‘Bande honour a milestone for Odia culture, language’
Bhubaneswar: The state government’s decision to accord Odisha Rajya Sangeeta or state song tag to ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ has been hailed by the family of Kantakabi Laxmikant Mohapatra, who penned the song, as well as members of Utkal Sammilani and leaders cutting across party lines.
Prabhu Kalyan Mohapatra, the grandson of the poet, expressed gratitude to the state government and chief minister Naveen Patnaik for bestowing the honour upon the patriotic song that glorifies Mother Utkala (Odisha). “It is a matter of pride not only for me but for the entire Odia people. This was a long-standing demand of the people of the state. Although late, the government has finally respected the wishes of the people,” he said.
Dilip Dassharma, a member of Utkal Sammilani, said the state song honour for ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ was a foregone conclusion given the way the entire Odia community came together to sing the song at 5:30 pm on May 30 on the call of the chief minister. “I express my gratitude to the chief minister Naveen Patnaik for this historic decision,” he said.
Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik also welcomed the government’s move. Taking to Twitter, the Union minister said, “According state song status to ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ is a matter of pride. The song had instilled patriotism in the minds of the Odias during the movement for a special Odisha province. The song gets its due credit.”
“Great moment for all Odias! Feel proud that the iconic song, #BandeUtkalJanani, written by Kantakabi Laxmikant Mohapatra, is getting state song status. This request was long pending with Odisha govt. I am happy that it has finally been accepted,” tweeted Niranjan.
Senior BJD leader Amar Satpathy, who has been demanding state song status for ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ in the assembly for the past few years, congratulated the chief minister on his decision.