BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday described veteran leader and former Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan as one of the most experienced and enlightened figures in contemporary Indian public life.
Addressing a function organised for the launch of two books authored by Harichandan, ‘E Mati Katha Kahe’ in Odia and ‘Buxi Jagabandhu: The Great Commander’ in English, the chief minister said the author’s political ideals, commitment to constitutional values and decades of public service had earned him a distinct place in Odisha and national politics.
Recalling Harichandan’s long public career, Majhi said the veteran leader played a key role in the movement to protect democracy during the Emergency and had even courted imprisonment.
He also highlighted Harichandan’s tenure as Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, during which he provided people-centric guidance in sectors such as education, health, agriculture and social security.
Referring to ‘Buxi Jagabandhu: The Great Commander’, the chief minister said the book brings national attention to the valour and sacrifice of Paika leader Buxi Jagabandhu, who led the armed Paika rebellion in Khurda nearly four decades before the 1857 sepoy mutiny.
He said the rebellion was perhaps the first widespread armed resistance against British rule in India but had not received due recognition in mainstream national history. “This work will strengthen the demand to recognise the Paika Rebellion as India’s first freedom struggle and open new avenues for historical research,” Majhi said.
On ‘E Mati Katha Kahe’, the chief minister said the book contains around 30 thought-provoking essays on subjects ranging from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to democracy, media, Odia identity, world peace and the Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath.
Majhi expressed hope that the book would soon be translated into English so that readers across the country could access its ideas and said his writings would serve as a valuable resource for students, researchers, intellectuals and general readers alike.
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and Revenue minister Suresh Pujari also spoke.