Nabakrushna Choudhuri - First Imprisonment

First Imprisonment

Came the Lavana Satyagraha in 1920. This was in response to the Law enacted by the British to disallow the people to get salt out of seawater in the coastal areas of Gujarat and Odisha. Inchudi in Odisha came to limelight. Srijang was equally active in another area – the movement against payment of Tax for Chowkidari. Nabababu was the frontline leader in this movement, for which he was behind the bars for four months. This was the first imprisonment for him, for which he did not regret at all. He utilized the prison time in studies and in organising games and gymnastics for his fellow prisoners. In 1931 a son was born to him. By that time, Gopabandhu Choudhury and his entire family were in the jail. All of them were transferred to Hazaribag Jail. Nabababu got the opportunity of meeting Minoo Masani, Ashok Mehta, Yusuf Mehrali and Jayaprakash Narayan, and shared with them his thoughts on the freedom struggle and the struggle of the poor to have two square meals a day. Surendranath Dwivedy, Rabindra Mohan Das, and Nabababu’s close friend, Bhagawati Panigrahi were there to be guided by his plans.

Nabababu came to Tarikund after being released from Hazaribag Jail. He created a small group within the Congress and began editing and publishing a journal named ‘Sarathi’. For meeting the recurring costs of ‘Sarathi’, Malati Devi sold her ornaments. ‘Sarathi’ was the mouthpiece of small farmers and labourers.

When the Congress Socialist Party was formed in India with Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Narendra Dev and Jayaprakash Narayan as its founders, Nabababu’s small group was merged in this. The Navayuga Sahitya Sansad was organized at his instance. Its aim was to create progressive literature in Odisha.