BHUBANESWAR: A year-long celebration will be organised to mark the birth centenary of former Odisha chief minister and former Assam Governor Janaki Ballav Patnaik, the Janaki Ballav Birth Centenary Committee has announced.
At a meeting to prepare for the celebrations, committee convenor and former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik proposed that it be held from January 3, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
Former minister Bijoy Mohapatra, former MP Bhupinder Singh and former administrator Rabinarayan Senapati suggested publishing a compilation of all the literary works of Patnaik and distributing them in schools, colleges and universities across the state.
Former ministers Suresh Kumar Routray, Jayadev Jena, MLA Ganeswar Behera and other leaders proposed naming the Kalinga Stadium after Patnaik stating it was established during his tenure. They also proposed installing a full-sized statue of Patnaik on the stadium premises.
It was also suggested that the centenary celebrations be held in New Delhi and a 100-page book on Patnaik’s life and contributions be published for students on the occasion.
Other proposals included establishing ‘Janaki Ballav’ chairs in universities. Youth leader Abhishek Mahananda presented a video roadmap for the centenary events. Among others, former ministers Saraswati Hembram and Jagannath Patnaik, industrialist Tararanjan Patnaik and hotelier JK Mohanty were present.