26 SOCIAL SCIENTIST
served to stimulate and enthuse the Congress workers, and kindled new hopes among the urban intelligentia many of whom had remained "aloof from the movement...and condemned it."7 Gandhi was struck by the poverty of the province and wrote:
A preliminary examination of the Non-Cooperation Movement in Orissa suggests that Kanika was an area of militant peasant involvement. This was a permanently-settled estate which covered an area of 439.81 square miles. It was divided into four main divisions, locally called elakas—Panchamukha was situated in the Balasore district, whereas, Chhamukha, Kerara and Kaladwip were in the Cuttack district.
Since Kanika was a permanently-settled estate its Raja paid Rs 20,407-13-4 annually to the government. Interestingly, the annual rental of the estate (i e, the amount collected by the Raja) rose from Rs 105,338 in 1880-81 to Rs 138,893 in 1893-94. Till 1893-94 the mustagirs collected taxes for the estate and got a commission of 10 per cent on the amount collected by them; besides they also held some privileged tenures. A marked feature in the 19th century was a number of melis led by these mustagirs "at every revision settlement". A meli had been formed during the 188$-1894 settlement operations. After this the mustagirs were swept away since the khas system was introduced.9
Prior Developments
Since the period we are dealing with is 1921-22 one should understand the changes that took place between 1893-94 and 1921-22. To begin with, as has been already mentioned, the khas system was introduced in 1893, which meant that there was a cut in the incomes of the mustagirs, and they were deprived of the privileged lease held by them.10 Consequently, they were thrown into the ranks of other cultivators. As has been already discussed, they had been the traditional leaders, and in the course of the 19th century had formed a number of melis. Although described by Hossein as "oppressive", the fact is that they had resisted attempts to enhance taxes in the estate. Since they lost their privileges they gradually got identified with the peasantry, as reflected, for example, in the meli of 1906 led by some e^'mustagirs like Dinabandhu Khandaitrai.11 Thus, the introduction of the khas system served to broaden the basis of the peasants' struggle of 1921-22.
There were also certain demographic changes in the estate in these years. In 1893-94 the minimium density of population was 200 per square mile, and the maximum was 440 per square mile. In 1921 it was 250 and 900 (and over) respectively. The area in and