Bhubaneswar, May 21:
The 35th Shraddha Utsav of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi and the State-level Rajiv Gandhi Pratibha Samman Utsav–2025 were held at Jayadev Bhavan on Wednesday under the chairmanship of State President Satyabrat Nayak.
Former Judge of the Orissa High Court, Justice Dr. D.P. Chaudhary, attended the programme as Chief Guest and formally inaugurated the Rajiv Gandhi Pratibha Samman Utsav by lighting the ceremonial lamp.
Addressing the gathering, Justice Dr. Chaudhary called upon the youth to dedicate themselves towards building an India free from exploitation, corruption and inequality, in line with the ideals of Rajiv Gandhi. He praised Rajiv Gandhi’s visionary role in transforming India in the fields of information and communication technology and described voting as the greatest weapon of democracy. He urged the younger generation not to weaken this democratic power through temptation, addiction, or irresponsible conduct.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University, Professor Kumarbar Das, joined as the keynote speaker. He highlighted Rajiv Gandhi’s immense contribution to the advancement of science and technology in India and expressed concern over the growing trend of talented Indian students settling abroad for financial opportunities instead of serving the nation and their parents.
INTUC National vice president &
Former Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Ramachandra Khuntia, who attended as Guest of Honour, recalled Rajiv Gandhi’s concern over corruption in governance, mentioning his famous observation that only a fraction of government funds reached the common people.
Chairman of the Media Department of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, Arvind Das, also joined as Guest of Honour and praised Rajiv Gandhi’s historic decision to lower the voting age to 18 years. He further acknowledged Rajiv Gandhi’s commitment towards secularism, women’s empowerment through the Panchayati Raj system, and focused development of the KBK region.
Former Minister Suresh Kumar Routray and Editor-in-Chief of Paryabekhyak & The Kalinga Chronicle, Dr. Pabitra Mohan Samantaray, also attended as Guests of Honour and shared their experiences regarding Rajiv Gandhi’s multifaceted personality and leadership qualities.
In his presidential address, Satyabrat Nayak stated that the best tribute to Rajiv Gandhi would be for today’s talented students and youth to dedicate themselves to selfless service and nation-building.
Rajiv Gandhi Students Forum North Odisha Coordinator Jyosna Routray delivered the welcome address, while the organisation’s General Secretary Manas Ranjan Kar proposed the vote of thanks.
During the programme, 140 talented students and youths from across Odisha who excelled in NCC, NSS, Youth Red Cross, Scouts and Guides, science, art, music, literature, Odissi dance, sports, acting, and social service were honoured with the State-level Rajiv Gandhi Talent Award by the dignitaries.
The programme was coordinated by organisation vice-president Krushna Chandra Sahu and coordinators Priyabrat Nayak, Anil Kachhap Singh, Mir Abubakar Siddiqui, Prakash Chandra Nayak, Debendra Das, Binod Rout, Sagar Ranjan Parida, Shiv Prasad Das, and Anil Mohanty.
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