85th Utkal Divas: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik unveils Gopabandhu statue, mural on Mahatma Gandhi

BHUBANESWAR: The 85th Utkal Divas was celebrated across the State on Thursday amidst COVID-19 restrictions with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiling a bronze statue of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das and a mural on Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Odisha at Cuttack.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Governor of Odisha Ganeshi Lal, two Union Ministers from Odisha Dharmendra Pradhan, Pratap Chandra Sarangi and several other dignitaries greeted the people of the State on the occasion.

Utkal Divas was also celebrated in the disputed border villages of Kotia panchayat in Koraput district. Unveiling the statue of Gopabandhu named as 'Statue of Humanity', at Gopabandhu Square on Cantonment Road in Cuttack, the Chief Minister said the great son of soil is an embodiment of humanity.

He said that Gopabandhu will continue to inspire the people to serve the poor and helpless. The Chief Minister unveiled the high relief mural sculpture of Gandhiji at the Bellevue square. 

The 10 ft high and 20 ft long bronze sculpture featuring Mahatma Gandhi addressing his followers in a public meeting with his wife Kasturba and social reformers Gopabandhu Das, Pandit Nilakantha Das and Acharya Harihar Das in attendance on Kathajodi river bed also depicts major events of India's freedom struggle led by Father of the Nation.

Around 42 artists of Kathagada Sahi headed by Laxmidhar Maharana have created the high relief mural sculpture at the cost of `28.68 lakh. 

Stating that Odisha is celebrating the 100th year of first visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the State from March 23, the Chief Minister said Gandhiji had visited Odisha eight times between 1921 and 1946 and supported the formation of separate Odisha state.

Gandhiji had addressed a massive public meeting at a field on the bank of Kathjodi river, he said and added that his ideology of non-violence has become more relevant in today’s world.

Meanwhile, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday launched ‘Wheel of Kindness’, on the occasion of Utkal Divas. It is an initiative to collect usable clothes from donors and distribute them to the needy in the city.

The initiative was launched by Director of Municipal Administration Sangramjit Nayak in the presence of BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.  The civic body has partnered with city-based non-profit organisation Vikash, which will manage the project.