CUTTACK: It is not the election season. But 71-year-old Bishnu Charan Das who had unsuccessfully contested the General Elections in 2019, sets out for campaigning every day on his bicycle. This time, he is sensitising people of Tangi-Choudwar block about the Covid-19 pandemic.Clad in a ‘dhoti’, ‘kurta’ with a Gandhi cap on his head and a mask on his face, Das of Khaipadia village under Salagan gram panchayat in the block has been campaigning on his bicycle since March 25 to sensitise people towards wearing masks and maintaining social distancing for keeping the coronavirus at bay.
Das, a former sarpanch of Salagan panchayat, shouts slogans and sings songs and parodies on coronavirus that he has penned. On some days, he also distributes food materials to the poor and needy with the help of volunteers of a social organisation ‘Ahwan’.Every day, he cycles to haats and urban markets and speaks to people about the need for wearing masks and maintain safe distance to prevent transmission of the virus. Das gives lessons on personal hygiene, community sanitation, restricted movement and avoiding public gathering to every person he meets in his journey.
“Since there is no proper allopathic treatment for the disease, we should model ourselves as per principles of Gandhiji on hygiene”, said the Gandhian, who contested the election as a candidate of Kalinga Sena from Salepur-Tangi Assembly segment in 2019. He was able to bag less than 500 votes. But that did not kill his spirit for social work.
Das, who is involved in various social programmes and active in politics for the last 45 years, said he had worked with former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik and campaigned for him in Choudwar. He has also been instrumental in intensifying ‘OTM Banchao Sangram’ and Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev’s revolution against black money here. During his 45-year-old political career, Das was jailed 10 times for participating in different agitations. He plans to continue his campaign on Covid-19 till the virus transmission is brought under control.