By Our Correspondent
PURI/BHUBANESWAR: The renovated memorial of Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das was on Thursday dedicated to the nation by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Suando in Puri.
Chief Minister Patnaik also unveiled the newly installed 15-ft statue of Gopbandhu and the museum.He also inaugurated the developed Shiva temple, pond, and ancestral home. Along with this, a birth path, a circular road and an information center have also been constructed.
Secretary to the Chief Minister (5T) VK Pandian, Sports Minister Tusarkanti Behera and Minister of School and Public Education Samir Ranjan Dash, MP Pinaki Misra, MLA Umakanta Samantaray, Rudra Maharathy, Additional Chief Administrative Secretary, State Culture Department Satyabrata Sahu were present.
The Chief Minister said that Gopbandhu was a man of the ages. The Odia people are always indebted to him. No matter what is done to protect his memory, it will be less.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that the state government has decided to develop birthplaces for the sons of Odisha under 5T initiatives. He said that the sacrifices of Madhusudan Das, Captain Fakir Mohan, Gangadhar Meher, Shaheed Laxman Naik and many more heroes have increased the glory of Odisha.
Paying tribute to Gopbandhu, the Chief Minister said that Utkalmani was the gem of human society. His sacrifice, patriotism, service and patriotism are unparalleled. Starting from the freedom struggle, Odisha’s education, literary culture, politics, service and humanity have been established. “He was a pioneer in the development of nationalist consciousness in Odisha. Pleasure is nothing, sacrifice is great, service is best – this is the life of the Gopbandhu. He has always been and always will be an inspiration to us. The Chief Minister called upon Gopbandhu’s ‘Bhargbi Resolution’ to work for building a new and strong Odisha,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister thanked Utkalmani’s family and the people of Suando for their support in the development of Gopbandhu’s birthplace. He also thanked the state culture department and the Puri district administration.
Dhirendra Kumar Das, the grandson of Gopbandhu, attended the programme and thanked the Chief Minister for transforming Utkalmani’s birthplace. The ancestral house of Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das has been renovated and a memorial museum set up to display his life and times. The museum showcases several objects used by Gopabandhu, his books and some rare photographs. The Chief Minister visited all the rooms of the renovated house and witnessed the ‘Sathee Ghar’ where the legend was born.
