Colonial Periodicals and the Birth of a New Province

The Case of Utkal Dipika and Utkal Sahitya

Abstract

This essay will explore the intersections between the twin periodicals, Utkal Dipika edited by Gourishankar Ray [1866-1917] and Utkal Sahitya edited by Biswanath Kar [1897-1934] in terms of authorial ‘intentions’ and textual practice. Located in the larger colonial context in British India, it will argue that in course of time, these pivotal intersections resulted in the birth of a new linguistic province called Odisha in 1936, one of the first of its kind in India. It will argue that the emerging print culture, created by the native gentry, under the British Raj, led to newer forms of linguistic and cultural imaginaries in eastern India whose contours are beginning to be unravelled in recent times.