Bapa, my father, was a beautiful soul who loved people wholeheartedly without any discrimination. A political leader of great repute and accomplishments, a poet with magical creations, an orator of exceptional eloquence, an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath, a frontline warrior for the promotion, preservation, and popularisation of Odia language, literature, art, and culture, an editor and columnist of high quality, an administrator par excellence, a scholar with unmatched brilliance, and - above all - a legendary and pleasant personality for all and sundry.
The youngest Cabinet Minister of the Government of Odisha at the age of 31 and a half years in March 1971, a record that still stands in his name even after 53 long years, his political career had more downs than ups but he remained unfazed. He worked very closely with the legendary son of Odisha, Biju Patnaik, and they spent years together in political meetings, mobilising people, fighting and strategising elections, administering the State, etc.
His four anthologies of poems in Odia earned him a lot of appreciation and respect. These and his other writings have been translated to Bangla. His English poems remain to be published. His countless speeches remain etched in the minds of thousands of his listeners, supporters, and well wishers. They say, no political leader or public personality of Odisha could match the sheer eloquence and artistry of his oratory.
He was a little frail, but was in no way seriously unwell, when Covid-19 suddenly snatched him away from all of us. He is mourned and remembered by family members, friends, and ordinary people of Odisha and other parts of the country.
Miss you Bapa. Now with Maa also gone, Suman and I have been orphaned but we are eternally grateful to both of you for the love and upbringing that you gave us. Hoping to see both of you sometime in the future in another dimension....
