The High School at Samblapur now known as the Chandrasekher Zila School was then the only institution available for the children of the district as well as the neighbouring Gujrat States of Patna, Sonpur, Kalahandi, Bamra and Rairakhol for university education. For college education students had to go to Nagpur, the capital of the province.

In the name of administrative convenience the Oriya language had been banished from courts and schools of Sambalpur.

I passed the Middle School Examination in February 1902 from the Bolangir Middle School and took my admission into the Sambalpur High School in the following April. I passed the Entrance Examination of the Calcutta University to which the schools and colleges int he Central Provinces had remained affiliated, in the year 1904.

Sambalpour had not made much headway in point of education. The entire district could boast of only three graduates, the two Pujari brothers, Baikunthenath and Neelkanthe and Ramnarayan Misra. The only other graduate was Madanmohan Misra who had met a premature death.

When I came to Sambalpur, except the Head Master and a few teachers in the High School in the lower classes, all other teachers were Hindi speaking. The medium of instruction, where subjects in the vernacular were concerned, was Hindi. The Oriya teachers, not excluding the Head Master, Sri Bharathi Panigrahi, of Balasore in Orissa had to experience considerable difficulty in managing their work with smattering of Hindi.

The District Officer was a Marhatta gentleman, Mr. Shankarmadho Chitnawis, a Statutary Civilian of those days, and all the public offices were manned by Marhattas and Hindusthanis.

This ugly situation soon gave rise to a sudden awakening among the intelligentia and a widespread agitation was started for restoration of the Oriya language in courts and schools. Public meetings were held in different places in the town to which even we, the students were attracted in large numbers. There was considerable ferment even in the rural areas. The leaders moved frequently throughout the district addressing meetings and exhorting the people to rise to the occasion.

Sir John Woodburn, the Chief Commissioner of the Province, under whose behest the mother tongue had been banished from the district and the neighbouring Oriya speaking tracts, often turned a deaf ear to the various petitions and resolutions of public meetings to redress the genuine grievances of the Oriyas, Baffled in all their endeavours for restoration of the mother tongue a deputation was organised to wait upon Lord Curzon, the viceroy and governor General of India, for placing before him the grievances of the people. Sree Srrpati Misra, Brajamohan Patnaik, Mahant Bihari Das, Balabhadra Supakar and Madanmohan Misra accordingly proceeded to Simla, the summer residence of the Government of India, where the viceroy was staying at the time. On their arrival at Simla they learnt that sir Andrew Fraser who had in the meanwhile succeeded Sir John Woodburn to the Chief Commissionership of the Centreal Provinces, was there and they saw him and acquainted him with the purpose of their visit. Sir Andrew knew the district and its people intimately. He had begun his service as a young Civillian as an Assistant Magistrate in Sambalpur and had risen successively to the position of the district Officer of Sambalpur and Commissioner of Chhatisgarh Division in which Sambalpur was a district, before assuming the chief Commissionership of the province. Besides he before assuming the chief Commissionership of the province. Besides he very intimately knew SriBrajamohan Patnaik who was the Treasurer of the Sambalpur District Treasury under him and always treated him with great courtesy even in his exalted position of Chief Commissioner. He cordially received the deputationists and assured them that he would himself take up the solution of the problem and promised his visit to Sambalpur after his return from Simla. The leaders, therefore, abandoned the plan of waiting upon Lord curzon and returned to Sambalpur. Shortly afterwards Sir Andrew visited Sambalpur. I remember the warm reception that was accorded to him in a right royal style on his arrival at the Sambalpur Road station. To the demand of the people for restoration of the Oriya language in schools and courts Sir Andrew suggested the restoration of the district of sambalpur to the dismembered Orissa Division in the permanent interest of the people of the district and the neighbouring Oriya speaking states and the smooth administration of the Province. This was implemented in due time by the amalgamation of the Province. This was implemented in due time by the amalgamation of the district with Orissa, then a part of Bengal, on the 16th of October 1905. This, however, did not bring about a complete realisition of the dream of a United Orissa, for a Zemindary of Phuljhar and the Taluq of Chandrapur-Padampur, the majority of the population of which is Oriya, were left to remain in the Central Provinces, and the subsequent demand of Orissa advanced during the enquiry for readjustment of different areas on linguistic basi after India threw off the foreign yoke has failed to evoke the sympathy it deserves.

In commemoration of the historic event, a club and a printing press were established at Sambalpur in consecration of the name of SirAndrew Fraser. the club has been functioning till this day, but the press has ceased to exist.