Paika Rebellion: Telugu Movie Raises Odisha’s Hackles

Bhubaneswar: People of Odisha are justifiably angry with Chiranjeevi. The Telugu superstar’s upcoming historical flick Sye Raa on the life of freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy has claimed that he led the first revolt against the British Empire. This is in gross contradiction to the history of the 1817 Paika Rebellion in Odisha, which is widely recognised as the First War of Independence against the Colonial rule.

Besides the people, even the Odisha government is not happy with the claim. According to officials, the state government will soon move the Centre to reiterate its demand that the Paika Rebellion be recognised as the First War of Independence. Culture Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi will also write a letter in this connection, the officials added.

Secretary, Culture, Manoranjan Panigrahi told Odisha Bytes: “We are in seize of the matter and would take it up with the Union Information and Boardcasting Minister shortly. We might also move the Andhra Pradesh government and Censor Board.”

The 1817 Paika Rebellion has already found place in NCERT textbooks as part of the freedom struggle, he said, adding, Odisha’s demand that it be identified as the First War of Independence is under the central government’s consideration since 2017. “What we have learnt is that the trailer of the yet-to-be released Telegu film is about a peasant movement of 1846. The Paika Rebellion took place nearly decades prior to it. So there is no way it can be considered as the First War Of Independence,” he added.

History Stands Corrected

On October 22, 2017, Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar had announced that the Paika Rebellion of 1817 (also known as Paika Bidroha) will be known as the “First War of Independence” in India’s history. And it will be incorporated as such in history books from the next academic year.

“Paika Bidroha will find a place as the First War of Independence against the British Rule in history texts. The students should learn the factual history of 1817,” Javadekar had said while attending a function to mark the bicentenary of Paika Rebellion in Bhubaneswar.

The Union government has also allocated Rs 200 crore to mark the occasion across the country.

On September 7, the Odisha government also provided 10 acres of land for the construction of a Paika Bidroha memorial in the Barunei foothills at Khurda.

Movie Fiction & Fact

Made with a whopping budget of Rs. 150 crore, the forthcoming Telugu movie boats of an impressive star cast, including Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Nayanthara, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sudeep, Vijay Sethupathi and Jagapathi Babu and grand visuals. It will hit theatres on October 2.

Narasimha Reddy was a 19th century hero who led the first rebellion in Andhra Pradesh against British rule in 1846. At that time, 5,000 farmers stood against the might of East India Company. Reddy, the polygar (chieftain) of Koilkuntala, threw a challenge at the British after they tried to remove the privileges accorded to polygars. Reddy was a descendant of a polygar family, which survived on a paltry pension provided as relief to the families of disposed rajas and polygars.

K Venugopal Reddy, professor of history at the University of Pondicherry, in his book ‘Dominance and Resistance: A study of Narasimha Reddy’s revolt in Andhra Pradesh’, writes: “Their (polygar) faith in the goodness of the government was shaken by the new regulations pertaining to their inheritance, leaving the families in anxiety…The village chieftains, who were everything for the village community, were clearly upset with the discontinuances in their ancient privileges.”

Check The Date

On the other hand, the Paikas had briefly shaken the foundation of the British rule in the eastern part of India with their armed revolt under the leadership of Baxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhara Mohapatra as early as 1817.

Speaking to the media earlier, Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan, who hails from Odisha, had said that Paika Bidroha was a prominent event in the history of Indian revolution against the British. He, however, refused to fuel a controversy by speaking further on the issue.

Harichandan’s own party colleague and BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda was more forthcoming. “Paika Rebellion is considered to be the first such revolt against the British and it is there in written form,” he asserted.

As for historians in Odisha, they claimed that the Telugu movie may create confusion in the minds of young students regarding the history of India’s Independence.

Following Odisha’s demand, certain other states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have highlighted local uprisings predating the Paika Bidroha and claimed that those could be granted the first war of independence tag. The Centre is yet to declare its view on this matter.