Matrubhoomi Matrubhasha ra Mamata

Incident 1: Shifted to a new house.
My neighbor asked me: Kahan se ho aap?
Me: Odisha.
She: Kolkata k pass hai kya ye jagah?
Incident 2: Joined a new project.
When my colleague heard me talking to my father over the phone, he asked – Are you speaking in Odisha?
Incident 3: Boarded a cab for the airport.
Driver : Kahan se ho madam aap?
Me: Odisha.
He : Odisha.. wahan sab kaisa hai.. kabhi news naam ata nahi hai utna.
The list goes on. 

My heart aches, my soul pains whenever someone asks me such questions –

• What is Odisha? A state?
• Ye Jagannath Puri ka naam suna hai bas.
• Odisha, Bhubaneswar mein hai kya?
• Kahan hai Odisha ? Bangal k pass ?
• Is Odia language the same as Bengali?
• Bengali cuisine toh suna hai, Odia walon ka same hi hoga. Kuch alag hai kya tum logon ka? etc.. etc..

Now I have a few questions for my fellow Odias:

• Where have we failed our motherland?
• Why are we not able to create an identity for ourselves?
• Why are we been always marked as ‘tag along’ with Bengal?
• Why is our next generation not interested in introducing themselves as Odia?

Quoting the famous Odia poet, Swabhaba Kabi Gangadhar Meher : 

Matrubhoomi Matrubhasha ra Mamata Jaa Hrude Janami Nahin,

Taku Jebe Gyani Ganare Ganiba, Agyani Rahibe Kahin.

 I strongly feel that this has to start in our home : 

• Sharing our proud history with our family and friends.
• Speaking Odia language at home.
• Knowing and celebrating our festivals in the ‘Odia way’.
• Cooking Odia cuisines at home at least one dish per day.
• Promoting our tourist places.
• Promoting our handloom and handicrafts. 

It is high time; we take a stand and act upon preserving our traditions, culture, and language. If we do not, then in the subsequent years, our identity as an Odia will be at stake.

P.S. - This is my personal experience and feelings, I do not mean any offense to anyone.