Biju Patnaik birth anniversary: Read why Odisha’s former CM was awarded Indonesia’s highest honour, ‘Bhoomi Putra’, and their honorary citizenship

Two times Odisha Chief Minister, aviator, entrepreneur and freedom fighter Bijayanda Patnaik was born on this day (5th March) in 1916. On his birth anniversary, Prime Minister Modi recalled his contribution towards the development of Odisha and his commitment to democratic ideals which is evident from the fact that he was among the leaders who opposed the Emergency and was jailed for it.

Patnaik’s early life and education

Biju Patnaik was born into a well-off family in Cuttack, Odisha. His father Laxminarayan Patnaik was the Dewan of a Zamindari Estate in Orissa province. Despite working in the colonial administration, Laxminarayan Patnaik was deeply involved in the freedom struggle which was inherited by Biju Patnaik. Biju Patnaik went to Ravenshaw College in Odisha but dropped out to pursue his interest in aviation. He trained as a pilot at the Aeronautic Training Institute of India and Delhi Flying Club and initially flew with private airlines. However, at the beginning of WWII, he joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1936 and went on to become the head of the Air Transport Command.

An obituary published in the Independent on May 1, 1997, described how Patnaik rescued several British families in Rangoon WWII. “As an officer in the Royal Indian Air Force in the early 1940s, Patnaik flew innumerable sorties to rescue British families fleeing the Japanese advance on Rangoon, the capital of Burma. He also dropped arms and supplies to Chinese troops fighting the Japanese and later to the Soviet army struggling against Hitler’s onslaught near Stalingrad. Two years ago, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, Patnaik was honoured by the Russians for his help,” the obituary stated.

A Royal Airline pilot and a freedom fighter

Biju Patnaik was deeply inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and his passive resistance to British rule. Even though he was part of the Royal Indian Air Force, he supported the freedom struggle. He used to ferry freedom fighters to secret meetings. He sheltered prominent leaders like Jaya Prakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohiya and Aruna Asaf Ali. While rescuing British families from Yangon, he used to drop leaflets supporting Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army. He was arrested and jailed on January 13, 1943, after the British found out about his activities. On being released, he joined a private airline Indian National Airways, set up by industrialist Raymond Eustace Grant Govan. He continued to be involved in the freedom struggle while working in the airline. An Intelligence Bureau note dated 29 September 1945 stated that Biju Patnaik ‘misused’ his position as a pilot to fly Ram Manohar Lohiya, who was underground at that time, from Delhi to Kolkata.

‘Bhoomi Putra’ Biju Patnaik and his daring rescue operation

After Japan officially surrendered during WWII, it withdrew its forces from the countries it had occupied in Southeast Asia including Indonesia. On August 17, 1945, Indonesia declared independence and elected Sukarno as President and Sutan Sjahrir as Prime Minister. However, the Dutch who had colonised Indonesia before WWII, did not accept Indonesia’s independence and started a military aggression which was temporarily resisted by the British armies. But soon the British armies withdrew and offered to mediate which was rejected by the Dutch and military hostilities followed.

At that time Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru directed Biju Patnaik to fly to Java and rescue the Indonesian Vice President and the Prime Minister. Patnaik flew in a Dakota aircraft and rescued Indonesian Vice President Mohammad Hatta and Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir on July 21, 1947. The Dutch threatened to shoot down his aircraft but Patnaik replied that if his aircraft was shot down, no Dutch aircraft would be able to fly across Indian skies. The iconic Dakota aircraft is now installed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar in memory of Patnaik. In 1947, he established the Kalinga Airlines and bought a fleet of Dakotas. Kalinga Airlines was merged with Indian Airlines in 1953.

After his daring act of rescuing the Indonesian leaders, Biju Patnaik became an icon in Indonesia and a dear friend to President Sukarno. The Indonesian government offered him a piece of forest land and a palatial building as a token of gratitude which he politely declined. To honour Patnaik’s unwavering courage in the face of danger, the Indonesian government conferred on him the country’s highest award ‘Bhoomi Putra’ (Bintang Jasa Utama) and honorary citizenship in 1995 during the celebration of Indonesia’s 50th Independence Day. The award is rarely conferred on a foreigner. Patnaik’s friendship with President Sukarno was so deep that Patnaik even named his daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri who became the country’s first and the only female President to date.

Biju Patnaik remained active in national politics and served as the Chief Minister of Odisha twice-initially during 1961-63 and later during 1990-95.