Bhubaneswar: Jagannath….The Lord of the Universe is the Enigma. He is the deity and he is the manifestation…He is the ruler and all are his followers. In Odisha, everything starts with him and everybody is a Jagannath Bhakt. And so is the Chief Minister of Odisha. He is the biggest believer of Lord Jagannath and his admiration for the Lord is absolute. May be he never showed his belief publicly, but an account of his bhakti towards the Lord as elucidated by Naveen’s Private Secretary proves that he is the biggest fan of Lord Jagannath.
While speaking on the occasion of the release of the Draft Architectural Design for the proposed Puri Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor, V K Pandian, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Private Secretary and 5T Secretary gave an account of Naveen’s dedication towards Lord Jagannath and how he wants to transform the temple city into a World Heritage City.
According to Pandian, the development plans for Puri Temple started way back in 2016 when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was on a visit to Puri to have darshan of Lord Jagannath on the eve of New Year. Sitting on the backside of the Chief Minister’s car, Pandian saw Naveen putting together his hands to Namaskar Lord Jagannath every time he saw a photo of the Lord on hoardings all along the 50 Kilometers stretch. This sight was enough to believe that the Chief Minister is an ardent follower of Jagannath and the biggest bhakt of him. Pandian Says, “I came to know about another side of the Chief Minister and saw how he is a big devotee of Lord Jagannath.” Inside the temple, in front of Mahaprabhu, I saw a different Chief Minister… says Pandian.
V K Pandian, who is associated with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as his Private Secretary since 2011, details the Chief Minister’s dedication and devotion towards Lord Jagannath and says that on the New Year day of 2016, Naveen thought of doing something good for the temple and to develop it into one of the greatest heritage cities of the world. And so the process started to develop the temple city.
This shows that Naveen’s devotion towards Lord Jagannath is invincible and it is the reason, he is fond of Puri. His every action starts with the Lord and he has dedicated everything to the deity. Like the Chief Minister, V K Pandian, the Officer who is also looking after the transformation initiatives is also an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath. He has made it a point to develop the City of Puri as one of the best places in the world and restore the grandeur. It seems he is also inspired by the Chief Minister’s devotion to the Lord and has understood that everything revolves around him. Pandian has made a point in his busy schedule to directly monitor the developments in Puri and he himself visits the Temple to oversee the works. May be he belongs to another state when it comes to his nativity, but his devotion towards Lord Jagannath has never been less than any Odia.
The centuries old temple in dire need of restoration and the slow encroachments had cost a lot on the pilgrim amenities. That needed to be changed and there was need to develop the infrastructure around the temple. Naveen’s decision to develop the amenities started long ago and was being implemented slowly under the supervision of some of the senior officers. In the aftermath of the Severe Cyclone, Naveen himself supervised the restoration efforts and provided all help to the affected people.
This determination to develop the city and restore the past glory of the temple of Lord Jagannath can come with true devotion and dedication towards the Lord. It proves that, Naveen may not be vocal in dedicating himself to the Lord, but inside him is a soul that is full of devotion and believes in the supremacy of Lord Jagannath. This shows that Naveen has dedicated his life for the Lord of the Universe and devotes all success to the almighty. With same devotion and dedication he has been serving the people of Odisha for the last two decades as though he sees the Lord in each one of them.
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