New Delhi: Paying rich tributes to Fakir
Mohan Senapati, whom many credit with creating a distinct
identity for Oriyas, Minister of State for Statistics and
Programme Implementation Srikant Jena today said it was due to
Senapati that the Oriya language got its due.
"If I am a proud Indian, I am also a proud Oriya. And I
am a proud Oriya because of Faqir Mohan Senapati," Jena said
at a function here to mark the launch of the Fakir Mohan
Foundation.
"He not only proved that Oriya is a language but a rich
language. Oriya language is the only language in India which
is gender neutral. Any other language which you speak is
gender centric," Jena said.
He also recounted the way Senapati started his printing
press in Balasore, bringing the necessary equipment with great
difficulty from Midnapore and susequently from Kolkata in a
bullock cart and launching the first magazine in Oriya.
Describing him as a very able administrator, Jena said
Senapati had played a key role in the creation of Orissa.
"He was a versatile personality and every Oriya is proud
of Fakir Mohan Senapati," Jena added.
Fakirmohan Senapati is regarded as the father of Oriya
nationalism and the modern Oriya literature.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 00:45