Bhubaneswar, November 19 ( Odisha.in ) Eminent literatures, social workers and educationists paid high tribute of late Dr. Pragati Kumar Patnaik, who had fallen to the bullets of Naga terrorists on 26th June, 1994 at Nagaland, while serving the poor and deprived of that State.
While unveiling bust statue of Dr. Patnaik inside Dr. Pragati Patnaik Memorial Library located in the premises of Raghunath Adarsha Mahabidyalaya , at Olasingh in Khurda district, located at a distance of 60 kms
from Bhubaneswar.
Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, Chairman of Orissa State Housing Board, and Dr. Sashanka Sekhar Chudamani, eminent educationists and research scholar said that though a native of Orissa, Dr. Patnaik was devoted to the service of the
poor and deprived people of Nagaland for whom getting proper medical service was a distant dream.
Dr. Patnaik who was initially in Nagaland Government service, subsequently had left the Government job to serve the people of that State. For him all people including the Naga rebels were like God.
He had treated many injured and ailing Naga rebels in their hide outs and had not disclosed about there where abouts to the police despite mounting pressures on him.
His only answer was, ” I am to serve the people and all the ailing and injured are like God to me, I can not neglect them or cause any harm to them. Let the police do their duty, for which they are paid by the Government, under no
circumstances, I would be instrumental in arrest of any of my patients.
“Despite all his devotion to the cause of serving the people, he was killed by the”misguided” rebels who had taken him on the plea of attending a serious patient.
Dr. Patnaik was very popular among the people of Nagaland for his philanthropic activities. He was instrumental in construction of a Durga temple and a Bishnu temple in a Christian dominated State like Nagaland.
Das Burma said that as Dr. Patnaik was keen for development of his native Village, he had contributed substantial amount for establishment of a +2 College in OLasingh named after his father, freedom fighter , writer, revolutionary and social activist Raghunath Patnaik.
Other speakers social worker Kalu Charan Chhotray and educationists Jugal Charan Singh also paid high tribute to Dr. Patnaik and appealed the students and youths of the locality to come forward for development of the area in
all fronts following the ideals of Dr. Patnaik.
Odisha.in