Biju Patnaik
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A brief biography
“Politicians seldom had an exciting life, save their biographers’ – Biju Patnaik was an exception. His life and adventure made him a startling exception in the annals of Indian Politics. He is one of those few octogenarian Indian Politicians who would make an interesting biography, such has been his adventurous career before and after he joined politics.” His long political innings has seen many highs and lows. Julian Huxley, in his memoir described Biju Patnaik as a “remarkable Indian whose adventure will surely fill a book”. Biju Patnaik, son of a prosperous advocate Laxmi Narayan Patnaik knew no poverty in his childhood, who had received inspiration from his father to be fearless in his life. He always desired that the younger generations should be fearless and straightforward in the face of all possible obstructions. While he was a student in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack he became a pilot of Indian National Airways and acquired a place of honour and courage. He topped the list of selected apprentices of the Imperial Royal Force in 1934. He undertook hazardous flying missions first with the Royal Indian Air Force and later with the Indian National Airways earned with the sobriquet of a ‘dare-devil Pilot’. Once Biju Patnaik along with his father and two brothers went to attend a party with the most powerful the then Governor of Odisha Sir Hathorne Luis and Parlakhemundi Maharaja, the Prime Minister of Orissa. The Maharaja of Parlakhemundi introduced Biju Patnaik to honourable Governor, “Y our Excellency, I have the pleasure to introduce you to Bijoyananda Pattanayak, son of our friend Laxmi Narayan Patnaik” Honourable Governor congratulated him “Hallo, Biju”, replied Biju Patnaik ‘Hallo, Lewis’. Governor was stunned, so also Maharaja and all others. Biju Babu was undisturbed. How daring he was.
Biju Patnaik, as a pilot was engaged in Air Transport Command covering the Middle East, China and Far East during the Second World War period. The final struggle against British rule in India was launched on the 9th August 1942 and many young men and women of our country emerged into standard bearers of the Quit India Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi. Among the thousands who came forward to take up the challenge, Biju Patnaik, Chief Pilot of the Dalmia Jain Airways, was one of the most fearless (and veritable dare-devil) who mobilised his fellow pilots and inspired them to help the ‘Underground directorate’ comprising of Jaya Prakash Narayan, Achyut Patbardhan, Aruna Asaf Ali, Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Narendra Dev and some others. In 1942, alongwith Jaya Prakash Narayan and others and other senior officers of Armed forces serving with Netaji’s INA, devoted themselves in the underground movement after Gandhiji’s Quit India Movement was suppressed by the British Govt. While flying the British to safety from Yangon he also used to drop leaflets from his plane supporting the cause of INA, laid by Subhas Chandra Bose. He paid no heed to the alien govt. who wanted to desist him from such misadventures. The young rebel was arrested for this subversive activities on 13th January 1943 to the end of 1945. He came to lime light and was in direct contact with Pt. Nehru. During the Second World War, it was Biju Patnaik who pioneered risky operations across the Himalayas to help the Chinese revolutionaries in Chiang Kasisak’s China. He once flew all the way to Stalingrad on yet another mission. The British Govt. particularly appreciated his efforts to evacuate British families from Rangoon (Yangoon) when the Japanese invaded Burma (Myanmar) during the Second World War. A daring pilot who made headlines by landing the first aircraft carrying Indian troops in Srinagar in 1948 when Kashmir was threatened from across the newly created border. Biju’s exploits in the sky are a legend.
While his love for the country, had his opposition to British rule made him plunge into India’s freedom struggle in a daring and different manner as a young man. Biju Patnaik played a role in the Indonesian Freedom Movement also during 1946-47. He became internationally known, when under Nehru’s instruction he conducted sorties to Indonesia under Dutch threats to fly out several leaders spearheading their country’s independence struggle that time. In what can be aptly described as a drama in real life, a perilous air-voyage in his historic adventure he took-off in an old fashioned Dokata with wife Gyan Patnaik and some others on board for Jakarta where the rebels headquarters was located. As he landed in Singapore, came a Dutch message threatening that his air-craft would be shot down if it entered the Indonesian air-space.
Biju Babu roared from his hotel room : “Resurgent India doesn’t recognise Dutch colonial sovereignty over the Indonesian people. If my air-craft is shot down, every Dutch plane flying across Indian skies will be shot down in retaliation”.
He also dashed off a message to Prime Minister Pt. Nehru : “Take necessary steps should my air-craft is shot down.”
As the world watched him with admiration, the 32 year old pilot eluded the Dutch land in Jakarta and flew back to Delhi Indonesian leaders including Mohammed Hatta for holding confabulation with Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel. At the behest of Pt. Nehru, he also rescued Sultan Sjahrir in one engine plane (the other being destroyed by the enemy), the then Prime Minister of Indonesia and flew him back to Delhi. Biju Patnaik, thereafter, became the focal point of all activities relating to Indian support to the Indonesian freedom struggle. He was also called upon by President Suekarno to carryout certain top secreat and important assignments for their government with senior British Cabinet Ministers like Sir Stafford Cripps; Mr. Bevan, the foreign minister of U.K., having full authority of the President and his government. A grateful Indonesia decorated Biju Patnaik with its highest civilian honour “Bhumi Putra’ in return for the bravery the Indian leader displayed at its hour of crisis. This his background is one of the challenge, adventure, fearlessness and seeking perfection in every sphere of his activity. He was a dare-devil freedom fighter with patriotic adventure par excellence. His mind was as broad as sky and high as Himalayas. The call of the unlimited sky made his mind romantic. He was endowed with exceptional talent and courage. Pt. Nehru also sought his help to thwart Pakistan’s sinister design of occupying Kashmir. The King of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh has already signed the Instrument of accession with India on 26th October 1947, but Pakistan had by then, forcibly occupied a major chunk and was advancing towards Srinagar. An hour delay would here turned the pages of history to cost India heavily. The Bannihal pass was closed but the Indian troops had to be taken to Kashmir valley through a narrow strip which really posed a challenge for mercurial pilot. However, Biju Babu flew to the valley in his plane with troops on 27th October 1947 and forced Pakistan to recede. Though more recognised as a Politician, once he reminisced, ‘flying is my first love, and though it has dimmed with age, it still remains so.’ Once his plane crashed inside a forest. He survived for four days without food and finally pushed the plane out of the forest and was rescued. But he was unaware of the incidents happened at Anand Bhavan, at that time, said Er. Ajit Mohapatra, his nephew. Recalling the incident on that day as narrated by his mother (Biju Babu’s sister) he said, “I had finished lunch while my mother was sitting to start it when a telegram came. I read it became sad but kept quite. My mother told what is the telegram all about. I said, you finish your lunch and I shall tell you. She said, never mind tell me. So I told her that Royal Air Force has informed that “Biju is missing and untraceable”, which means most likely he is dead. But the brave Ashalata Devi was neither perturbed nor stopped eating her lunch. She said, “we have dedicated Biju to the nation. So, we are not worried whether he is alive or dead”. (Indian Express, 16th March 2005). This triumph of General will over individual will remind us about the famous political philosopher Jean Jaques Rousseau’s concept of General Will (combined general interest) which triumphs over Will of All (combined individual interest) where he recounts, “one Spartan mother who on rushing to the runner to know about the result of the battle and being told about the death of her five sons answered, Vile Slave ! was it this I asked then ? Demanding how the battle has gone. Learning of the victory, she ran to the Church to thank God.” Such triumph of public over private interest could not, Rousseau knew have been easy. Yet, without that triumph there could be no general will. This indicates the devotion and dedication of Biju Babu’s family to the cause of the motherland. Pt. Nehru was moved by his “energy and certain ability”, and drew him to politics. Biju Babu became very close to Pt. Nehru. He was also a front runner with all requisite qualifications for the post of Defence Minister after Indo-Chinese War in 1962. Nehru had profound belief in Biju Babu’s ability as a man who could always be at his command at a short notice. He had earlier dared the Dutch, did a bit of war diplomacy and showed his military prowess during the Pakistan invasion of Kashmir in 1947. But, as politics would have it, it was Yaswant Rao Charan who was called upon to take up the job relinquished by Krishna Menon.
Did Pt. Nehru at the highest of the ‘After Nehru who ?’ debate, think of an Odia leader to succeed him ? In a book, ‘Biju Patnaik – A Political Biography’ by Mr. Bhaskar Parichha, quoting Brahmand, Jaya Prakash Narayan’s Secretary says, “Biju had occasion to enjoy Nehru’s confidence. Panditji’s searching gaze for a fitting successor rested on ‘Biju Patnaik’ for a ‘wee moment’. By then he earned the reputation of a daring Air Force Pilot who helped Indian underground leaders during Quit India Movement. He had made a halo of patriotism during the Chinese aggression and become Nehru’s confidant as defence adviser, Nehru was dazzaled by Biju Babu’s familiarity with military subjects.” it says. Once Nehru said, “Biju is remarkable, dynamic young man who is utmost daring-dashing and Pushing.” Once Nehru asked Bidhan Chandra Ray – ‘Have you met a young man called Biju Patnaik’. He replied, ‘I have heard about him, but not yet met’. Nehru said, ‘Meet him sometime. I like such forward-looking brave people. The only difficulty is that ‘sometimes you donot know where he will land.’
On the successor issue, Pt. Nehru had believed that congress was not such a small party which could not find a successor to him in case of a contingency. But the answer was confined to five leaders, who by their own virtue and calibre made it to the top. They were V . K. Krishna Menon, Nehru’s defence minister by virtue of his being a close friend; Lal Bahadur Sastri, by virtue of his honesty and statesmanship; Moraraji Desai, by dint of his seniority and Nehru’s favourite; Indira Gandhi, because she was Prime Minister’s daughter and Biju Patnaik, by virtue of his courage and gallantry and whom Nehru loved so much. But Pt. Nehru had his inner contradictions. Although there were so many aspirants, Nehru never revealed his mind as to who would be a befitting successor to him.
True, Biju Patnaik like anyoneelse, nursed the dream of becoming India’s Prime Minister, in the wee hours of his political clock, but as he himself told many times he didn’t have enough M.Ps with him to stalk his claim, however shortlived it is. In 1996, Lok Sabha Elections, a 13 party coalition govt. was formed at the centre with Mr. H. D. Devagawda as the Prime Minister but on reasons best known to them he was tactfully and surreptitiously kept out of the ministry what to speak of the post of Prime Minister. Finally, it was irony of time when the coalition govt. was facing a serious support crunch, Biju Babu instead of being present in the saddle to provide wherewithal was struggling for his own survival.
It is for the first time, perhaps the last, he was not performing the role of ‘troubleshooter’ – a job which he was managing with tact and intelligence. If he would have been born in any other state like U.P., W.B., Bihar or Tamil Nadu could have become President or the Prime Minister of India. But after about more than four decades in politics, through good and bad times, he retained his spirit of adventure. The Orissa Patriarch’s political career was remarkably astute, almost prophetic. For the image of the archetypal adventurer stuck to the man whom many one considered a political successor to Pt. Nehru as Prime Minister of our country and that at a time when the country was not as desperate in its hunt for Prime Minister as it is now. Like his role model Napoleon, who inspired in him a deep interest in military strategy, he deleted the word ‘impossible’ from his dictionary, even Nehru used to consult him on military issues. He had an amazing aptitude to go straight into the problem and tackle it with keenness of real politic. He does not like to dabble with any metaphysics of politics but was gifted with an innate capability to easily understand it’s practical implications.
Biju Patnaik strode his scene like a giant. But he stopped caring about the ground his feet touched with his head touching the sky. His youthful passion for flying and adventure made his political life much of a myth. He had no time for pettifogging world of today’s politics. In turn, this made him an anachronism well before his end. He was driven as much by personal ambition as by the desire to raise modern Odisha to the lofty heights attained by its ancient incarnation – Kalinga. In fact, although he lived in 20th century, his soul belonged to the Kalinga of Kharavela, the Aire monarch famous for his valour and wisdom, whom he had been often compared, sometimes derisively. He wanted the Odias to achieve excellence in every field and he recognised by the rest of the countrymen – even internationally.
The people of Odisha today know Biju Patnaik as their most eminent political leader but they, particularly the younger ones have something more to know about him. The challenge to India’s unity, integrity and sovereignty has to be met by young men and women born after independence. The prevailing mindless terrorism is born of cowardice and lust for self-aggrandisement. The masses should be mobilised to defeat the conspiracies to destabilise India. Biju Patnaik belong to that daredevil genre of old patriots who in their younger days shirked no challenge to respond to many patriotic calls of adventure for the cause of the country. For the young men and women of Odisha, and also other parts of the country, who aspire to experience the thrill of the adventure of life, not merely for an empty excitement but in fulfilment of a higher cause – Biju Patnaik’s life is a beckoning example before them. Regarding development of our state, in an interview with Sabina Sehgal which appeared in ‘The Times of India’, 13th June, 1993, Biju Babu told- “If I was to run the country and if I was 30 yrs younger, I would certainly impose Draconian Laws and punitive measures to ensure that corruption does not pay. And if Parliament is not supportive, I would acquire the power to suspend it. Anyway Parliament is far too expensive”.
“Hard decisions are a must. No development is possible without human sacrifice. Be it Asoka or Peter the Great, human lives perished but that is how their great empire flourished. In Chernobyl or Bhopal, human sacrifice was the cost that one had to pay for development. When aeroplane first started, people were sacrificed. The development of rockets sacrificed scientists. So ? For many human development, there have been human sacrifice galore. To test nitrogen bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are necessary. So why do we shy way from paying a price for development ?” Biju Patnaik had a multi-faceted personality and it is very difficult to evaluate him in a limited sphere. His personality had so many stiff edges, what he was telling or doing was quite spectacular and different from other. He was no doubt an epitome of national glory but not appropriately rewarded during his life-time. He strode the political scene in our state and at the centre as a colossus. ‘His loss can never be replaced and there can never be another person like him.’ Biju Patnaik may have died, but his memory can never be erased from the history of Odisha. While celebrating the Birth Centenary of Biju Patnaik, the legend, a daredevil dreamer, the custodian of pride of Odisha on 5th of March 2016, he will be remembered as such for thousands of tomorrows to come. He had dreamt many dreams for the development of our state, to make it No. 1 in the country. But his fond noble dream of proliferation of dashing Odia youth to conquer every sphere of life as the true descendant of Mahameghabahan Aira Kharavela remains still unfulfilled. We can propitiate his soul, if we fulfil that dream.
Battle-of Stalingrad
The Russian government has announced that it will honour former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik on May 9, 2025, for his courageous role in aiding the Red Army during World War II.
The tribute will take place during the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, hosted by the Russian Embassy in New Delhi. The event aims to acknowledge individuals who contributed to the anti-Hitler coalition and supported the Soviet Union during its fight against Nazi Germany.
The Russian Federation has extended a prestigious invitation to Naveen Patnaik, former Odisha CM and President of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), to attend a special reception as the Guest of Honour, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War (World War II).
The event, at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, will honour Naveen’s father, the legendary Biju Patnaik, for his extraordinary courage during the Battle of Stalingrad, a pivotal moment in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The commemorative ceremony will be attended by prominent figures, while External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will grace as the Chief Guest.
Biju Patnaik’s Role in the War
Biju Patnaik, known for his fearless leadership, was a pilot with Indian National Airways in the early 1940s. During World War II, he undertook a daring mission to deliver crucial supplies to Soviet troops, despite the immense risks posed by Nazi forces. His efforts helped sustain the Soviet war effort during the siege of Stalingrad, a defining moment in history.
Patnaik was previously recognized for his wartime contributions by Russia in 1995, when he was awarded the jubilee medal for the 50th anniversary of the Victory in World War II.
Legacy of Biju Patnaik
Apart from his wartime contributions, Biju Patnaik remains an iconic figure in Indian politics. He served as Odisha’s Chief Minister twice—first from 1961 to 1963 and later from 1990 to 1995. His vision for Odisha’s development and his unwavering commitment to national and international causes solidified his legacy as a great leader. Patnaik passed away on April 17, 1997, but his contributions continue to inspire generations.
