Veteran Gandhian Padma Charan Nayak is not only leading an anti-liquor movement in Odisha but he is also the convener of a liquor-free India struggle at the age of ninety-seven. When people want to know the secret of his agility at such a ripe old age, his reply is that his mission has engrossed him to such an extent that he has forgotten his age and health. He is aggrieved that the issue which should have been solved within twenty-four hours of our freedom is sidetracked not only by the power-hungry politicians but also by social activists.
Nayak’s initiation to political life was from Gandhiji’s 1942 movement when Britain was told to leave India to itself at the height of Second World War. Since the movement lost its momentum within a month after the imprisonment of almost all leaders, Nayak did not get an opportunity to go to prison for the nation’s sake. His long sociopolitical life started after his post-graduation when he was enamoured by the achievement of the Soviet Union like the Fabians. His best part of youth was with comrades of the Communist Party. He contested the 1957 general elections on a party symbol but lost by a small margin. Not this defeat, but the revelation of Khrushchev in the 20th Party Congress of the Soviet Communist Party about the misdeeds of Stalin was enough for him to leave the Communist Party. In 1961, he was elected from the Rajnagar Assembly constituency as an Independent candidate. His association with the Socialist Party was short-lived with the merger of that part in the Indian National Congress. By 1980, he dissociated with political parties and associated himself with social organisations like Utkal Sammilani and Navajiban Mandal of Gandhians. Thus, he came back to Gandhi, who could not imbue him in his youth, to devote the rest of his life with a youthful mission.
During his long career he has not compromised on the basics of ethics and led a simple life. The remarkable feature of his character is his single-minded devotion to any cause he cherishes which endeared him to his associates. So, when most others are skeptic about success of prohibition of liquor, he has not lost his heart and has devoted entirely to the cause in his ripe old age. And this has attracted many irrespective of their age and personal difficulties.
Nayak is satisfied that the last period of his life is associated with a cause, which Gandhiji declared as the foremost programme of free India. When we say he will far surpass a century, his reply is that it depends upon mass participation and success of the anti-liquor movement. Our best tribute to him will be our wholehearted support to the cause to which he dedicated his life.
(The writer heads the Padma Charan Nayak Abhinandana Samiti. Phone: 9938537600)
