SALEPUR:After years of neglect, the ancestral houses of Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das at Satyabhamapur village in Salepur block have been refurbished.
Madhubabu was one of the prominent architects of modern Odisha. He was the first Odia to complete Bachelor in Arts. He worked untiringly for the political, social and economical upliftment of the people of the State and is credited for enriching the Odia literature.
Madhubabu owned two houses in Satyabhamapur village. While one building is used by an NGO, Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (KGNMT), to run an orphanage and a maternity centre, another is in possession of NGO Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.
After repeated requests by locals, the Culture Department roped in the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) which recently finished repairing and refurbishing of both the buildings and the ‘Antudi Shala’ (a thatched house where Madhubabu was born). The thatched house has been renovated completely.
Madhubabu had to face stiff resistance from society after he converted to Christianity. Following public outcry, he shifted to Purusottampur, a place situated adjacent to his native village. The building at Purusottampur has also been occupied by KGNMT which is running a Balbadi (pre-school) centre.
Meanwhile, the locals have formed Madhu Smruti Committee to preserve the remnants of Madhubabu and celebrate his birth and death anniversaries at Satyabhamapur.
Most of the homestead land and household properties owned by him were sold by one Upendra Das long back. Das was the foster brother of Rama Devi, the niece of Madhubabu.
The members of this committee have appealed to the Government to take over the personal belongings of Madhubabu and preserve those by constructing a museum at Satyabhamapur.