The world knows former Chief Minister late BijuPatnaik as a daredevil leader, freedom fighter and statesman. His love for Odisha was immense. He wanted to see the backward State to grow on line of science and technology. He also took a number of steps for the protection of environment.
Biju was born on March 5, 1916 in Cuttack to Ashalata and LakshminarayanPatnaik. However, his parents’ native village was GhumusarNuagan near Belaguntha in Ganjam district of Odisha. He died on April 17, 1997 at the age of 81. While studying for BSc in Ravenshaw College, he discontinued and joined at the Aeronautic Training Institute of India, Delhi Flying Club to get training as a pilot. He was an aviation pilot, industrialist, and a successful politician. He became Chief Minister twice ( June 21 1961 to October 2, 1963 and March 5, 1990 to March 5, 1995) and Union Minister at the Centre (March 26, 1977 to January 14, 1980). He was jailed several times by the British during freedom struggle. In independent India, when the Emergency was declared in 1975, Bijubabu was one of the first to be arrested along with other opposition leaders.
Bijubabu discovered the creative talents in the youths and tried to promote them by exposing to reputed scientists of the world and developing the state-of-the art laboratories and facilities. He had invited Dr Krishna Dronamraju, president of the Foundation for Genetic Research at Houston (Texas, US), to help in establishing a new Science Center at Bhubaneswar. He had also planned to develop a Science City in the State, which of course could not be materialized.
The 49th Session of Indian Science Congress was hosted at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack in 1962 during his tenure as Chief Minister. In 1961, he invited internationally known British scientist Prof John Burdon Sanderson Haldane to Odisha and requested to carry out his research activities here. Bijubabu offered Haldane the post of Director of the Biometry and Genetics Laboratory being set up at OUAT in Bhubaneswar.
Two of the most important biodiversity hotspots in Odisha which are of international importance enjoyed rapt attention for conservation during his period as CM. In order to restore the pristine glory of Chilika ecosystem on the Bay of Bengal coast, Asia’s biggest Ramsar site salt-water lake, and bring an all-round development in and around the lagoon as well as to protect the interest of the fishing and non-fishing communities in the vicinity, an authority in the name of ‘Chilika Development Authority’ was created in the year 1991. The authority has set the stone rolling for spectacular conservation activities of the lagoon. One of the country’s most ideal habitats for the big cat, elephant and myriad other wildlife species, the Similipal forest in Mayurbhanj district was declared as the eighth Biosphere Reserve of India on June 22 1994.
Biju proposed development of green belt of mangrove and cyclone resistant species along the entire Odisha coast for long term control measure to combat cyclone disasters as the State is prone to such situations frequently. Although he was not enjoying any constitutional power at that time, this suggestion came to his mind after a devastating severe tropical cyclone hit Odisha, West Bengal and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) on October 29, 1971.
BijuPatnaik wanted to have a glorious identity and build up the image of Odisha at global level. In 1951 he established the international Kalinga Prize for popularisation of Science and Technology as founder president of the Kalinga Foundation Trust and entrusted the responsibility to the UNESCO for which he made a generous contribution of grant. The annual UNESCO - Kalinga Prize is now funded by the Kalinga Foundation Trust, the Government of Odisha and the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India. On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Kalinga Prize in 2001 the International Astronomical Union through its Commission of Minor Planet Nomenclature had decided to name the minor planet (Asteroid) No. 26214 as ‘Kalinga’. One must appreciate the foresight of Bijubabu and that is why he is known more as a statesman than a mere politician.
The United Nations Conference on ‘Environment and Development’ (UNCED) or Earth Summit, a global convention of world’s nations was held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 03-14, 1992. Following this, it was probably in 1993 the Orissa Environmental Society (OES) held a State level Orissa Environment Congress at the Regional Science Centre, Bhubaneswar. Bijubabu then Chief Minister addressed the Conference as the chief guest. In a smart reply to a query Biju said, “If you want development to be sustainable don’t trade but tread with environment.”
What a wonderful statement! If anybody has understood the meaning of environment and development, it was Bijubabu; who believed in developmental activities but not at the cost of environment. He preached Nehruvian vision of industrial promotion blended with Gandhian vision of environmental approach to development.
The glimpse of Bijubabu's stature can be understood by the fact that when he died, his coffin was wrapped in the national flags of India, Russia, and Indonesia. The BijuPatnaik five Rupee commemorative coin and a postal stamp were released in 2016 and 2018 respectively. The Government of Odisha, as a mark of rich tribute and remembrance, observes his birthday (March 5) as the Panchayat Raj Divas, and has named several institutions and awards after the name of BijuPatnaik. Some of those are the BijuPatnaik University of Technology; BijuPatnaik Stadium at Nalco Nagar, Angul; BijuPatnaik Award for Wildlife Conservation; BijuPatnaik Award for Scientific Excellence by Odisha Bigyan Academy; and many others.
The unimaginable popularity of Bijubabu and the spontaneous love of the people towards him were evident when his body was taken to Puri for last rites. His competence, bravery, spirit of sacrifice, patriotism and his vision of a new India set an example for the next generation of people and leaders of the country.
(DrPatro is president, Orissa EnvironmentalSociety, snpatro11@gmail.com; 9437190420)