Glowing tributes were paid to Utkal Gaurab Madhusudan Das on his 165th birth anniversary in New Delhi under the banner of the Neelachal Seval Sangh and Odia Samaj, Delhi. The event was attended by noted writer Jaggnath Prasad Dash and Prof Manoranjan Mohanty as the chief guest and chief speaker, respectively.
Dash said the strenuous efforts of Madhubabu in forming a separate Odisha State on the basis of language and his illustrious career as a lawyer are commendable. He called upon the youth to emulate Madhubabu’s ideals to make Odisha strong.
Dr Mohanty described Madhubabu as a freedom fighter, a great legislator, a journalist and a social reformer, who played a pioneering role to make Odisha a separate State. Madhubabu was a distinctive icon in Odisha’s political, legal and social filaments, he said, adding that Mahatma Gandhi had described him as a great patriot. Presiding over the meeting, Neelachal Seval Sangh president Bijay Kumar Das said that as a writer and poet, patriotism was always reflected in Madhubabu’s works. Neelachal Seval Sangh secretary Rabindranath Pradhan gave the vote of thanks.
A large number of Odia intellectuals, social activists and students residing in Delhi participated in the celebration.