Bhubaneswar: Several civil society organisations and hundreds of denizens Sunday came together to pay rich tributes to Odisha’s first and only woman Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy on her 93rd birth anniversary.
The statue of Satpathy near Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar was garlanded on the occasion. The ceremony brought together political leaders, members of various social organisations and citizens to celebrate the legacy of a remarkable woman who broke barriers and inspired generations.
On this occasion, Dharitri and OrissaPOST Editor Tathagata Satpathy, CEO Adyasha Satpathy, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das and several other top leaders including MLAs Babu Singh, Susant Kumar Rout, Ananta Narayan Jena, former MLAs Shashi Bhusan Behera, Ashok Chandra Panda, former minister Srikant Kumar Jena, BJP leader Jagannath Pradhan as well as members of Odia Language Literature & Culture Department and Utkal Sammilani paid tributes to the former Chief Minister.
Born June 9, 1931, and brought up in Pithapur in Cuttack, Nandini Satpathy was the first woman Chief Minister of Odisha and the second woman to become Chief Minister in independent India.
Nandini assumed office as the Chief Minister June 14, 1972. Her tenure ended within a year when Emergency was imposed on India. She was re-elected for her second term from March 6, 1973 and continued to serve till December 16, 1976.
Apart from being a political leader, Satpathy was also an accomplished writer. Her works have been translated and published in a number of other languages. She was honoured with Sahitya Bharati Samman Award in 1998 for her contributions to Odia literature.
PNN