Live For Odisha 4.25

“Live for Odisha” is a non-profit, voluntary social welfare organization, whose vision is to safeguard and uphold the dignity, respect & glory of Odisha, Odia Bhasa and people of Odisha as a whole. It is an open society that works with a wide range of individuals, communities and organization to promote knowledge and understanding of Odia arts, literature, language and cultural values of Odisha. Friends, Odisha is well known for its rich culture, history, heritage, tourism and natural resources. But, despite being rich with abundant natural resources like mineral wealth, forests, lakes, rivers and a long coast-line, Odisha is still positioned on the top of the poorest state list in india. When a small country like Japan and European and Gulf countries have marked their name in the economy despite having no significant natural resources, then why is Odisha poor having so much? When Indian private sectors and overseas industries are importing coal, iron ore, bauxite, manganese from Odisha, why Odisha is unable to utilize its resources on its own.
What is the reason behind this? It is corruption? It is lack of vision? Is it lack of genuine effort? It is lack of technology? Is it political paralysis? Is is lack of youth participation in the development of Odisha or something else? Friends, we all know the answer. We know there is no overnight or straightforward solution to all these problems. But one thing is for sure – “If Odisha is poor today, as an Odia, we all are responsible for it”. Now the time has come for a change. Today we would like to appeal, specifically to the youth of Odisha to look into the glorious history of Odisha. You will realize – “We were not always poor.” You will realize - “We are not poor, but have been kept poor.”
Dear friends, don’t take anything for granted. It is the same Odisha which was called “Utkala” due to its excellent opulence of artists and art. Odisha has a glorious tradition of its art, culture, sculpture and religion in the whole of India from very ancient times. Its vast empire, once spread from Ganges to Godavari, and indomitable courage shown by Odias in the famous Kalinga War has been mentioned in the golden letters in history. Often called the beauty queen of the East, Odisha was known far and wide for the heroic deeds, maritime trade and over-sea expansion of its people. We were pioneer and founder of Indian colonies across the oceans. The culture which is in our blood has shown the unique braveness of Baji Rout – The youngest martyr of India, the self-sacrifice of Dharmapada – who sacrificed his life to save the lives of twelve hundred craftsmen, the selfless service of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, the indomitable patriotism of Netaji and many more. Our land has given its diamond thoughts to the outside nations. Our land has transformed a merciless, atrocious, and barbaric Chandashoka into Dharmashoka. Yes... for more and more reasons, Odisha is rightly called the land of religion, virtue and peace.
Friends, “Live for Odisha” has a vision – “To restore the lost glory of Odisha and make a better Odisha”. Friends, we don’t believe in pompous dialogues and cheap promises. We know the type of changes our organization wants in Odisha is not possible in a few days or within a couple of years. But one promise we would like to make is, we will definitely take initiatives and we will strive to reach our goal. Currently we are focusing on spreading awareness and fight against some of the social evils in Odisha that still prevail like; Illiteracy, Female Feticides, Gender Inequality, Superstitions, Dowry, Corruption etc., primarily concentrating on Illiteracy. Our organization has already started its endeavor to promote education in remote area of the state where meritorious students are finding it hard to pursue higher education because of lack of funds and proper guidance. “Live for Odisha” is not a mere organization but and open society. You all are whole-heartedly welcomes to be a part of it. We urge you to think a bit for our Odisha, which has given a lot to us since our childhood. Let’s dream for a better Odisha.