeping a  woman at home. Until the pre-independence era of India  “kapta” was wore by the women of Western Odisha.  A kapta was a women wardrobe that was shorter in width and wore from   loin  to the length of the knee. A kapta was made of only cotton. The length of a piece of kapta was of nine hands, which was roughly  13.5 feets. Whereas the length of a saree as on this date is 12 hands or 18 feets. But a kapta used to have double anchal, while a sari do have only single anchal. A saree could be wore only one way. The anchal or the polu of it goes to back of the lady from over the shoulder. On the other hand a kapta was having double anchal, so could have wore from either end. 


At a young age he learnt the basic techniques of weaving of ikat handloom fabrics under the stewardship of his father. His father always wanted to make him a perfect artist to draw the different  figures, flora and fauna. One ought to be an artist to be a successful ikat weaver. His father  asked him to draw a circle on a blank paper with a pencil.  And he instructed him “the day you able to draw a wholesome circle without the help of any geometric instrument, you would be a perfect artist”.  This unconventional technique of teaching imparted a great lesson to this budding artist. The weaver needs to draw the design on the paper. Then he needs to tie the knots on the bunch of yarn before its dye for producing the ikat fabrics.


It was ridiculous as until the 1990 the Sambalpuri Bastralaya was making the Mahima  saris at Bagbadi carrying the  Konark Chakra  (wheel) of hexagonal shape. It was Dayalu who invented the technique of tying   the yarn in such a way so as a whole circle could be created.  He created Sudarshani  saree with circular Konark wheels and supplied to this cooperative society. The saree has been titled so because the Konark wheels appeared to be as wholesome  as that of the Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Bishnu.  This design proved to be an instant hit in the market and widely being accepted by the consumers.


It’s a tough job to be a sibling of a great father. And he able to assess even how tough it is to withstand the name of his father Late Shilpiguru Padmashree Kunjabihari Meher. He always had the inner urge to develop the new designs and the motifs for the ikat fabrics. During the early 80’s of the last century one foreigner  of  the American Friends Society forwarded him a ramshackle old book by the title “Designs from Orissan Temples”.  This big volume was printed by Thacker’s Press & Directories Ltd. at London with an introduction given by Kim Christen. This rare manuscript carried  many images in black and white of the rock sculptures from the temples of Orissa built during the medieval period.  Our weaver Dayalu Meher extracted the designs from this  book. Consecutively he made several trips to the Sun Temple at Konark; Jagannath Temple at Puri; Lingraj temple, Kedar Gauri temple, Rajarani temple and Mausima  temple at Bhubaneswar  to observe closely these great works of  sculptures and the architecture. He compiled many of these designs and developed  a silk saree titled “Kalasiromani Devangana”. For this design he bagged the National Award in the year 1993 from the then President of India Dr.Sankar Dayal Sharma. In a year at most he able to reproduce just two pieces of Kalasiromani Devangana because so intricate and complex is its design. 

                      
He had the privilege to participate in the Surajkund International Crafts Mela  five times and to bag the prestigious Kalanidhi Award from the Government of Haryana. Beside it he attended Master Creation Program at Dilli Hat seven times. It is not only Dayalu Meher but his spouse and two sons as well bagged the National Awards. 

He regrets while looking at the current scenario of the handloom industry. The new genre of weavers are opting the easy way out to make quick money from this trade, instead of developing the new designs.

Cell# +918249314972
E.Kiran Mohan(The Blogger)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029
Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India

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Mar 22, 2013

6:21 PM

Glass Paintings by Lalit Meher [ON SALE]


[Ma Durga]                                         12"X12" Rs.99,999
This is an indigenous  art form that has been developed by Lalit Meher of Barpali. This kind of work is the most painstaking job, as the artist painted  the whole surface of the glass with synthetic (varnish) paint than he removes metuculously the unwanted paint with a razor or knife. The  paint which has been left untouched on the glass forms the art. The artist has taken three months of ardous work to create each of these works. Each of these works were done almost 21 years back. 

These works are ON SALE. You may approach the artist at Cell# +919668523166 or email to this blogger at : kiranbima@gmail.com

[Konarka Chaka]                                 24"X24" Rs.1,99,999 
[Butterfly]                                                  14"X18" Rs.66,000 
[Bapu]                                                            10"X12" Rs.55,000 
[Lord Ram embracing a squirrel]            15"X15" Rs.71,000 
[Sakuntala embracing a deer]                  10"X12" Rs.51,000
[Shree Jagannath]                                    10"X10" Rs.53,000
[Saras - The Migratory Bird]                      6"X6" Rs.15,000
[Om]                                                          10"X12" Rs.49,000
[Lord Krishna]                                      15"X15" Rs.75,000
[Krishna embraced by Yoshodha]            10"X12"    Rs.56,000
[Mayur Lata]                                         15"X15"    Rs.77,000
[Sakuntala with a matka]                      15"X15"    Rs.65,000
These works are ON SALE.
[Lalit Meher]

You may approach the artist either at Cell # 91 96 685 23166 or email to this blogger at : kiranbima@gmail.com in case you want to buy. These paintings have already been framed. Delivery of these paintings would be only against payment. The prices quoted above are ex-delivery. The delivery shall be made solely at the risk of the buyer.   


E.Kiran Mohan
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029
Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India

Cell # 91-99-371-20565
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Feb 7, 2013

7:29 AM

Jharna Meher – A Survivor of Gender Discrimination in India


We live in a nation  where  a pizza  is delivered  much faster in the cities,   whereas an ambulance  never  able to reach its villages; here the density of cell phone towers are more than  the water  storage tanks;  our farmers produce enough food grains  for the mass  but  million  tons of it  are  laid  rotten  on the  open sky. And finally  the private bankers  send  their sales executives to your home to endorse a car loan, while in the villages chil dren are dropped out from the school due to lack of finance. It is not only our politicians and the bureaucrats, but  every Indian has contributed for this state of affair. This is largely  either due to our  ignorance or  for being a silent observer despite knowing everything.     

Gopaipali village is located 4 kms west to Barpali on the way to Sohila. There is a settlement of harijan or the Schedule Caste (SC) families  on the outskirt  of this village.  Any evening if you visit this village, you are most likely to find children playing  on the street at the dusk hours. Out of them you are most likely to locate a sweet girl of 14 years old while playing with her friends. It is Jharna Meher who hails from a Chammar family. They are out casted by the society as this village has been dominated by the Bramhins. 

She studied up to class 8th in her village co-educational high school. But subsequently she was  dropped out from the school as her old parents could not afford to send her to the school any more. Her father Laba Meher (52 years) and mother Kumadhani Meher (52) are both illiterate, so they don’t realize the need to impart the education to Jharna any further. Jharna is a survivor of gender discrimination which is widely prevalent in India. Soon after her birth she was thrown out on the garbage at an abandoned place near Lenda village. One warm hearted gentleman of Barpali by the name Bibhuti Bhushan Dash while crossing the road heard the cry of the baby. He was horrified to discover a naked abandoned new born girl child alive with the umbilical cord intact. Major portions of her face surrounding both the eyes were eaten by ants. It was God’s grace as she was not eaten away alive by any scavenger.  He immediately took possession of the baby girl. The girl was admitted in Barpali CHC Hospital and was under  the intensive care for three days.  After months he traced a  childless couple at Gopaipali. They are Laba Meher and his wife Kumadhani Meher. This couple eagerly adopted the baby girl. And ever since they are rearing Jharna.  

[Bibhuti Bhushan Dash could be seen with Jharana Meher]

Unlike other villagers Laba Meher don’t do cultivation, as he is a landless person. Rather he had undertaken the vocation of his community i.e. being a cobbler. Every morning he wakes up at 4.00 AM and travels to different towns to attend the weekly markets called haat. He cycle out the distance of  panch kosh which is equivalent to 40 kms one way to reach the towns like Balpur of Dist.Sonepur and Puttasingha of Dist.Balangir. He stitches the shoes and repairs the umbrellas. In good days he earns INR 150 to 200. Beside that season wise he opts for more lucrative jobs in the brick kilns or in the harvesting of paddy. 

Since Laba Meher don’t possess  a cell phone, you may contact this writer in case you want to provide any stable source of earning to the family of Laba Meher.


PS: Dr.Patricia Peyrat of France wanted to travel to India. While she was searching the Google for the road map from Bilaspur (Chattisgarh) to Balangir (Odisha) incidentally she reached www.barpalidays.blogspot.in . She read this sad life story of Jharna Meher. Dr.Patricia contacted the writer E.Kiran Mohan and expressed her eagerness to help the girl and her family. On 14th November 2014 she reached Barpali along with her two other friends i.e. Cecile and Marc. They donated two goats and one sewing machine to this poor Chamar family to source a permanent livelihood.

kiranbima@gmail.com
WhatsApp# +918249314972
E.Kiran Mohan(The Writer)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At\PO : BARPALI – 768029
Dist.Bargarh, Odisha, India


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Jan 27, 2013

9:26 PM

Chal bo, Chal Jhadama Buro [ଚାଲବୋ, ଚାଲ ଝାରମା ବୁରୋ]


It is the month of January. Like all other years me, my family and the two dogs are getting the stone pelting everyday even while at home. No it is no revenge from the neighbors, but from the children of the neighborhood. Every noon after  returning home from school they gather in groups to target the ber (Zizyphus) tree that we got at the backyard,  which bear the small, but the most  delicious tropical fruits at the end of the winter.


                                 
Yesterday noon these children expedite to the other side of the compound wall  and started pelting pebbles, stones, rocks and even brickbats  to pluck these  sweet fruit. Soon Dany and Diana raised the alarm by barking. And my Amma assigned  me to go and nab the children. I went to open the rear gate, but I was helpless. Because these children were clever enough to lock  the door from outside. I was as helpless as these two dogs were. We were all locked inside our own fort. After a while Ladoo came running to the window and shouted, “Chachu Chachu…. those Oriya kids are stealing  your buros”. I asked him to open the door and he unlocked it. But by the time I step outside, those kids were chu champat (fled) the place.


Ladoo the four years old Marwadi kid is the unofficial spy of mine. He reported it was the gang of Oriya kids of the other street. In the mean while  Piyush, Ayush, Chotu and Vivek with a broken elbow  gathered with us. They showed their concern for my safety and told not to worry and they will guard the back street. I was moved by their word of assurance. I asked them to wait for a while. I went inside the garden and gathered all the fallen fruits and distributed to these Marwadi kids for their solidarity. And these kids started shouting in a chorus, “Kiran Chachu Jindabad Jindabad, Kiran Chachu Jindabad Jindabad”.  I was much pleased to get the laurels, even when my action had no political motive. 


In this winter  the asbestos roof of our  abandoned store room has been completely destroyed due to the pelting of the brickbats and the rocks by the street kids. My father declared to execute the buro tree. My Amma expressed her resentment as every plant and the tree in the garden are being grown by her caring hands for the past ten years.  Apart from Dany and Diana garden is her first love.  
[Monkeys while invaded our residence complex to steal the buros on a winter noon]

I do believe it is not only my nephew Sreyanshu and niece Srestha, but every bird, monkey and the  children of Barpali got the equal right to relish  these delicious small fruits. Definitely it’s a nuisance, but we have to live life on this earth while giving space to others to grow. Its evening hours and play time for the street kids. I could hear one boy is shouting  as :“chal bo, chal jhadama buro” which means, lets go and pluck the berries.

WhatsApp# +918249314972
E.Kiran Mohan(The Blogger)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029
Dist. Bargarh, Odisha, India


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Barpali, Orissa, India Barpali, Odisha 768029, India