TV
If the three inaccessible villages of Lamataput and Nandapur blocks in the Koraput district have become addiction-free, Bichitrananda Panda, an eatery owner, is to be thanked.
Originally from Jajpur district & on the right side of 70, Bichitrananda is living at Padua in Koraput district. His family consists of six members including his wife and four sons.
He supports his family by running an eatery in the locality. His day starts at 3 am and ends when he goes to bed at night. After the completion of daily chores, he goes to his hotel and works sincerely to offer tastier food items to his loyal customers.
But, the important thing about his hotel is that he has employed widows, providing them a source of earning so that they can look after their respective families.
“From 3am till night, I don’t have free time, not even for a minute. I have written five plays and they have been staged in the locality. All of my plays have a message for the society. Through the plays, I have asked the youth to refrain from drugs as it would ruin their lives,” said Bichitrananda.
In the locality, Bichitrananda is best known as a social activist, writer, and playwright. Even in his advancing age, he never gets tired of working for the people. With sheer determination, he took up the responsibility to free three villages of Lamataput and Nandapur blocks in Koraput from drug addiction. And he has achieved success as well for which he has earned a name and fame in the locality.
Though he hasn’t studied much, he has a passion for writing. He has written several books on how to get society rid of addiction and superstitions. His two books-Gaon Abadhana and Baisakhi- are well appreciated among the readers. He also writes poems, short stories, and plays that have been published in several magazines and dailies.
“Earlier village youths were not in a condition to listen to anything. Now Sir (Bichitrananda) has brought a huge change in their attitude. They have now given up their bad habits. Now our village is an addiction-free village,” said a villager.
“In times like these, finding a person like him (Bichitrananda) is rare,” said Tunesh Kumar Patra, a teacher.
