Berhampur: Ata time when Odisha proudly commemorates the legacies of its eminent leaders by installing their statues in the capital and observing their birth anniversaries through State-sponsored programmes, an aching void persists in the remembrance of two illustrious sons of Ganjam district — former chief ministers Biswanath Das and Binayak Acharya.

Speakers at the 108th birth anniversary celebration of Binayak Acharya, organised by Ganjam Vikash Manch at Municipal Library, Gajapati Nagar, lamented that the State government has failed to extend befitting honour to these leaders. Unlike their contemporaries, no statues have been erected in Bhubaneswar, nor are their anniversaries officially observed, which they described as a matter of grave concern.

Binayak Acharya (30 August 1918 – 11 December 1983) was born in Berhampur in Ganjam district. He was the chief minister of Odisha from 29 December 1976 to 30 April 1977. In 1984, Binayak Acharya College in Berhampur was named after him. Acharya’s honest living kept his family poor financially.

His family did not have money even to perform his death ceremony.

Biju Patnaik and J B Patnaik, the former chief ministers, had extended financial help to his family for this purpose.

Acharya did not believe in publicity. As a result, most of his achievements could not be properly brought to the knowledge of people.

Rushikulya water project was his brain-child.

Similarly, Biswanath Das (8 March 1889 – 2 June 1984), born at Belgan village in Ganjam district, was the second prime minister of Orissa in British India during 1937–1939.

He became the prime minister or the premier on 19 July 1937. He was also the chief minister Odisha from 3 April 1971 to 14 June 1972. He was the governor of Uttar Pradesh during 1962–1967.

Biswanath set up multiple trusts for providing free legal support, food and vedantic learning institutions for the poor in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh from his lifetime earnings and salary. The institutions include Veda Bhavan at Puri.

Presided over by Rajendra Kumar Panda, president of the Manch, the programme was attended by Rajendra Kumar Jena, national secretary of Loksevak Mandal; political science scholar Bishnu Charan Choudhury; ‘Naveen’ Editor Rabi Rath, former Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik and local corporator Samir Kumar Mishra.

Paying rich tributes, the speakers reflected on Acharya’s life of discipline, moral rectitude, student activism, selfless service and his relentless crusade against superstition and social evils.

The event drew the participation of academicians, writers and social activists including Shiva Prasad Mishra, Shyam Sundar Khadanga, Ashok Dalai, Hadibandhu Mali, Subash Chandra Mishra, Simanchal Sahu, Kabiraj Swain, Sanjay Tripathy and others who pledged to keep alive the memory and ideals of the late leader.