Ninety years of Odisha. The countdown to a century has already begun. A land that carries the weight of three thousand years of luminous history, a distinct civilization, an incomparable heritage—India’s first state formed on the basis of language. And above all, a blessing beyond measure: this is the land of Jagannath.
When Mahaprabhu—the Lord of the Universe—has chosen this soil as His abode, what worry could possibly shadow it? Truly, how fortunate we are.
Water, land, forests, and mineral wealth—abundance above the ground and beneath it. Odisha is richly endowed, both naturally and culturally. Yet, the people who inhabit this blessed land often remain poor. That is the deepest paradox of our time.
Just days ago, we celebrated Utkal Divas with pride, each in our own way. Beneath the festivities, one shared aspiration echoed quietly but persistently—the dream of a developed Odisha by 2036. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, ambitious targets have been set: a $500 billion economy by 2036, and $1.5 trillion by 2047.
Economists have already spoken—some dismiss it as unrealistic, others consider it achievable, albeit with a critical caveat: the gap between planning and execution remains the real battlefield.
I am no expert. Yet it seems to me that measuring development solely in terms of dollars and GDP is an impoverished imagination of progress. Development is not a universal equation. For some, it may mean a dadan-free Odisha—where no one is forced to leave their homeland in search of survival. For others, it lies in walking forward without rupturing the delicate balance with nature. And for many, it is a simple but profound vision—an Odisha where poverty ceases to exist, where no one remains on a BPL list, and every citizen lives with dignity, security, and quiet contentment.
Definitions may differ, but one truth stands firm: we must move together.
For dreamers, a decade may seem long. For those who act, it is painfully short.
Development, unfortunately, is not a commodity one can purchase in a marketplace. If it were, we would have acquired it by any means possible. Instead, it is a journey—one that demands every stakeholder to board the same bus. The destination can only be reached through shared effort. Governments may ignite the yajna of development, but the offering must come from all of us.
And who are “all of us”? We—the Odias.
Today, many Odias have made us proud. From the highest constitutional offices to leadership roles in global corporations, their achievements inspire us. We pass their stories to our younger generations, and rightly so.
But today, I wish to draw attention to another, quieter group—those who are returning.
They are walking away from high salaries, prestigious positions, and comfortable lives elsewhere, choosing instead to root themselves back in their homeland. Some are building startups in Bhubaneswar, others cultivating land in Koraput. Some are shaping tourism, others are becoming a source of hope for the differently-abled. Their paths differ, but their purpose is one—to inscribe their names in Odisha’s unfolding story, to fulfill a duty that cannot be outsourced.
Some call them mad.
Who abandons global opportunities to return to Odisha? Who chooses uncertainty over comfort?
Yes, they are mad.
Mad enough to love Odisha beyond logic.
And perhaps, that is exactly what we need.
To realize the dream of a developed Odisha, we do not merely need policies or projections—we need thousands, lakhs of such “mad” individuals. Without this beautiful madness, development will remain confined to documents and declarations.
Madhusudan Das, Gopabandhu Das—were they not “mad” in this sense? They gave up everything for the dignity of their land. Jayee Rajguru, Buxi Jagabandhu, Rama Devi, Parbati Giri, Surendra Sai, Baji Rout, Laxman Naik, Lakshmi Indira Panda, Sarala Devi—history remembers them not as ordinary individuals, but as those driven by a fierce, irrational devotion.
History bears witness: extraordinary goals demand a certain kind of madness.
And I hope—this madness spreads like a forest fire.
Not to destroy, but to awaken.
Not to consume, but to illuminate.
To stir every Odia heart into restless, purposeful motion.
Tanaya Patnaik
The author is the Editor of the Odia Sambad Group, Odisha
