Bijayananda Patnaik was an Indian politician, aviator and businessman.
24 Facts About Biju Patnaik
2.
Biju Patnaik was educated at Ravenshaw College in Odisha but, due to his interest in aviation, dropped out and trained as a pilot.
3.
Biju Patnaik flew with private airlines but at the start of the Second World War he joined the Royal Indian Air Force.
4.
Biju Patnaik eventually became the head of air transport command.
5.
Biju Patnaik was jailed by the British for dropping political leaflets to Indian soldiers fighting under British command in Burma and flying clandestine missions that carried Congress Party leaders from hideouts across India to secret meetings that charted the independence struggle.
6.
Biju Patnaik met with Jawaharlal Nehru during his participation in Indonesian freedom struggle and became one of his trusted friends.
7.
Nehru asked Biju Patnaik, who was adventurous and an expert pilot, to rescue Sjahrir and other Indonesian resistance fighters who were fighting their Dutch colonisers.
8.
In 1995, when Indonesia was celebrating its 50th Independence Day, Biju Patnaik was awarded the highest national award, the Bintang Jasa Utama.
9.
In 2015, Sukarno's daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri recounted how it was Biju Patnaik who suggested she be named Meghavati or "daughter of clouds".
10.
Biju Patnaik brought 17 soldiers of 1-Sikh regiment commanded by Lt.
11.
Biju Patnaik flew low on the airstrip twice to ensure that no raiders were around.
12.
In 1946 Biju Patnaik was elected uncontested to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from North Cuttack constituency.
13.
Under his leadership, the Congress Party won 82 of 140 seats and Biju Patnaik became the chief minister of Odisha on 23 June 1961 and remained in the position until 2 October 1963 when he resigned from the post under the Kamaraj Plan to revitalise the Congress party.
14.
Biju Patnaik was the Chief Minister of Odisha at the age of 45.
15.
Biju Patnaik was close to Indira Gandhi who took over the Congress Party in 1967.
16.
Biju Patnaik then re-established contact with his old friend Jayaprakash Narayan and plunged into the JP movement as it picked up momentum in 1974.
17.
Biju Patnaik was re-elected to the Lok Sabha again in 1980 and 1984 from Kendrapara as Janata Party candidate despite the Congress wave in 1984 following Indira Gandhi's death.
18.
In 1990 state assembly election, the Janata Dal received a thumping majority which saw Biju Patnaik being the Chief Minister of Odisha for the second time until 1995.
19.
Biju Patnaik was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 from Cuttack and Aska constituencies as a Janata Dal candidate.
20.
Biju Patnaik retained the latter until his death on 17 April 1997 of cardio-respiratory failure.
21.
In 1992, Bijayananda Biju Patnaik left this quote for the people of Odisha;.
22.
Biju Patnaik set up Kalinga tubes, Kalinga Airlines, Kalinga Iron work, Kalinga Refractories and the Kalinga, a daily Oriya newspaper.
23.
Biju Patnaik was married to Gyan Patnaik, who belonged to Punjab, due to which he is known as a son-in-law of Punjab as well.
24.
Biju Patnaik's elder son Prem Patnaik is a Delhi-based industrialist.