[Watch] In Odisha’s Silver City, Vaishnaw, Former Cuttack Collector, Speaks In Odia, Asks Audience To Call Him ‘Ashwini Bhai’

Cuttack: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a former Odisha-cadre IAS officer who has served as the Cuttack Collector, fondly recalled his old ties with the Silver City during his visit on Friday.

Vaishnaw was in the Millennium City to lay the foundation stone for a second entry to Cuttack railway station and flag off a ‘Hospital on Wheels’.

An emotional Vaishnaw addressed the gathering in Odia, urging everyone to call him “Ashwini Bhai”.

Addressing the audience as “bhai aau bhaunimane (brothers and sisters)”, he said, “When I was the Collector of Cuttack, all of you addressed me as ‘bhai’, today also don’t address me as minister but call me ‘bhai’, call me ‘Ashwini bhai’.”

“Earlier I was your younger brother (sana bhai), today maybe I’m your elder brother (bada bhai),” he said, pointing to his greying hair.

As someone in the audience prompted, Vaishnaw said, “Cuttack sahara bhai chara sahara.”

As the sound of drums, claps and conches filled the air, Vaishnaw said that his ties with Cuttack was an emotional one. “When you serve in a place, and the love and affection people give you in return, it carries a different value,” he said, speaking in Odia.

“I cannot forget… any ‘sahi’ or Durga Puja I would visit, I would be welcomed as a family member. I can never forget that,” he said.

He then asked the audience to chant “Jai Jagannath” and “Ma Cuttack Chandi kan jay” with him.

On Thursday, the Railway Minister along with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off the Puri-Hatia-Puri Tapaswini Express with Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches from the Bhubaneshwar railway station.