ଦେଶ କାଳ ପାତ୍ର

by Jagannath Prasad Das

This is a historical novel, a fictional account of Odisha in the second half of the 19th century. It gives a panoramic picture of the political, social, cultural and literary history of the State of Odisha. The book was chosen for translation into all Indian languages by the National Book Trust under their Aadaan Pradaan scheme, and it has been translated into Hindi, Bengali and English. A film project based on the book is underway. In his translator's note to the English translation A Time Elsewhere, published by Penguin Books, Prof. Jatindra K. Nayak has the following to say about the book: It tells the story of the transformation of a traditional society under the impact of colonial rule....it seeks to construct an alternate narrative in which the colonized is not content to be only written about; he is seen as shaping his own destiny.

Genres: History

506 pages, Hardcover

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.

[Prayash Giria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Time Elsewhere is a rather offbeat narrated history of Odisha between the 1860s and early 1900s. Focusing largely on the temple town of Puri and the administrative centre of Cuttack, with occasional forays to the hinterland, it tackles several parallel arcs - British colonial administrators dealing (or not) with a crippling famine, rulers of all bents and capabilities, emerging intellectuals trying to move out of the shadow of big brother Bengal, and the beginnings of religious and caste reform. These are all rarely written about stories that help make sense of a State that has long been considered a ‘backwater’ of sorts. The book must also be appreciated for being one of the early examples of Modern Indian history written by Indians.

However, the book’s chronological focus lacks any easily understood logic and starts as abruptly as it ends. Those unacquainted with Odia culture will also struggle to appreciate the selection of historical figures the book chooses to emphasise the most. Finally, the translation itself is patchy in more than a few spots, which makes the reading experience more uneven.