Among the few literary icons who had galvanised people against the British government by their fiery, forceful writings, Banchhanidhi Mohanty occupies a place of rare distinction. Jatiya Kabi Banchhanidhi Mohanty was born on 20th April 1897 at Raktatirtha Eram, near Basudevpur, in the district of Bhadrak. Eram, a small village situated on the coast of Bay of Bengal, is predominantly inhabitated by the fishing community, farmers and other marginalised sections of the society. These poor unlettered people were severely exploited by the Zamindars. They were exorbitantly taxed and in the event of their inability to pay, ruthlessly tortured. Chintamani Mohanty father of Banchhanidhi Mohanty, vehemently protested against such oppressive measures, for which he too was inhumanly treated. The ignominy suffered at the hands of the Zamindars left him with no other option but to quit his job. He purchased a piece of land at Bankasahi, Bhadrak and built a house thereon. Here he started his profession as “Moharir” besides providing better education for his children. After creditably passing matriculation from Bhadrak High School in 1912, Banchhanidhi Mohanty passed F.A.(Intermediate) from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. During this period he got himself associated with various student agitations and vowed to liberate motherland India from the clutches of alien rule. Here he came in close contact with Kabimanjula Krushna Prasad Basu, his hostel-mate. This association ignited his poetic talent. His acquaintance with Kanta-kabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra and Gobind Surdeo blossomed into intimacy, during the period he was doing his B.A.. Needless to say, Banchhanidhi Mohanty, Laxmikanta Mohapatra and Gobind Surdeo are the blazing stars on the literary firmament of Odisha.

The utter helpnessness of the common people and the indignity faced by his father deeply disturbed the tender and sensitive mind of Banchhanidhi Mohanty. It ignited his latent revolutionary spirit, which took wings of fire in the days to come.

While continuing his law education, he was expelled from college for agitating against despotic foreign rule. He drew inspiration from Gandhiji, Swami Vivekananda and Pandit Gopabandhu, stalwarts of Indian freedom movement. He worked for a while as the Headmaster of Bhadrak Survey School and won the love and appreciation of all as an ideal guru. He also had a short stint as a teacher of Bhadrak High School, where Harekrushna Mahatab was one of his students. He gave up teaching profession to don the post of the Chairman of Bhadrak Local Board and earned accolades from all quarters for his selfless, dedicated service to the society. Literary pursuit, teaching, social service, above all, service of motherland was the goal and ideal of his life. He firmly believed that it was only by ridding society of supurstition and prejudice, total Swarajya (Self-Rule) could be attained and the pace of freedom movement hastened. Banchhanidhi Mohanty was not only a revolutionary but also an accomplished musician. He set his songs into lilting tunes and the frenzied freedom fighters moved from village to village, chanting his fiery soul stirring patriotic compositions to awaken people against the oppressive Britishers. Banchhnidhi Mohanty was jailed on 7th July 1922 (Vide case record 57, page-55) for organising a secret conclave at Eidgah Maidan, Kuansh, Bhadrak, attended by Pandit Gopabandhu Das and local leaders, to prepare future action plan to drive away Britishers from the Indian soil. This illustrious son of India breathed his last on 19th April 1938, much before India’s liberation from foreign rule, at the age of 41 years only. During this short span of time, the glory that he earned in the domain of literature, freedom movement, selfless service of motherland and teaching is unparalleled. Banchhanidhi Mohanty, indefatigible freedom fighter, a literary stalwart, a committed social reformer has made a niche for himself in the hearts and minds of his countrymen. This revolutionary poet of Odisha has been aptly compared with Quazi Nazrul Islam, the illustrious revolutionary poet of Bengal.