Harish Chandra Buxipatra was in the Ministry of the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. He was the Minister of Forest and Environment, Commerce and Transport. But people remember him as a leader who fought for the Odia pride and integration of Odia speaking tracts of Sadheikala and Kharasuan of Jharkhand in Odisha.

When the whole world will be observing the New Year, the Odia people will take pride in observing the day as the Bruhatara Utkala Divas. Because after unification of the Gadjats, the geographical area of the then Odisha became bigger. Buxipatra was still not happy as he strove to integrate all Odia speaking tracts in Odisha.

In the year 1956 when he was the president of Ravenshaw College Students Union, he had started his work for the Odia people of Sadheikala and Kharasuan. In the last part of his life, when he was made president of Utkal Sammilani he got a scope to fight for the cause of the Odias of the two tracts.

In 1996 after the death of Dr Radhanath Rath, Buxipatra became the president of Utkal Sammilani. In 1999, the Central Government decided to give State status to Jharkhand after bifurcation of Bihar.

At that time, Buxipatra took it as a chance to merge the Odia speaking area of Bihar in Odisha. Under the leadership of Buxipatra a team from Utkal Sammilani went to Delhi and met the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and other Ministers and Member of Parliaments.

When he felt that the Center was not co-operating in the matter, he returned to Odisha and united all political parties for an Odisha bandh on August 11, 2000. Despite a great deal of efforts till today we could not get the Odia villages.

Buxipatra is no more with us but his dedicated work for the Odias living inside and outside will remain etched in memory forever.

(The writer is president, Utkal Sammilani, Mancheswar Industrial Estate Branch, Mob: 993853600)