Kudopali’s saga of valour takes centre stage at fair

Bhubaneswar: The New Delhi World Book Fair, which this year gives special prominence to Odisha’s Kudopali, was inaugurated by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday. This year, the book fair is being organised under the theme ‘Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom@75’.

On the occasion, a special video based on the struggle of Kudopali was screened, and the book ‘The Saga of Kudopali: The Unsung Story of 1857’ was released in 10 languages by Pradhan and other dignitaries. The languages are Spanish, Assamese, Punjabi, Malayalam, Bengali, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu editions of the book. Earlier released in Odia, English, and Hindi, the book is now available in 13 languages. The book, he said, brings to light the lesser-known chapters of the freedom struggle in Sambalpur.

Pradhan said on Dec 30, 1857, 53 freedom fighters were martyred on the battlefield of Kudopali. Later, 4 more revolutionaries were executed by hanging, taking the total number of martyrs to 57. Through today’s initiative, a strong effort was made to take the unrecognised history of Kudopali and the sacrifices of its brave freedom fighters to the national and international stage. The book will give India’s freedom struggle a new identity in the global arena and enable the younger generation to learn about the valour and sacrifices of their own land, he added.

Kudopali of Sambalpur is not merely a place but a shining symbol of India’s freedom movement. During the 1857 uprising, this land of Odisha witnessed an indomitable struggle against British rule, which is now set to gain global recognition. Veer Surendra Sai was the chief architect of this historic struggle, under whose leadership a mass anti-British movement swept the region. Along with Chhabila Sai, Surendra Sai’s brother Udanta Sai and his uncle Balaram Singh played significant roles in strengthening the movement.

For decades, this history remained confined to local folk songs. Now, through the efforts of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and the National Book Trust, this forgotten story gained global recognition, the Union minister said.

The book fair was attended by Qatar’s minister of Culture HE Al Rayyan bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, India’s Ambassador to Qatar HJ Al Zabi, and Director General of Books, Ministry of Culture, Spain, Maria José Gálvez, among others, who paid tribute to this heroic saga of India’s freedom struggle.