Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has paid his humble tributes to freedom fighter and first Chief Minister of Odisha Utkal Keshari Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab on his birth anniversary.
ବିଶିଷ୍ଟ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ସଂଗ୍ରାମୀ ତଥା ସ୍ୱତନ୍ତ୍ର ଓଡ଼ିଶା ପ୍ରଦେଶ ଗଠନର ଅନ୍ୟତମ କର୍ଣ୍ଣଧାର ଉତ୍କଳ କେଶରୀ ଡ଼ଃ ହରେକୃଷ୍ଣ ମହତାବଙ୍କ ଜୟନ୍ତୀରେ ମୋର ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧାଞ୍ଜଳି। ତାଙ୍କ ଅମାପ ଦେଶପ୍ରେମ, ପ୍ରଥମ ମୁଖ୍ୟମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ ଭାବେ ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ପ୍ରଗତି ସହ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷା ଓ ସାହିତ୍ୟର ଉନ୍ନତିରେ ଅତୁଳନୀୟ ଅବଦାନ ପାଇଁ ସେ ସର୍ବଦା ପ୍ରେରଣାର ଉତ୍ସ। pic.twitter.com/x9Q7vtu26i
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) November 21, 2022
Mahatab was a notable figure in the Indian independence movement. He was the first Chief Minister of Odisha from 23 April 1946 to 12 May 1950 and again from 1956 to 1961. He was popularly known by the sobriquet “Utkal Keshari”.
He was the founder of the Prajatantra Prachar Samiti and started the weekly magazine Prajatantra in 1923 at Balasore, which later became the Daily Prajatantra. He was the chief editor of a monthly journal Jhankar.
He also published the Weekly English paper The Eastern Times and was its Chief Editor.