Cuttack Days

S Balakrishnan *

Netaji House - Then

Netaji House - Now

Life in Cuttack 40 years ago in 1983 was simple; of course it had to be simple because the monthly salary was just 681 rupees! That comes to a great 22 rupees per day! While even for a bachelor it was a hand-to-mouth existence, I wonder how my colleagues, who were family men, managed to survive. I did not smoke or drink but the urge for travelling & photography was perhaps eating into my meager earnings.

Also, I loved watching good movies. So, life went on like this for three years (1980-83) in the good old Cuttack. Yes, good old Cuttack because this city was the capital since good olden days and until independence when Bhubaneswar became the new capital city. Cuttack is now the Old Capital and also the cultural capital of Odisha.

Life in the bachelors’ den of YMCA was enjoyable. There were good and intelligent friends. My Central Government office (Press Information Bureau -PIB) was situated in the Old Secretariat complex that was a walking distance from YMCA.

Our office was formerly the Chief Minister’s chamber; unbelievably cramped! The complex was in a rotten state, having lost its past glory. To my surprise, it was still existing 35 years later in 2018 with additions, though our office had been shifted to the new capital city. YMCA had also undergone drastic changes.

Barabati Fort - Then

Barabati Fort - Now

My favourite cycling spot was along the Kathajhodi River, a distributary of the great Mahanadhi River. Actually, Mahanadhi bifurcates into two and surrounds Cuttack, making it appear like a vast island.

I so much loved cycling along the shady river bank in the early mornings, full moon nights and during winter season; it was heavenly - very peaceful & pleasant, with the waves splashing at the bank! (Don’t ask me if I had ever gone to heaven, though I hope to get a berth there.)

It was an unpleasant sight to see the river recede a mile or so from the bank. I had cycled up to Bhubaneswar (35 kms.) to see its Hindu temples and Jain caves, on a week-long trip. While in Orissa (it was Orissa then, not renamed Odisha), my craze for travelling took me to the Hindu Golden Triangle of Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar, and the historical Dhaulagiri where Emperor Ashoka fought the Kalinga war and later embraced Buddhism seeing the devastating post-war scenario.

There is also this Buddhist Diamond Triangle of Lalitagiri, Udyagiri and Ratnagiri which was so deserted even in 2018 during my revisit. Then one can imagine the position back in 1981; the loneliness was so scary that I returned without clicking even a single photo. Alas, there was so much to travel and see in Orissa but time and money did not permit to travel widely!

Cuttack Rly. Station

Cuttack provided the opportunity to witness Durga Puja, Ganesh Puja and Kali Puja in full splendor, but it had a tinge of communal tension as well. Known for arts & crafts, the idols were so lovely.

Bali Jathra is a unique festival of Odisha, celebrated on Karthik Poornima. It recalls the sea trade of Kalinga with Bali in the past. A fair is held and Karthik idols are taken out in procession after worship. Cuttack is famous for its delicate silver filigree work.

Cuttack satiated my hunger for classic Hindi movies. I was mesmerized by Nagin, Jis desh mein Ganga behti hai, Bhabhi ki chudiyan, etc. Odiya films were rare and ‘Ma O Mamta’ was the only Odiya film I could see then.

The first film festival I enjoyed was also in Cuttack. As Telugu people lived in considerable number in Cuttack city, Telugu movies were screened in one particular theatre regularly, where I saw some good, no-so-good Telugu movies to kill my lonely evenings. It had turned into a parking lot in 2018.

I still remember the little bit of Odia language that I picked up during my 3-year stint in Cuttack, before moving on to Gangtok in Sikkim. Odia and Bengali languages sound somewhat similar. The taste of the locally famous ‘kakara pitha’ sweet also lingers in my mouth.