Kuntala Kumari Sabat
No doubt, Kuntala Kumari had a lot of patriotic fervour in her. She had derived a special pride in herself by portraying Gandhi, Nehru and the spinning wheel in her lucid poems. This instilled a lot of confidence to visualise a free India through the veil of the darkened British rule. She was imbibed with the true spirit of a colonial poet’s vision to awaken public consciousness like Bankim’s immortal Bengali song. The Oriya youths plunged headlong into the noncooperation movement being addicted to her war songs. It ignited the sparks in them spontaneously, so to say rapidly. Although Kuntala Kumari had a brief span of life time of thirty eight years, her creations outlived her to pioneer the cause of rooting out British misrule in India. She composed beautiful numerous patriotic poems and songs. Her first collection of poems came out in 1922. Then it was followed by ‘Uchhwas’ – 1924, ‘Archana’ – 1927, ‘Sphulinga’ – 1929, ‘Ahwan’ – 1930, ‘Prem Chintamani’ – 1930, ‘Oriyanka Kandana’ – 1937, ‘Garjat Krishaka’ – 1939.4 Her love for man, nature and nation is reflected in her poems. She had a deep hatred for superstitions and conventions, raised her voice against high and mighty. She always tried to protest against injustice and inequalities. She renounced the heartless religious dogmas and practices. She comprehended the image of glorious past of Orissa. At times it carries the romantic strain of love for liberty, equality and fraternity.