By Afreen Firdaus
Bhubaneswar, Oct 3: With Gandhi Jayanti just observed, the life of people like Bhabani Charan Pattnayak offers a reminder that Gandhian ideals extend far beyond the freedom struggle to become a way of life.
A freedom fighter and a politician, Pattnayak fought the British as a teenager, spent years in prison, served three terms in the Rajya Sabha post-Independence and was conferred the Padma Shri Award. But for Pattnayak, freedom was never merely about ending British rule; it meant a lifelong commitment to building a just and compassionate society.
Born in 1922 in Nimapara of Puri district, Pattnayak joined the Quit India Movement in 1942 and left school before completing his education. After Independence, he entered public life through the Congress and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1961, 1966 and 1978.
However, Parliament did not remain the centre of his life. He returned to Odisha and devoted himself to social causes, education and public service. In recognition of his contribution, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2018, one of India’s highest civilian honours.
Pattnayak was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and remained a strong believer in ahimsa. He was the first person to sign a campaign supporting the proposal to include ahimsa in the Preamble of the Constitution. His family also remembers his admiration for Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Lal Bahadur Shastri.
His granddaughter Devika Patnaik, a lawyer, based in Bhubaneswar, recalls how Pattnayak had displayed his defiance even as a child. “He often told me about his childhood days when he stood up against the Britishers,” says Devika, adding that his courage to face them was inspired by Gandhi’s revolutionary stance. Later, during an event organised to mark King George V’s visit to India, he refused to shout slogans in his praise and was beaten, but he remained defiant.
The Gandhian philosophy extended to Pattnayak’s personal life as well. His family remembers him as someone who would share whatever little he had. “Even if he had one biscuit and there were ten people in the room, he would share it with all,” shares Devika. He continued to remain helpful and empathetic to all around him, including street animals. He played a key role in establishing Nimapara Autonomous College and worked with organisations serving poor and underprivileged communities. Pattnayak also spearheaded the anti-liquor movement in Odisha and stood with farmers fighting for their rights.
Pattnayak’s journey extended well beyond the freedom struggle. For him, Gandhism was not a chapter of history but a way of life. “A Gandhian never retires,” he would often say, an approach that came to define a life devoted to service, simplicity and social causes.
