Friends, we are seeking the opinion of netizens from Berhampur on their preferred day which all of us can celebrate as “Berhampur Day” every year – a notional birthday for our city. This day will help us reflect on the history and culture of this lovely city, recall the immense contributions made by Berhampurians in the past and recognize the young talent of Berhampur which has earned a name for itself in India and beyond. So, why wait for the Government to recognize the history and culture of our city? If they recognize it and celebrate the day on their own then it is always welcome. But, to begin with we can do this by selecting the particular day that we can call the “Berhampur Day”. May be in the years to come this day can become an occasion for Berhampurians from across the globe to assemble on that particular day and spare some time for their place of birth that will inspire the present generation to take this legacy forward. The challenge however lies in selecting a day which most would associate with the city and its culture. Though the origin of Berhampur city dates back to the 16th Century (historians suggest that Nrusingha Chaturdasi was the day) and the city has completed 400 years of its existence but we cannot be sure about the particular day in the English calendar when a sleepy Brahmapalli transformed into Berhampur or Brahmapur of today that millions recognize as a city of the future. Your opinion on this is most welcome.
(Please forward this to you friends so that we can take the opinion of maximum number of Berhampurians to select this very important day)
Which of the following you think is the most suitable day to be celebrated every year as “Berhampur Day”?
A) Nrusingha Janma day (April-May). Brahmapalli or present Berhmpur came into prominence around 400 years ago (Birthday of Lord Nrusingha is observed on Baisakha Sukla Chaturdasi i.e. the 14th day of the bright fortnight of Baisakha).
B) 29th March (Mahatma Gandhi reached Berhampur on this day in 1921. This is also the day on which Tribal leader of South Odisha and Great Freedom fighter Saheed Laxman Nayak laid his life and he was hanged at Berhampur Central Jail in 1943).
C) 11th April (The annual conference of the Ganjam Jatiya Samiti was held at Utkal Ashram in Berhampur on April 11, 1903 leading to the birth of Utkal Sammilani. This conference laid the foundation of the formation of modern Odisha state. The month of April is also the time of the year when Berhampur comes alive for the biennial Thakurani yatra and the annual Danda Yatra).
D) 29th December (Berhampur became a Municipal Corporation on this day in 2008)
E) Any other day (with justification)
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Thanks for the initiative. In my opinion 29th of December is the more appropriate from the dates suggested by you. However, I feel that if we can dig out the date on which Berhampur became a municipality (perhaps oldest in the state), we can celebrate that day as Berhampur Day. I am for that day as the present identity of Berhampur as an urban centres and identity of Berhampurians as citizens of Berhampur may be traced back to our love for the city even when it was not a Municipal Corporation.
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