"Again. Once again. At 55, I am unashamedly in love again. And this time, in love forever. No, this love affair is not with a lovely lady half my age. This time it is with Odisha that I have fallen in love with!
After about thirty years of service when I left Odisha about two years back to join the prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, I thought that I would feel wholly at home with the hills that I am fascinated with. I had planned to climb down to Chandigarh at the end of the deputation period of three years and lead a quiet retired life. But now I have discovered that, to twist the words of Marc Anthony a little, not that I don’t love the hills any longer, but that I love Odisha more!
While in Odisha, I thought that I did not like sea and had even led myself to believe that I was allergic to sea. Now, staying far, far away from the sea, at an elevation of about 7000 feet, I long to be near the sea. I remember the lovely sea breeze of Puri that makes one forget all the worldly worries. I wonder if it is just the impact of the sea breeze or it is a gift or blessing of Lord Jagannath to its devotees!
No, there is no other place in the world like the abode of Lord Jagannath. A visit to the Lord Jagannath Temple is a strangely soothing and uplifting experience. The atmosphere inside the temple, with a multitude of devotees coming from all parts of the country to have a glimpse of their Lord, the brisk movement of the learned Pandas, and the chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ flash upon my mind again and again. The sweet sound of cymbals, the chanting of prayers and the whole ambience at the time of the evening ‘aarti’ are amongst my most treasured memories.
Having visited various parts of the world and tasted food of different countries, I can convincingly testify that there is nothing like the ‘bhoga’ of Lord Jagannath’s Templeanywhere in the world. Each item is hygienically prepared, astounding both in the range of preparations as well as in quantity and tantalizingly tasty. And from the ‘bhoga’ of the Lord to the ordinary food. How much I miss the delicious ‘daalma’ and the ‘baigan bhaja’, the savoury ‘santula’ and of course the cool ‘pakhal-bhaat’! No wonder the Oriyas are recognized amongst the best cooks in the world.
The world is slowly waking up to the all round potential of Orissa. I remember that two years back when I left the state, it was already becoming clear that Odisha was on the threshold of a major industrial leap. A recent Survey of Investment Projects undertaken by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) confirmed that this has all ready become a reality. Its findings show that Odisha has emerged as the most favoured destination for Foreign Direct Investment in India, displacing states like Maharashtra, Gujrat and Tamil Nadu. Bravo Odisha! Ofcourse this is nothing new for Odisha which has a wonderfully rich history. In the past too, it had reached high levels of development, reflected in its long trading and cultural links with Bali and other Indonesian islands.
In the areas of art and architecture too, Odisha is unmatched. I remember that I had cried when I saw Konark temple for the first time in the late 1960’s. Rising above the outward eroticism, there is really an amazing world to be discovered in that temple—a touch of humour somewhere, a new hairstyle at another place and fascinating stories frozen in stone by the craftsmen of Odisha. I would love to visit Konark again, and again. I had another association with Konark too. I worked for sometime with the State owned Konark Television Company and had coined a publicity slogan, “Orissa has two Konarks to be proud of”.
And I miss Odisha in the rains. During the monsoons, the entire landscape turns lush green and a cool breeze keeps you company. One can see the fury with which rain descends and dark clouds coming from the Bay of Bengal keep on coming, almost endlessly.
I remember the evenings spent by me sitting in the cool breeze of the seven coconut trees in the lawn of my government bungalow in Bhubaneshwar. The trees bore nuts with incredibly sweet water. I used to enjoy as many nuts as I could and distribute the rest. One evening a very senior officer from Odisha posted in Delhi, suddenly came to my house and jocularly demanded his share of coconuts. He subsequently disclosed that he was the first occupant of that house and it was he who had planted those trees. Before leaving Odisha, I too had planted seven more coconut trees in that house. I am now naturally keen to see how big those coconut trees have become. Yes, I have decided to go back to Odisha. "
(Published in ‘Sun Times’, Bhubaneshwar, September 19, 1998)
