Industrialisation of a Bimarou State; A Post Colonial Odisha Chapter (1946-80) Dr. Prasant Kumar Pradhan Lect.in Hist. U.N. (Auto.) College of Sc. & Tech. Adaspur, Cuttack, Odisha Ashish Bose, an eminent demographer of India, coined the term BIMARU when presenting a paper to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi referring to the four grossly under- developed states of (undivided) Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the 1980s. Later Odisha (Orissa by that time) was also included in the group making the term BIMAROU. 1 Odisha remained a Bimar or a sick province when it was under British occupation. 2 In 1947 Odisha, as a part of India, got independence from both the native Indians and the foreigners after centuries of colonialism. It not only achieved independence from the British, but also from the long domination of the neighbouring people. For the first time, after nearly 380 years, only the natives could be visible in regional political scene, and the new expanded province, created by the merger of 25 princely states by 1947, started its own journey with a big hope to achieve stability and prosperity. A very backward state started preparations to cure its own illness of poverty and achieve a respectable status in the national scenario. Colonial Legacy By 1947 Odisha was one of the poorest regions of the country. It had neither local entrepreneurs nor business enterprisers. It had no proper banking system, no industry of repute, and most pitiably, no sign of development in agriculture. Child mortality was pretty high, and people living below poverty line were one of the highest in India. Entire region was almost devoid of commercial aptitude. Landed gentries were almost incapable, having no interest in the development of agriculture. Traditional elites of the region had a very limited sense of wisdom about modern industry and industrialisation except Madhusudan Das 3 , the father of modern Odia identity, who had a strong vision to industrialise Odisha to elevate the masses to prosperity. The kings of different princely states had no interest in investing in commercial enterprises. Actually they became irresponsible finding no responsibility to perform. Unfortunately, England, the most industrialised nation of the world, knowingly avoided industrialising its most important colony India in a true sense, and Odisha being divided politically and being an appendix of Bengal, lost its identity and status to attract the attention of the colonialists. Divided Odias became minorities everywhere. The British unearthed the mines of Odisha and transferred rich minerals to its factories. Before the coming of the British, the neighbouring Indian powers had thoroughly plundered and neglected the locals. By the middle of the 19 th century Odisha’s dependency on the non-Odia landlords and the feudal non-Odia bureaucracy as well as the British paramountcy killed the basic vitals of the region. Both the foreigners and the natives became the cause of Odia impoverishment and helplessness in the system of ‘Dependency’ 4 . We can call the situation ‘Double Dependency’. England became a core country for India and the advanced neighbouring Indian regions became core regions for Odisha. Odisha became a ‘lagging region’ 5 meant for only primary production to strengthen the colonial establishments as well as to feed the non-Odia landlords and government servants who hated the locals. Industrialisation in Pre-British Period and a Way of Prosperity