Eminent social activist and Sarvodaya leader Bhagwat Prasad Nanda passed away at his residence in the Budharaja area in Sampalpur city on Thursday evening. He was 83.
Born on December 14, 1937 in Balangir, Nanda was president of the Odisha Sarvodaya Parishad. He had joined the Bhoodan Padayatra organised under the leadership of Acharya Harihar Das in 1959.
While studying Law in Cuttack, he became Gandhi Tatwa Pracharak, Cuttack under the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi in 1962. The Sambalpur University had felicitated him as an eminent public figure and social activist during its 51 st foundation day. He worked as a journalist in a vernacular daily from 1981 to 1990. Among many noted persons, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed deep grief over Nanda’s demise. In his Twitter handle, the CM mentioned that Nanda’s association with Bhoodan movement demonstrates his concern for the poor and landless farmers.
He conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family and prayed for his departed soul to rest in peace. Nandini Satpathy Memorial Trust (SNSMT) chairman Suparno Satpathy said the country lost a doyen of social activism with demise of Nanda.
Nanda was a close associate of both Devendra Satpathy and former Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy.