Odisha Remembers Biju Patnaik; Lesser-Known Facts About Daredevil Pilot & Leader Of Masses

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, his deputies K V Singhdeo and Pravati Parida, Speaker Surama Padhy along with senior BJD leaders Prasanna Acharya, Pramila Mallick and Pratap Deb paid floral tributes to legendary leader Biju Patnaik on his death anniversary on the Odisha Assembly premises on Thursday.

“Biju Patnaik was a prominent figure in political history. His contribution to the strengthening and development of Odisha post-independence are monumental. We paid tribute to him in the Vidhan Sabha today,” the Speaker told the media.

Naveen Patnaik, president of BJD, which is named after the fearless leader and visionary, was also seen arriving at Sankha Bhawan to observe his 28th death anniversary. He also paid tribute to the former CM at Biju Patnaik Park in the city.

#WATCH | Bhubaneswar | BJD chief and LoP in Odisha assembly Naveen Patnaik pays floral tribute to former CM Biju Patnaik on his death anniversary. pic.twitter.com/06MjPb6iSl

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2025

Taking to his X handle, he wrote, “Tributes of the pride of Odia, the great public figure Biju Babu on his death anniversary. His dauntless life and indomitable courage are an inspiration to crores of Odias. The mantra he gave to live with the people and work for people will always inspire us to serve the 4.5 crore people of Odisha.”

BJD leaders Debi Prasad Mishra, Ashok Panda, BMC Mayor Sulochana Das, Bhubaneswar (North) MLA Sushant Rout, Bhubaneswar (Central) MLA Ananta Narayan Jena among others performed ‘Shradh’ ritual on the banks of Bindusagar near Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.

Special programmes are being held across Odisha to pay tributes to the eminent freedom fighter and great patriot, who championed decentralisation of power through three-tier PRIs. He was a crusader of women empowerment, a daredevil pilot and the leader of the masses.

Biju left for his heavenly abode on April 17, 1997.

On his death anniversary, Odisha Bytes brings you some lesser known facts about the ‘Tall Leader’, who was also known as ‘Kalinga Putra’ and the ‘Big Daddy of Indian Politics’.

* Biju Patnaik was born in Cuttack on March 5, 1916, but his parental home is in Bellaguntha, Ganjam. He was named Bijayananda Patnaik. He was half-Odia and half-Bengali. Biju Patnaik’s mother Ashalata Devi was a Bengali while his father Lakshminarayan an Odia.

* Biju Patnaik loved sports and was an avid bridge player. While studying in Ravenshaw Collegiate School, he was known for his love for games, sports and adventure. He was the key player in his college football team that won the inter-school championship for three years.

* His love for aviation saw him to drop out of Ravenshaw College and train as a pilot. He had joined as a trainee pilot in the Royal Air Force of British Empire and was the head of air transport command.

* Biju Babu loved to cycle and was often seen riding a bicycle to the State Secretariat. In 1932, he embarked on an adventurous journey on a bicycle and pedaled all the way from Cuttack in Odisha to Peshawar in Pakistan, a distance of 4500 miles, with two of his friends Amar and Bhramarbar on a ‘Visit India Mission’, spreading the message of humanity.

* In 1938, he married Gyan, a Punjabi from Lahore. He flew the groom’s party to Lahore for the wedding. The couple named the Indonesian President Sukarna’s daughter ‘Megawati’, which means goddess of clouds.

* Biju Patnaik was honoured by British rulers for his act of releasing some British families who were imprisoned by Japanese during World War II. However, he was sent to jail for two years in 1943 by the British for taking freedom fighters to secret places in his plane. He also helped the Soviet Army fight Hitler during World War II and was honoured by the Russians for his service.

* Biju Patnaik was elected Chief Minister twice and remained in office only for seven years in total. He was one of the first among the opposition leaders to be arrested during the Emergency declared in 1975. He was released in 1977.

* Biju Patnaik wished to die in a plane crash rather than prolonged illness. He once said: I would like to die instantly, just fall down and die. However, he breathed his last not in Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar, but at the Delhi home of the then Union Minister Dilip Ray.

Remembering Biju Babu: A Leader Beyond Politics, A Vision Beyond His Time

Today marks 28 years since we lost one of the greatest sons of the soil—Biju Patnaik. To many, he was the “Tall Man of Odisha,” but to those of us who knew him closely, he was much more than a leader—he… pic.twitter.com/Ek5ryNKLkT

— Dilip ray (@DilipRayOdisha) April 17, 2025