JANAKI BALLAV PATNAIK The March to a Modern Odisha SOUMYA RANJAN PATNAIK WASBIR HUSSAIN JANAKI BALLAV PATNAIK The March to a Modern Odisha SOUMYA RANJAN PATNAIK WASBIR HUSSAIN 4R ½, Unit-3, Kharavel Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751001 Phone : 0674-2391939 e-mail : [email protected] website: www.aamaodisha.org.in First Published 2013 (English Edition) Copyright © Aama Odisha 2013 The facts presented in this book are those of the different writers who have contributed for this compilation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-81-89436-63-6 Cover Design: Geetali Baruah Cover Photo: Anupam Nath Layout: Binoy Baruah Printed in India at Genesis Printers & Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Borbari, Guwahati 781036 To the admirers and critics of Janaki Ballav Patnaik and all those who may like to know or understand contemporary Odisha. contents Publisher’s Note xiii Some Words, Some Dreams 1 J.B. Patnaik Shri Jagannath Temple aft er Independence 16 Sarat Chandra Mahapatra 20th Century’s Last Nabakalebara : Th e Only Successful One in 400 years 29 Asit Mohanty Th e Offi cial Language Jinx 46 Dr. Devi Prasanna Pattanayak Janaki Ballav Patnaik : Th e Essayist and Critic 56 Pathani Pattnaik Odia Literature and Janaki Ballav Patnaik 68 Barendra Krushna Dhal Janaki Ballav Patnaik & Publishing in Odia 80 Abhiram Mohapatra Janaki Ballav Patnaik’s Nirbachita Prabandha Sankalana 83 Rabi Singh Revival of Professional Odia Th eatre 89 Ananta Mahapatra Th e Odissi Research Centre 94 Kumkum Mohanty Contemporary Art in Odisha 100 Dr. Dinanath Pathi Kalinga Studio: Golden Era of Odia Films 107 Batakrushna Tripathy Patronage to Art 116 Govinda Tej Development of Agriculture and Role of the APICOL 121 Dr. Jogesh Chandra Rout Kalahandi: From Begging Bowl to Bread Basket 132 Bhupinder Singh Odisha Placed on National Dairy Map 140 Dr. Ramesh Chandra Panda Odisha & Th e Poultry Industry 150 Sudhansu Sekhar Das Planned Eff orts Towards Irrigation 156 Er. Prabhat Mishra Fast Track Irrigation 164 Dr. Bishnu Prasad Das Irrigation in Kalahandi 170 Er. Bhaskar Chandra Nayak Strengthening the Mahanadi and Birupa Weirs aft er a Century 180 Er. Sushil Chandra Kar Odisha : Th e Pioneer in Power Sector Reforms 182 Er. B.C. Jena Towards Energy Security 199 Er. Jayadev Mishra Th e Golden Era of Industrialization 212 Sudhanshu Bhusan Mishra Th e Dream of the Eighties 220 Vivek Pattanayak Down Memory Lane 227 Binod Dash Hotel Industry Makes a Beginning 233 J.K. Mohanty A Dynamic Period of Growth and Development 238 Harishankar Singhania Indradyumna Incarnate 240 Prasad Harichandan Building Bridges 246 G.C. Mitra New Horizons in the Railway Sector 251 Romesh Roy Building of the Dhamra Port 257 Sidhartha Pradhan An Era of Development for Adivasis and Dalits 272 Sura Sethy State’s Rich Culture Gets New Look 279 Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra Adivasi Culture and Janaki Ballav 285 Dr. Khageshwar Mohapatra Agriculture University, Engineering College & a Research ... 291 Dr. Baidyanath Mishra Patnaik & A Sanskrit University 299 Prof. Harekrushna Satpathy Spread of Education in Odisha 313 Dr. Bimalendu Mohanty Education in Odisha: Th e Forward Leap 319 Abani Kumar Baral Science, Technology and Environment 326 Dr. Sadananda Torasia Th e Xavier Institute of Management 338 Fr. Joseph Kalinga and Southeast Asia: Th e Foundation of a Research Institute 348 Prof. Hermann Kulke Odishan Institute of Maritime and Southeast Asian Studies 354 Dr. H.C. Das Odisha’s Library Revolution 369 Prof. Pitambar Padhi Setting Up of the Satyananda Yoga Ashrama and Yoga Vidyalaya 383 Swami Swarupananda Saraswati Tibetan Hospital in Bhubaneswar 388 Dr. Nowang Dorje Greening Odisha 392 Saroj Pattnaik On the Road to Environment Protection 406 Prof. Radhamohan Ekamrakanan: An Island Paradise 414 Dr. Premanand Das Odisha on the Defence Map of India 422 Vice Admiral S. H. Sarma Ushering in a New & Vibrant Odisha 426 Basant Das Reminiscence of a Bureaucrat 430 Gian Chand Governance and Development in the Eighties 438 Nilmadhab Mohanty Janaki Babu: Leader of the House and Leader of the 446 Opposition Narasingha Mishra Janaki Babu: Th e Man and Th e Chief Minister 451 Srimoy Kar An Era of Inclusive Growth 456 Prasanna Kumar Mishra Women’s Organizations and Empowerment of Women 464 Jayanti Patnaik A New Horizon for Newspapers and Journalists 471 Gopal Mishra Sports in Odisha: Th e Golden Period 478 Anadi Sahu Bhubaneswar: From Clerical Town to People’s Capital 489 Nalinikanta Panda Kataka: Old Capital Acquires New Look 497 Annada Prasad Roy Kataka Ring Road: A Protective Embankment 507 B.C. Patnaik Tackling Slums with a Humane Face 514 Surendranath Swain A Period of Peace and Communal Amity 522 Prof. M.Q. Khan Odisha & Christianity 531 Rev. Prabhat Chandra Bag Sikhs in Odisha 535 Satpal Singh Janaki Babu: A Unique Personality 538 Mahapatra Nilamani Sahu A Friend Forever 544 Satyanand Champatiray ANNEXURES Janaki Ballav Patnaik: Assam’s Reformist Governor 551 Wasbir Hussain Serving Nation My Life’s Only Philosophy: J B Patnaik 561 An Interview with Wasbir Hussain xiv 1 Some Words, Some Dreams J. B. Patnaik had always been a dreamer. Ever since I was a student, I was bent on doing something signifi cant for my home state, I Odisha, something that would make this ancient land stand out with honour and pride. As a young man, like most students, we were inspired by the fi re of a non-violent struggle for Independence by Mahatma Gandhi, the statesmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru, and the philosophy and spiritualism of Swami Vivekananda. But, there were many others, within the confi nes of the then unseparated state of Bihar and Odisha, whom we idolized – people like Madhubabu and Pandit Gopabandhu. Th ey inspired me to chase my dream with undiluted determination. Janaki Ballav Patnaik is a former three-time Chief Minister of Odisha, a writer of eminence, and recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation. At present, he is the Governor of Assam. 2 JANAKI BALLAV PATNAIK: THE MARCH TO A MODERN ODISHA As a class XI student at the Khordha High School, our renowned Headmaster Bankanidhi Patnaik once asked each one of us what we wanted to be in life. When it was my turn to reply, I said, “newspaper editor”. True enough, in 1949, aft er completing my Masters from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), I joined as an Assistant Editor with Th e Eastern Times, a local English daily in Bhubaneswar published under the banner of Prajatantra Prachara Samity. A few days aft er joining, I was made the Joint Editor, and subsequently, I took over as the editor of the newspaper. Th ereaft er, in 1952, I took over as the Editor of the Prajatantra, an Odia daily, even as I continued to remain Editor of Th e Eastern Times. To be the editor of two daily newspapers at such a young age was no mean achievement. Of course, it is also a fact that the then Chief Minister Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab off ered opportunities to young men in organizations run or headed by him. During my days as an Editor, I came in contact with many prominent politicians. Th e more illustrious of them included Mahatab Babu, Nabakrishna Choudhury, Malati Choudhury, Nityananda Kanungo, Biswanath Das, Nilakantha Das, Biren Mitra, Nilamani Routary, Sadasiva Tripathy, Biju Patnaik, Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo, Surendra Nath Dwivedi, and later on, of course, Srimati Nandini Satpathy. Being a journalist, I came in direct contact with Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi, and the ideals that I had been cherishing since I was a student got all the more deeply embedded in me during my course of work as a newspaper editor. My vision expanded. I developed strong feelings against casteism, communalism, untouchability and exploitation of the poor by the rich zamindars and greedy capitalists. Th ese feelings SOME WORDS, SOME DREAMS 3 got refl ected on the pages of the newspapers. I took upon myself the duty of fi ghting for the interest of the country’s poor and genuine interests of Odisha. In the papers that I edited, the plight of the people who suff ered due to droughts and fl oods were highlighted and the absence of governmental help at these places were duly reported. In my editorials, I tried to be as fearless, unequivocal and critical as possible. My job as the editor of two dailies for years gave me a great opportunity to know the various facets of Odisha. Moreover, I felt proud and honoured to be an Odia. I accepted Gopabandhu’s ideal: Jagata Salile Bharata Kamala Ta madhye keshara punya Nilachala Loosely translated, this means, “In the pond of the world, India is the Lotus. And, in that lotus, Odisha is the stamen.” Promoting Odisha became my life’s goal, my only concern. However, while leading Odisha in the post Independence days, Dr. Mahatab had said, “While the Country is marching ahead, Odisha is lagging behind. She therefore needs to race”. Th ere was a need for “a double march order”. I fully supported his view. Before Dr. Mahatab could get his views translated to reality, he had to leave Odisha to take up his assignment at the Centre and thereaft er he was appointed as Governor of the then Bombay. Later on, when he returned as the State’s Chief Minister, there was so much political uncertainty in Odisha that he could not do much to get his dreams realized. And, for a while, the State continued to pass through a lot of uncertainty. As I travelled far and wide within India and outside in my capacity as a newsperson, I saw that there was progress and prosperity everywhere else while Odisha suff ered due to the 4 JANAKI BALLAV PATNAIK: THE MARCH TO A MODERN ODISHA long drawn period of deprivation.