By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today inaugurated the ‘New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2026’ at Bharat Mandapam. This year’s fair has given special emphasis to ‘Kudopali’, an unexplored chapter of Odisha’s 1857 struggle.
On this occasion, a special video on the struggle of Kudopali was shown and the book “‘The Saga of Kudopali: The Unsung Story of 1857” was launched in 10 regional languages including Spanish. Shri Pradhan and other guests launched the book in a total of 10 languages including Spanish, Bengali, Punjabi, Assamese, Malayalam, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu. This book, which was earlier launched in Odia, English and Hindi, is now available in a total of 13 languages. The launch of the book, especially in an international language like Spanish, is a great success in bringing the history of Odisha to the European readers.
Shri Pradhan said that on December 30, 1857, 53 freedom fighters were martyred in the Kudopali battlefield. Later, four more freedom fighters were hanged. Thus, 57 freedom fighters were martyred. Through today’s initiative, a strong effort has been made to bring the untold history of Kudopali and the sacrifices of the brave freedom fighters to the national and international level. The release of this book will give a new identity to the history of freedom fighters of India in the world. He said that through this initiative, the children of the new generation will get the opportunity to know about the bravery and struggle of their country.
Kudopali in Sambalpur is not just a place, but a shining symbol of the Indian freedom struggle. During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, this land of Odisha witnessed an invincible struggle against the British rule, which is now gaining new recognition in the world court. After his release from Hazaribagh jail on July 30, 1857, Veer Surendra Sai returned to Sambalpur. With the unwavering support of the people, he prepared a strategy of ‘Ulgulan’ (guerrilla warfare) against the British. The fighters made Kudopali, which is just 4 miles away from Sambalpur, their main center. Due to its hilly geographical location, it was easy to monitor the enemy’s movements from there. On December 17, 1857, the fighters defeated the first attack of the British army by rolling huge stones from the hill. This victory completely shattered the British rule. The British army plotted and pretended to retreat. As soon as the fighters descended the hill, they were attacked by a surprise attack. In this battle, Surendra Sai’s fourth brother, Rivesel Sai, fought bravely and was martyred. A total of 57 brave soldiers were martyred in Kudopali land, 53 in battle and 4 by hanging. This incident, instead of weakening the struggle, intensified it, which was later avenged in the battle of Pahadsrigida.
The main leader of this historic struggle of Sambalpur was Veer Surendra Sai, under whose leadership the anti-British mass movement arose in the entire region. Surendra Sai’s fourth brother Rivesel Sai was martyred in the bloody battle of Kudopali by showing the utmost bravery. Along with him, Surendra’s other brother Udantha Sai and uncle Balaram Singh played a prominent role in strengthening this movement. Among the 57 brave children who soaked the land of Kudopali with their blood were Krishnachandra Singh Nayak, the son of the Kulabira Zamindar, the militant Sahabi Srikrishna Behera and Balabhadra Das Birtia, the Gauntia of Patnapali. The combined sacrifice and sacrifice of these brave sons has given Kudopali the status of a holy blood shrine in the history of Indian independence.
For many years, this history was confined to local folk songs. Now, through the efforts of ICHR and the National Book Trust, this forgotten story is being published in 13 languages through the book ‘The Saga of Kudopali’ and is gaining global recognition. There are plans to build a magnificent martyrs’ memorial in Kudopali, which will be a true tribute to the nation’s freedom fighters.
Notably, Qatar’s Minister of Culture His Excellency A.R. bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s Ambassador to India H.J. Al Jaber, and the Director General of Books of the Spanish Ministry of Culture Ms. María José Gálvez were prominently present at this New Delhi World Book Fair to pay tribute to this Indian activist.
