Odia National Character -Notional Characterization Or More?

The caption of this piece is as intriguing as the so-called Odia national character. But, before delving into this interesting but uncommon topic, a few caveats may be put forth which are as under. 

Firstly, India is our nation and the use of the word ‘national’ for Odias is due to the absence of any other suitable term for the same. Secondly, the assumption that a community of more than 40 million would have some common behavioural characteristics is generalization at the best and labelling at the worst. 

Having said the above, it would still be interesting to look for common behavioural patterns among us Odias as also to study impressions and notions of non-Odias about Odias as a community.  

There is very little data available in the public domain as far as the topic of this piece is concerned.  That might be due to two reasons. The topic might not have attracted the attention of researchers because of its supposed ‘irrelevance' or the ‘sensitiveness’ of the subject or may be due to both.

Broadly, there are two sets of impressions or notions. First, what we Odias think about ourselves and second, what non-Odias think about us.

Talking about our national characteristics, the first thing that comes to the mind is the supposedly laid-back attitude or lack of ambitions in the vast majority of Odias. It’s a common notion that a large percentage of Odias lack the killer instinct to make it big by dint of hard work. They would prefer to stay at their native places and earn less than take the pain of moving out of their comfort zone to achieve greater financial and professional success. This was a problem before. But it has been aggravated by the provision of food grains (read rice) at a nominal price by the state government since the last many years. 

Secondly, there is wide prevalence of a certain sense of ‘inferiority complex’ among a good number of Odias with regard to their identity. There is widespread poverty among the vast populace of the state, especially in the interiors. Odisha has consistently been placed among the poorer states of the country since ages. In spite of various steps taken by the central government as well as the state government, there hasn’t been much perceivable progress on that front. In this connection, the author of this piece would like to share an anecdote as under. 

I spent more than 13 years in Mumbai out of which I was working for a public sector bank for about 8 years. Some 9 years back, one of my colleagues, who happens to be a Maharashtrian, sought my help for his impending visit to Odisha (mainly the golden triangle of Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark). As an enthusiastic self-proclaimed ambassador of my state, I facilitated his visit by preparing his travel plan and booking hotel rooms etc. Once he went back to Mumbai, I asked him about his trip. He was effusive in his praise for the people of Odisha and the tourist/religious spots. However, at the end, he stated with a sullen face that “But, there is too much poverty.” His statement devastated me. The thought that immediately crossed my mind was that if this gentleman is dejected with the level of poverty in the supposedly more prosperous coastal belt of the state, what would have been his impression if he had visited some of the interior districts where poverty is more widespread. Well, this is not the end of the story. Another ex-colleague of mine (both of us have retired from the organization), a Bengali gentleman, had come for a visit to Puri and other places about 6 months back. While chitchatting with him, he again made the same statement about the widespread poverty seen by him during his travel through the coastal belt. I experienced a sense of déjà vu and had no other option than to grudgingly admit that fact. 

Another area where many Odias, while interacting with non-Odias, harbour a sense of inferiority is our language, Odia. Many Odias outside Odisha and out of the country tend to speak in Hindi (notwithstanding the lousy accent that most of them carry due to Mother Tongue Influence or MTI) while communicating with their family members and fellow-Odias. This author has had the experience of local taxi drivers at the Biju Pattnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar answering him in broken Hindi to enquiries posed in Odia. 

Another negative impression carried about the Odias is that they would not settle for a lighter spread for lunch and spend a fortune on food (mainly non-vegetarian) rather than keep aside a substantial sum out of their income for recreational/aesthetic indulgences like travelling or enjoying various forms of art. By the way, Odisha is among those few states which have more than 95% of their populations identifying them as non-vegetarians, as per various surveys available in the public domain. 

Contrary to the above-mentioned negative characteristics among the vast numbers of our community, we Odias have many qualities to be justifiably proud of. 

The ugly disease of casteism is almost absent in the political arena of the state. This is an enviable feature considering the toxic mix of caste and politics in most other states. 

Most Odia Hindus are religious and traditional in a positive sense. The overriding faith in Lord Jagannath keeps most Odias moored to the ground. Many non-Odias vouch for that in public forums like Quora. 

Another praiseworthy trait eulogized by many non-Odias in public as also in private is the comparatively simple and non-crooked nature of Odias. A number of compliments about this nature of most Odias are to be found in the internet. This may be another side of the negative trait of non-ambitiousness of most Odias, but a positive quality nonetheless from the point of view of non-Odias who have interacted personally and professionally with Odias.

Coming to the supposed reluctance of most Odias to go out of their area/state to make a better living, this is changing. This author has found Odias working in modest professions as plumbers, waiters and chauffeurs in diverse places viz. metros like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi and small non-descript places like Harihareshwar in Konkan region of Maharashtra.  

Odisha and its inhabitants have much to boast of. If only most Odias can shed their sense of complacency, be justifiably proud of our identity and not shirk from hard work, we can go places. As it has been said, success lies outside one’s comfort zone.

(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.