Surendra Sai: Difference between revisions

{{Lead|date=August 2020}}

In 1827 ruler of Sambalpur , Raja Maharaja Sai died without an heir.<ref name="Mishra 1983 p.101 ">{{cite book | last=Mishra | first=P.K. | title=Political Unrest in Orissa in the 19th Century: Anti-British, Anti-feudal, and Agrarian Risings | publisher=Punthi Pustak | series=Indische Studien | year=1983 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PUdAAAAMAAJ | access-date=2020-08-04 | page=101}}</ref>The British Government installed his widow Rani Mohan Kumari as the ruler of the state.This was against the established norms where only the male rulers were acceptable to the population.As a result of which disturbance broke out and conflict increased between the recognised ruler and other claimants for the throne of Sambalpur.<ref name="Ghosh Law Research Institute 1987 p. 132">{{cite book | last1=Ghosh | first1=S. | last2=Law Research Institute | first2=Calcutta | title=Law Enforcement in Tribal Areas | publisher=Ashish Publishing House | year=1987 | isbn=978-81-7024-100-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ETStkm6TcwcC&pg=PA132 | access-date=2020-08-04 | page=132}}</ref> Surendra Sai being one of the descendants of the ruling clan , had the most prominent claim. In time Rani Mohan Kumari became unpopular. Her land revenue policy did not satisfy the [[Gondi people|Gond]] and [[Binjhal]] tribal zamindars and subjects who suspected loss of power to the British.<ref name="Dash 1963 p.38 ">{{cite book | last=Dash | first=A. | title=Life of Surendra Sai | publisher=Vidyapuri | year=1963 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUnRAAAAMAAJ | access-date=2020-08-04 | page=38 |quote=The rebellion was mainly centred round the strongholds of the Gonds and Binjhal Zamindars who had a feeling that their powers would be usurped by the British Government.

Sai espoused the cause of the downtrodden tribal people in Sambalpur by promoting their language and culture in response to the higher [[caste]]s and the British trying to exploit them to establish their political power in Sambalpur region. He began protesting against the British at the age of 18 in 1827. First time he was arrested in 1840 and sent to Hazaribagh Jail. <ref name="Panigrahi 1998 p.84 ">{{cite book | last=Panigrahi | first=P.K. | title=Political Elite in Tribal Society | publisher=Commonwealth Publishers | year=1998 | isbn=978-81-7169-496-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kgHtAAAAIAAJ | access-date=2020-08-04 | page=84|quote=Subsequently , in an encounter with the government troops , Surendra Sai , his brother Udwanta Sai and their uncle Balaram Singh were captured and were sentenced to life imprisonment . They were sent off to the Hazaribagh Jail in 1840 .}}</ref> He was broken out of Hazaribagh prison by the fighters during 1857 rebellion.<ref name="Omalley 2007 p. 37">{{cite book | last=O'malley | first=L.S.S. | title=Bengal District Gazetteer : Sambalpur | publisher=Concept Publishing Company | year=2007 | isbn=978-81-7268-139-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KbZc3TjdmxgC&pg=PA37 | language=en | access-date=2020-08-13 | page=37}}</ref>He moved his operations to the hilly tracts of Odisha and continued his resistance until his surrender in 1862 . Before his surrender he spent 17 years in prison at Hazaribagh and after his final arrest served a term of 20 years including his detention of 19 years in the remote [[Asirgarh]] hill fort until he died.<ref name="Orissa History Congress. Session 1979 p. 10">{{cite book | author=Orissa History Congress. Session | title=Proceedings of the Annual Session | publisher=The Congress | year=1979 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nShuAAAAMAAJ | access-date=2020-08-04 | page=10|quote=Ultimately Surendra Sai with six other political prisoners were removed to Asirgarh fort in April 1866}}</ref><ref name="Dash 1963 p.163 ">{{cite book | last=Dash | first=A. | title=Life of Surendra Sai | publisher=Vidyapuri | year=1963 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUnRAAAAMAAJ | access-date=2020-08-04 | page=163|quote=were not released on the condition that they would remain at Raipur and that Udanta Sai died there and that Surendra Sai became blind (363). From the official records, it would appear that he died a natural death in the fort of Assergarh and that was due to general debility.}}</ref>

*In 2009, The Government of Orissa changed the name of University College of Engineering the oldest engineering college of the state to [[Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology]], [[Burla, India|Burla]] in honour of this great leader.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.vssut.ac.in/institute/history.asp |title = UCE changes to VSSUT |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.is/20121227210906/http://www.vssut.ac.in/institute/history.asp |archive-date = 27 December 2012 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>