I was born in the year 1945 in Karilopatana GP of Patakura block of Kendrapara district. My fathers’ name was Biswanath Khuntia who was a farmer. My great grand father Subarna Khuntia survived till 92. My father was having one brother and one sister. We are three brothers and one sister. We belonged to small family and were having 4 to 5 acres of land. But we never had issues in managing our household expenditure. We come across hardship issues during drought but during flood times, it was still manageable and it was largely because of management skills and vision of my great grand father. In 1967 there was drought and there was a little difficulty in managing our household economics but in other years it was always good. Our lands in Kendrapara districts were fertile and we could easily do multiple crops at a time. Both my father and grand fathers’ were having agro business. They sell products generated from agriculture. The incomes from the agriculture were adequate to meet both ends and we were quite a well to do family in rural context.
Both my parents and grandparents were not having formal education. So I happen to be the first literate people in our family. I completed my schooling in 1962 from my village schools. I wanted to accumulate academic degrees since childhood. I moved to Agriculture College and became a Bhubaneswaria in 1962. I completed my higher education from OUAT from 1968. I got my first job in 1969 both as a Lecturer and Banker. I preferred to join as a Banker. I took VRS in 2001. Since last 22 years I have kept myself engaged as a writer, as a columnist as a speaker and attending different organizations as well as their events in Bhubaneswar. I am busier in my retirement life than my official days. I am having two daughters and one son. All of them are established in society.
Getting admitted to Agriculture College was not easy as you have to go through a detailed interview process. I went through the interview and got qualified. I came from Kendrapara to Bhubaneswar by ORT bus. The Mahanadi Bridge was still not constructed. I cross the river through boat and came from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar by bus. The cost of the ticket from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack was around 90 paisa. The bus stand existed in front of the unit-1 hat where multi-level parking exists now a days. From there I took a rickshaw and traveled to OUAT campus. The rickshaw used to take Rs 0.50 rupees.
Bhubaneswar was having lots of open places then. Vanivihar was the last place to be connected with the roads. Barmunda Village existed. But Connection from Vanivihar to Barmunda was not regular. It was only a fair weather road which often gets either muddy or gets washed away during the rainy season.
Most of the roads in side Bhubaneswar was red top roads. Only few black top road existed. People used to take walk or move by cycle from one place to another. There was no city at all it was only few units and population was very limited too.
By 1962 OUAT hostels were not having provisions for electric fans. We also never felt the need. The smooth cool breezes in the late afternoon were like balm to all of us. There was no winter too. So we were never worried about chilly winter or humid summer.
We used to go to village Hat twice in a week. We used to buy materials of daily use such as Dantakathi, biscuits etc. Local farmers also come to hat with bullock cart load of materials such as agricultural products and seasonal fruits. But now it was missing. There was also one Burma General Store which used to give us products of daily use later it was closed and it became Kalamandir. We used to wrap up marketing by 6.20 and assemble before Suchana Bhawan to listen to Anchalika Samachar and National News by 7.00PM then we all come back to hostel en-masse.
The cost of commodity was cheaper in comparison to present day society. You can guess it from the fact that we used to pay Rs 25 rupees towards messing charge in hostel and it includes non-veg meals at least once in a week. By 1958 the metric system came into picture and ancient measurement systems such as Sera Gauni etc were removed. Brinjals sold 25 paisa per KG. A labour used to get around 3 to 5 rupees per month from the daily wages. Hence accumulating Rs 25 per month and sending his/her ward for the higher education was also not every one’s cup of tea. Even though Rs 25/- appears very less today but it was really costly in those days.
As the secretariat was operating in Cuttack, people used to go to Cuttack from Bhubaneswar every day. Small hotels were there in Rupali Chhaka. Dalma was prepared using Dalda.
I must mention the name of Raju Mohanty one shopkeeper who has created many readers in Bhubaneswar. He has a small book shop in the then Bhubaneswar. He was a peon in Secretariat. He used to do newspaper Hackaring and sold news papers to other people. Many people took books and magazines from his shop and did not return but Raju did not mind that. Thus he created lot of readers in Bhubaneswar.
People were honest. Now even when you raid the house of a peon you would come to get crores of rupees. But in those times peon’s were used to sell breakfast in morning hours in many hostels later they go and attend offices of their boss.
Bhubaneswar was damaged by the local politicians. Then Raju Sahu and Harekrushna Mahatab were very popular. 15th August and 26th January are important days in Bhubaneswar then. After 1975, the Bhubaneswar started to grow in size. Plots were allotted in IRC village and soon after many new houses came up in IRC village. Bhubaneswar in that period was largely dependent on Cuttack for business purpose. I remember I have to go to Cuttack to buy a trunk which was used to carry my books etc.
People in Bhubaneswar were friendly. In old Bhubaneswar, there existed a great degree of bonding among themselves. I have not seen any fracas between old town and Bhubaneswaria.
Power cut was there but that was not that great. I can not call it a crises. But at times Bhubaneswar also went violent. In 1967 when Indira Gandhi visited Odisha and had a public meeting in Bhubaneswar people throw stone at him and her nose bleed profusely. It was huge national issue in those point of time. In 1964 also there was student unrest and students entered secretariat and assembly and broke furnitures. It was also unprecedented in those times.
I missed three things in Old Bhubaneswar. The wind, the landscape the did not allow water to stagnant even after rainfall and the greenery. We used to pluck berries from road side trees and I profoundly miss them.
Now, I can confidently say that it was polluted to a large extent and local politicians as well as officials were responsible for this. Bhubaneswar was having good climate in those days, but now the city struggles and we are witnessing quick climate change. It is one of the most prominent cities that braces climate change.
The planner who has designed Bhubaneswar has left many open spaces. It also have provisions for water bodies around the city. But later local politicians allowed slums to come up and thus it is the reason because of which the city spread on a very disproportionate manner.
Bhubaneswar was also having a very good literature environment. Writers used to encourage each other to read and write. The Jhankar was a classical magazine. People who used to read Jhankar was known as a classical reader. Asantakali was very popular. People also read Naba Rabi too. People used to spend money to buy books and books were selling very well. But now it was declined to a large extent. Even students used to buy news paper in hostels. Then Prajatantra was a writer producing factory. Great writers started career in Meena Bazzar, went on to write in other magazines and later to Jhankar. It has produced many legends and writers.
Prajatantra was a great institution then. It also produced high caliber politicians such as Biju Pattanaik,Biren Mitra, Janaki Pattnaik and HareKrushna Mahatab etc. But now people were not interested to politics.
Common amenities were not developed in Bhubaneswar. I G park was developed by Janaki Babu. Forest Park was also there. But later IAS officials and Politicians broke a part of it and took lands to developed residential area. School playgrounds were only available for this purpose. Town bus was limited to few places. Most of the amenities were developed by people who came from outside. Mamutaj Ali was very popular as chief engineer. He developed many offices.
Women participation in workforce was also very limited. Many telegu women were seen doing hawkering in the city. They used to sell banana etc.
Unit-6 Capital Hospital was very popular.Govt Officers were very well behaved. As no. of people were limited Doctors had enough time to see a patient.
