This day in 1980, Indira Gandhi made a dramatic comeback like the phoenix from the ashes. The June-12, 1975 High Court verdict had invalidated her election to the Lok Sabha in 1971.
She had clamped Emergency, put political opponents in jail, changed at least 13 Supreme Court judges and stifled the media. But as ill luck would have it, the Janata Party and the Lok Dal as the leading components of the ruling coalition, had been at each other’s neck over both serious and trivial political issues to effect disintegration sooner than expected. They had no other choice but to fall apart as the stubborn Morarjee Desai would not give in on principles he considered non-negotiable. Consequently, a mid-term election had to be held, which brought in Indira Gandhi with a conclusive victory as the masses voted her in with the same vengeance with which they had dismissed her in 1977.
Much has happened meanwhile. The IT revolution has changed the world incredibly. What was a wild dream in the 1980s is an ordinary reality today, so much so that even the most economically backward farmer in any hinterland of India is equally aware of happenings as tge smartest kid of a millionaire on news and political affairs front.
The television, the internet, the smart phone and the maddeningly fast and affordable telecommunication systems have shrunken distances and put all on the same general information base. As of today, the governance systems and machinery are incapable of remaining inaccessible or opaque. Ordinary people are enormously empowered with weapons like the ‘right to information’; and in the event of helplessness due to state harassment, the public interest litigation case heard by the courts of law. The exposition to today’s article done only because of the date coincidence is thus complete.
Odisha is now projected as the ‘Best kept secret of India’ in global tourism circles. That sounds good and attracts countless tourists to explore the newly emerging great State to explore on every happy front- business, tourism and watching to learn quality governance.
Wanderlust tourists have found out this eastern Indian State has nearly everything put together: the mountains that collect frost and snow, forests with incredible flora and fauna, rivers and river systems, lakes and lagoons, 480 km of mind-blowing coast, hot springs, falls and streams and, above all, magnificent temple structures standing intact for thousands of years. The Jagannath Temple at Puri-on-sea has been the face of Odisha since ancient times having enticed leading spiritual and religious leaders over the centuries. Even the British colonists respected this temple for its unique rituals that constitute the ancient Odia culture fully intact even today.
All the same, until the Naveen regime came, countless heritage structures were lying in shambles due to criminal neglect. Popular beaches had turned filthy and unacceptable for decent tourists. The Western world visitors had discounted Odisha only because the coastal locations had become crowded and polluted with toxic smoke and ear-splitting vehicular noise.
That Naveen Patnaik is a staunch devotee of Lord Jagannath was not known to the people until late. He decided to turn Puri the face of Odisha. As known publicly by now, Naveen has an uncanny knack of identifying public officials from among the bulk of the bureaucracy who can deliver. So, by 2013, he had chosen Karthikeyan Pandian, a fairly younger officer to be by his side to provide support and guidance on all matters of governance, particularly in zeroing in on highly doable people’s projects and schemes that benefit the poor and the backward on the poverty alleviation front and those that prevent and control corruption. This young guy had become the subject of public discourse because he worked silently from within the closed environs of the chief minister’s office.
Every other person down the street would be keen to know how he looks and talks; how he strategises and takes critical decisions. One fine day in the recent past, the no-nonsense Chief Minister created a special post so as to facilitate Karthikeyan’s being around him for quite sometime to translate noble dreams come true; hence, the establishment of a special department of 5T which requires no explaining now.
Karthikeyan has come out eversince to show up in public on all important matters. He is now a popular face; and the people are satisfied that he is glued to the task of making the State a happier place to live in. Puri had remained infamous for a tourist-hostile city with garbage all over. Sanitation and cleanliness were plain alien ideas there.
Temple servitors, travel operators, hoteliers were all horrifically exploitative with negligible exceptions. And a public transport system never ever came up to make movement of outsiders comfortable and safe. Karthikeyan, as if God’s messenger, took upon himself the herculean task of restructuring the temple town.
For the first couple of years, he kept dispatching to Puri such officers as would deliver efficiently at impressive speed. Between 2015 and now, the District Magistrates who have administered are guys of steel and strongly resolute. Political creatures who invariably get self-trained to bog down officers for populist objectives got methodically brushed aside by these strong and highly inspired DMs.
And thus in right earnest, did the Puri cleansing exercise commence. Much had improved by the time the extremely severe Cyclone Fani pulled the little city down so badly as would seem repair would not happen even across years. The town had no electric power, drinking water and commutable roads and passages for moving relief and restoration materials.
Suddenly, a young, highly-charged, energetic guy called Balwant Singh materialised one fine evening amid the officials at an emergency meeting saying coolly that he was taking over the task of putting back Puri to normalcy. He was dismissed by many as a daydreamer.
But what followed is now history. Today, Puri is the best temple town, an incomparable sea resort, crime-free and most significantly an absolutely garbage-free little city recognised as one of the very few coastal locations with the enviable ‘Blue Flag Beaches’ that make destinations uniquely attractive to tourists from all over the globe.
Most astonishingly, the biggest pride among all heritage structures, the massive temple of Lord Jagannath now has a heavenly surrounding. What was established as the most impossible task over a century ago, is now a reality.
The majestic temple has a fittingly splendid, exquisitely beautified 250-foot free walking space around it. When asked the humble, publicity-shy Balwant said, “It’s the Lord who is getting things done. Nothing would be possible without His will and blessings.” Balwant’s transfer order came just a week ago. The entire town was stunned with indescribable shock.
Young, old and especially women folks broke down. “Who will keep the city so spick and span, the beaches gleaming, the roads dust-free and us safe at the middle of the night?” they are anxious to know. Some are tearing hair apart, more are shedding tears.
The sight is unbelievable. There are people’s groups preparing to petition the decision makers to change mind and keep the Rajasthani village boy for one more year until Puri widened its smile a little more.
