A Time Elsewhere

by Jagannath Prasad Das

On history of Orissa, 1859-1907.

Genres: History

Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2009

Reviews

[Sidharth Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book covering Odisha's history of the 2nd half of the late 19th century. The book predominantly focuses on famine that struck Odisha in the 1860s, the literary history of Odisha and the progress of Odia literature, the key administrative and literary figures of Odisha, the relationship we had with the English officers and the different attitudes that these officers had towards Odisha, the naivety in our thinking, the role of the Raja of Puri and the esteem in which he was held, the importance of Lord Shri Jagannath Ji in the lives of Hindus and the state of Odisha.
The book is 454 pages long, and I believe it could have been shorter by 100 pages to make it more engaging. Recommend to read it for anyone interested to understand the history of Odisha during the period.

[Roopesh Kohad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had bought this book 2 years back but did not get to start reading it. Having been recently back from Odisha trip visiting Sambalpur, Bhubaneshwar, Puri, Konark all driving so reading it was easy and interesting. Non-Odiya hear very little about Odisha in mainstream. But reading this book has been fascinating reading about those places I passed through, Jagannath temple and its affairs, colonial past and glimpse into Oriya Bengal rivalry. Though the book is a bit long with stories of so many characters with intricate details, it was difficult to cope up so skipped some parts. Perhaps a lighter version of the detail would entice non-Odiya readers but chronicling history to such details is also important.

[Matruprasad Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trip to history

'Our sweetest songs are those that tell us saddest thoughts'. The narration relating to Kabibara Radhanath Ray is heart touching.