THE DIALECTICS OF RETREAT, ORISSA 1943-1950 111 Ace. no. 100; the durbar's uneasiness prompted it to arrest some Prajamandal activists. 146. NPARI p.138. We do not have any clear evidence for Nilgiri but what needs to be also mentioned here is that according to the available data, around this time, fishermen in some of the princely states asserted themselves vis-a-vis high caste people and refused to carry their palanquins; 18/5/1947. 147. NPARI, p.139-142. 148. NPARI, p. 145-148; People's Age 31/8/1947; at these meetings the national flag was unfurled. People came in large numbers carrying red flags as well as the Congress flags. We can add that on 15th August the durbar released many prisoners, including some criminals, with whom the Raja negotiated to counter the Prajamandal. 149. NPARI p. 152-162 150. Interview: Banamali Das (Nilgiri, May 1982). 151. Mahtab had offered arms to the Communists which they had refused and had, instead asked for some money which was never received; interview: Sarat Pattnaik. However, given the existing popular upsurge the PCC decided to intervene by November 1947. 152. NPARI, p. 168-174; interview: Nanda Pattnaik (Cuttack, June 1987); WWCC Acc.no. 99;47; after the merger of Nilgiri the Samaj and Prajatantra dropped hints that a similar fate awaited the other rajas; WWCC Ace. no. 47. 153. Interview: Banamali Das. 154. WWCC Ace. no. 99; two separate conferences were held - one with the rulers of 'B' and CC' class states and one with those of 'A' class states. 155. Harekrushna Mahtab, Beginning of the End (Cuttack, 1972), p. 30. 156. AISPC File no. 129, 'Allegations Against Raja of Dhenkanal during his twenty years of Rule' (undated); Sarangadhar Das, ' A Review of the Political Situation in the Eastern States' (27/11/1947). 157. Interview: Sarat Pattnaik; I have already referred to the increase in the price of rice in Orissa around the end of 1947 . 158. AISPC file no. 129, Krutibas Mishra's (Secretary, Dhenkanal Prajamandal) statement articulated the popular feeling: '... the Dhenkanal Prajamandal requests the Government of India not to effect any compromise settlement with the Rajas, but to direct them to handover all powers to the people.' (undated) 159. Interview: Sarat Pattnaik; Baishnab Pattnaik (Dhenkanal, June 1985). 160. Sadasiv Pradhan, Agrarian and Political Movements (New Delhi, 1986), p. 148. 161. Interview: Baishnab Pattnaik ; he told me that Mahtab used to go to the palace to conduct negotiations which appeared strange. 162. Interview: Sarat Pattnaik. 163. AISPC file no. 129; Sarangdhar Das, 'Report on Orissa and U.P States Merging with Orissa;' (2/2/1948) 164. Pabitra Mohan Pradhan, Mukti Patbe Sainika (Oriya; Cuttack, 1979) p. 242-243; Pradhan also mentions Mahtab who on 8/4/1946 had advised him at Delhi to surrender to the Raja. The Talcher Raja made Pradhan's case a prestige issue and only in July 1947 was the warrant for his arrest cancelled; AISPC file no. 164. 165. Sadasiv Pradhan, op.cit., p. 147; it seems Gandhi advised the Raja to merge. 166. Ramachandra Ram, Sangramee (Oriya; Cuttack, 1986) p. 158-161; the