By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: In a demonstration of civic duty and commitment to democratic principles, prominent Non-Resident Odia Piyadarshee Panigrahi, who is based at Dubai traveled thousands of miles to India to exercise his right to vote in today’s elections to the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly.
Priyadarshee undertook a gruelling 20-hour journey from Dubai to Sambalpur just to cast his votes. Using various modes of transportation (he travelled by air to Kolkata, then by train to Jharsuguda and then the last leg, by road to Sambalpur) he managed to reach his polling booth around 1130 am to exercise his democratic right. He voted at Booth No. 171, Government Primary School, Bhutapara, Sambalpur.
Son of former Minister and Parliamentarian, Late Sriballav Panigrahi, Priyadarshee, who has been a Non Resident Indian since 2008, said ‘I have a special connection with Sambalpur, apart from growing up here, my late father had represented Sambalpur in the Odisha Assembly twice (1971 & 1974), so coming here and voting is also my way of paying homage to my motherland and also to my late father’.
According to Priydarshee, ‘Voting is not just a privilege, it is a duty that we owe to our country and our future generations. I view voting as not only a right but a responsibility. I firmly believe that every vote counts and that it’s our duty to participate in the electoral process, no matter where we are in the world’. Born into a freedom fighter’s family, Sriballav, incidentally had the distinction of being India’s youngest cabinet minister, when he joined, the then Chief Minister, Mrs. Nandini Satpathy’ s cabinet in 1973 at the age of 32.
What is remarkable about Priyadarshee’s visit is that he undertook a 33 Hour journey (both ways) to travel to Sambalpur just to vote. He plans to go back to Dubai tomorrow, spending just about a single day in Odisha.
This journey has garnered widespread attention, serving as a reminder of the fundamental values of democracy and the unity that transcends borders in the pursuit of a better tomorrow.
‘If my journey encourages even one more person to vote, it will have been worth it’ Priyadarshee added.
Priyadarshee and his 13-year-old daughter Tisya are also noted Scuba divers. They are among the very few father-daughter Advanced Scuba divers from India and are talked about for their unique Scuba diving escapades.
