7 PM, 5th December 2004, Kazipet Station, AP (Now under Telengana). It’s my 2nd year at NIT Warangal. 1st Semester exams are just over. And following the rituals, almost the entire college is at Kazipet railway station…to go home and enjoy the winter vacation.
My Branch mate Krishna, hailing from Vizag, asks me, ‘’Hey, buddy! You too are waiting for Godavari Express, right? What’s your hometown called?’’
Being the Executive Member (and future Secretary) of Dramatic Club, I prefer to answer with a metaphor, ‘Heaven’!
Back to 2020, I still refer Jeypore as ‘heaven’! Thankfully, I am not alone. Many fellow Jeyporias, especially those of us, staying outside Odisha/India, use the very same word to describe Jeypore in one word. And no, it’s not just because it’s our birthplace or hometown. The reason goes much beyond that.
For one, Jeypore is blessed by mother nature and is surrounded by breath-taking views of eastern-ghat mountains, rivers, waterfalls and whatnot. So much so that, even for an outsider, it’s almost impossible, not to fall in love with Jeypore. Secondly, being the cultural as well as business hub for Southern Odisha and the bordering towns of Andhra Pradesh,
Jeypore is always hustling with varieties of events, programs and activities. Be it tourism or transport, be it agri-products or hardwares, Jeypore is the critical dot in the complex, lengthy supply chain system of almost every business unit located in Koraput district.
And as NRJs (Non-Resident Jeyporias), many like me, always ask themselves these million-dollar questions, ‘What can I do for the development of Jeypore? Should I start a new venture for Jeyporias which can enhance the quality of education, healthcare or communication? Or should I simply contribute a generous amount to some reliable NGO?’
Over the years, I have closely observed many such NRJs and the result of these introspections. Sadly, more often than not, these self-contemplations end up with a few random ‘rants’/’demands’ in twitter/Facebook. And after these posts, if by any chance, these ‘ideas’ are able to survive few more days, they die their natural death after creation of yet-another ‘revolutionary’ whatsapp group or Facebook group/page ‘to bring all like-minded Jeyporias in one platform’.
So, what’s the solution? Well, if you ask me, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. All of these solutions are right in their own ways and obviously have been tried by many in the past. But what all we NRJs should understand is, instead of trying to bring revolution, we should rather invest our time and energy on knowing ourselves.
Am I nuts? What kind of crazy statement is this? Let me explain. I always believe, real change begins at home. If we know ourselves well, we definitely have a clear idea about our core strengths, knowledge, skill sets. And if we can come up with innovative solutions based on our own strength, we will not just have the ‘will’, but also the ‘way’ to move with the idea!
Brand New ‘Mantra’, right? Wrong. This ‘Mantra’ is based on my observations of real people/groups who have succeeded in bringing changes (however small they may be) in Jeypore! Abhibhakta Koraput Samachar, popularly known as AKS is one such example, where the members have been able to carry out many social activities by uniting a lot of volunteers and contributors. How? By using their core strength; social networking.
Likewise, Mr. Krushna Keshaba Sadangi; the ‘Snakeman of Jeypore’, has succeeded in bringing positive changes in the wildlife and forest conservation scene in Koraput, again, by using his core strength; knowledge and skills acquired through rescue, release of snakes, wild animals, mammals and birds.
I myself, as a Writer-Director, have been continuously trying to make documentaries and films on our unique tribal art, tradition, culture in order to create the much-needed awareness on many of these near-extinct traditions. Why? Because filmmaking is my domain and I know that’s how, I can contribute best to Jeypore.
The idea/vision behind Jeypore.Net is simple. It tries to bring all the businesses, services, talents of Jeypore under one roof. So that all stakeholders can be benefitted. Business owners/service provides can list their businesses, events, customers/users can search for a specific service in and around Jeypore. Artists can list their talents, profiles. The list is endless. The possibilities are endless too.
But will it succeed on it’s own? Definitely not. It needs handshakes (virtually) of every Jeyporia and NRJ!
While such attempts have also been made in the past, what makes Jeypore.Net unique is its simplified approach. It just takes few clicks to add a business or to search/find/contact a service provider. It’s that simple. I don’t think any other Jeypore-based website/app offers such a hassle-free experience. I am sure, with the launch and progress of Jeypore.Net, the wheels of change will soon start rolling…sooner than expected.
I wish Team Jeypore.Net all the very best in their endeavour!
Jai Kalaa!
Biswanath Rath – BNR films
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