'Huge dishonour': Patnaik expresses anguish over 'omission' of Paika rebellion from NCERT book

Patnaik said Paikas came together to fight against the tyranny of foreign, colonial rule with unparalleled bravery.

Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday expressed anguish, stating that the "omission" of Paika rebellion from NCERT textbook was a "huge dishonour" to the state's heroes.

Patnaik, the chief of the opposition BJD, said the Paika rebellion was a watershed moment in Odisha's history as they fought with extraordinary courage against the oppressive British way back in 1817.

"Deeply concerned to know that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (@ncert) has dropped #Odisha’s Paika Rebellion or Paika Bidroha from its text books," he said in a post on X.

"I had urged the Govt of India many times to declare it as first war of Independence," he added.

Patnaik, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, said Paikas came together to fight against the tyranny of foreign, colonial rule with unparalleled bravery.

"The omission of the epic rebellion from NCERT text books, which took place 40 years before the sepoy mutiny is a huge dishonour to our brave Paikas, 200 years after the rebellion- which became torchbearer for people's movement against British rule," he said.

Patnaik urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to ensure that "justice is done to Paika Bidroha and Odisha".

The NCERT, in a statement, noted that "the said textbook happens to be the 1st volume of this textbook".

"The second volume is in final stages of development and is expected to be released in Sept-Oct 2025. Topics relating to the regional resistance movements/armed uprisings such as the Paika rebellion/Khurda uprising of Odisha, the Kuka movement/rebellion of the Sikhs in Punjab etc, will be handled in this volume," it said.

Paika, an Odia word, was derived from 'Padatika', meaning foot soldiers. They were members of local militias, which comprised people from different communities, who fought for the erstwhile kings.