Utkal Gourab's ancestral house set to get a facelift

CUTTACK: After being neglected for decades, the ancestral house of Madhusudan Das is finally set for a makeover.
The state government has decided to preserve the ancestral house of Das, better known as Utkal Gourab, at Satyabhamapur village around 30 km from Cuttack. The task of restoration and conservation of the structure of the house has been entrusted to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach).
The government informed the Intach officials about its decision earlier this week. The national trust has already started preparing a project proposal for the conservation of the ancestral house.
"The government has asked us to complete the project report before April 27, as April 28 is the birth anniversary of Madhu babu and the government plans to announce the project on that day," said Mallika Mitra, the director of Intach, Bhubaneswar.
Intach plans to restore the original glory of the house and convert it into a tourist destination. "The proposal includes restoration of Madhu babu's house, beautification and landscaping of the area and providing public utilities to attract tourists," said Mitra. Madhusudan Das was born at Satyabhamapur villager under Salepur block in Cuttack district on April 28, 1848. The room where Madhu babu was born and his kitchen are in ruins. The two ponds that he and his family members used are also in a very bad shape and some household items used by the great leader are also decaying because of lack of maintenance.
"The house is in a dilapidated condition, ponds are covered with moss because of lack of maintenance. Our first priority will be to renovate all this," a senior Intach official said.
Local villagers and people from different sections of society have been urging the state government for a long time to take immediate steps to renovate the house of Madhusudan before it collapses.
Madhusudan Das was a great social reformer, poet and a lawyer. He was the founder of Utkal Samillani and played a major role in the formation of Orissa as a separate state. After spending his early life at Satyabhamapur, he moved to Calcutta for higher studies. After returning to Orissa from Calcutta in 1881, he started legal practice in Cuttack and stayed here for a long time.