How This Odisha Entrepreneur Gave His Village A Lockdown Facelift

Cuttack: It takes money, a big heart, commitment and a lot of compassion to give back to society. Golakh Parida (45), a chartered accountant by profession, decided to work for the welfare of the people of his native place upon his return to Cuttack’s Jalahari village during the lockdown.

He spent Rs 90 lakh in building wide roads, house for a poor family, the Bhagabata Tungi building, and executed other development works, reported Times Of India (TOI).

Parida is chairman of Aurum Jewels Limited and managing director of Prince Hallmarking and Refinery Private Limited. He has business in 14 states with an annual turnover of Rs 500 crore and employs 1,000 people, the report added. He returned to his native village from Chennai in March.

“I had a dream to do something for my native place, but I was not getting enough time. I started planning during the lockdown when I got the scope to do so. With the help of the villagers, I readied a blueprint to start many development works. I also distributed around 10,000 packets of dry food and ration in the village,” said Parida.

Among his achievements is a 1.5-km-long concrete road built at a cost of Rs 50 lakh within four months; construction of a youth clubhouse and Bhagabata Tungi (a place where people come to listen Bhagabata). He recently started the construction of a Laxmi Narayan temple and a house for a poor family. Besides, he provided bulbs and other material for streetlights in his village and its nearby areas and installed water booths, the report added.

“We are constructing the temple kitchen, an open-air gymnasium, and garden, basketball and badminton court, a mini stadium, among others,” Parida told TOI.

While the villagers are beholden to him, Parida also does not fail to thank them, particularly the youth for lending him a helping a hand.

A father of two, Parida is a graduate from Salepur and did MBA in Kolkata. He moved to Chennai in 1999 and opened a chartered accountant firm after completing CA in 2003, TOI reported.