Bijayananda Patnaik (5 March 1916 â 17 April 1997) was an Indian politician, aviator and businessman. He served as the 3rd Chief Minister of the State of Odisha from 1961 to 1963 and from 1990 to 1995. He was also the 14th Steel and mines and 1st Coal Union Minister of India from 1979 to 1980 and from 1977 to 1979 and a member of Lok Sabha from Kendrapara from 1977 to 1985. He is the father of Naveen Patnaik, also a former Chief Minister of the state.
Biju Patnaik was born into what has been described as an âÂÂaristocraticâ Karan family. His parents lived in Ghumusar Nuagam, Bellaguntha, Ganjam district, around 80km from Bramhapur. Biju Patnaik's father Laxminarayan Patnaik was the Dewan of Paralakhemundi Estate under Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati. Biju Patnaik was educated at Ravenshaw College in Odisha but, due to his interest in aviation, dropped out and trained as a pilot.
Patnaik began his career as a pilot in the 1930s and quickly established himself as a skilled aviator. Patnaik trained as a pilot in the 1930s and joined the Indian National Airways after completion of training. Biju joined aviation services during Second World War where he worked as a pilot, flying transport aircraft and gaining experience in challenging conditions. He also served as the head of the Air Transport Command during the period of belligerency.
As part of the Royal Indian Air Force and civilian aviation networks, he flew transport aircraft in dangerous war zones. He undertook multiple missions, including evacuating civilians from Japanese-occupied regions such as Rangoon, supplying arms and logistics to Allied forces, and supporting Chinese and Soviet troops fighting Axis powers. Patnaik notably delivered supplies and logistical support to Soviet forces and assisted operations connected to the Eastern Front, including the Soviet Red Army during the Battle of Stalingrad.
For his contributions to the Soviet cause, he was awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest civilian decoration of the Soviet Union. He was later honored by Russian authorities on the anniversary of the Allied victory with the Jubilee Medal "50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941âÂÂ1945", recognizing his role in strengthening wartime logistics for the Soviet Red Army.
Patnaik met Jawaharlal Nehru during his participation in Indonesian freedom struggle and formed a political association with him. Nehru viewed the freedom struggle of the Indonesian people as parallel to that of India, and viewed Indonesia as a potential ally. When the Dutch attempted to quell Indonesian independence on 21 July 1947, President Sukarno ordered Sjahrir, the former prime minister of Indonesia, to leave the country to attend the first Inter-Asia Conference, organised by Nehru, in July 1947 and to foment international public opinion against the Dutch. Sjahrir was unable to leave as the Dutch controlled the Indonesian sea and air routes. Nehru asked Patnaik, an experienced pilot, to help evacuate Sjahrir and other Indonesian leaders. Patnaik and his wife flew to an airstrip near Jakarta and landed on an improvised airstrip near Jakarta. Using left-over fuel from abandoned Japanese military dumps, Patnaik took off with Indonesian political leaders such as Sjahrir and Sukarno, for a secret meeting with Nehru at New Delhi and brought out on a Douglas C-47 (Dakota) military aircraft reaching India via Singapore on 24 July 1947.
Patnaik transported supplies and aid to Indonesian resistance fighters, helped train Indonesian aviation personnel, and facilitated diplomatic engagement between India and Indonesia. For his contributions to the Indonesian independence movement, Indonesia granted him the honorary citizenship and awarded Patnaik with the Bhoomi Putra (Son of the Soil) award, described as one of IndonesiaâÂÂs highest honors, rarely granted to a foreigner.
In 1995, when Indonesia was celebrating its 50th Independence Day, Biju Patnaik was awarded the highest national award, the Bintang Jasa Utama. The Dakota laid abandoned at Kolkata airport before being restored and put up on display at Bubhaneswar airport.
In 2015, Sukarno's daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri recounted how it was Patnaik who suggested she be named Meghavati or "daughter of clouds". She, whose full name is Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri, later became Indonesia's first female president, serving from 2001 to 2004.
In 2021, the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi designated a room in the name of Patnaik. On the walls of the Patnaik room are photographs, newspaper clippings and letters that document Mr. Patnaik's secret assignments to fly out Indonesian leaders, as well as his relations with the Indonesian leadership.
Patnaik actively participated in the Quit India Movement and assisted prominent leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan by secretly transporting them across the country. While in service, he developed an interest in nationalist politics and used air force transports to distribute nationalist literature among Indian troops, which British authorities regarded as subversive. He was imprisoned by the British authorities for flying unauthorized missions and distributing political leaflets in support of Indian independence. However Patnaik remained committed to fighting the Axis powers.
Following IndiaâÂÂs independence in 1947, he played a key role in critical aviation operations. One of his most notable contributions was his involvement in airlifting troops to Kashmir during the early stages of the conflict in 1947, which was crucial in securing the region for India. Patnaik flew the first of many sorties on his Dakota DC-3 from Delhi Safdarjung Airport on 27 October 1947, after the first Dakota DC-3 (Reg. No: VP 905) flown by Wg. Cdr. KL Bhatia landed in Srinagar Airport early morning. Which followed right after the signing of the Instrument of Accession by Maharaja Hari Singh on 26th of October, 1947. He brought 17 soldiers of 1st Sikh regiment commanded by Lt. Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai. He flew low on the airstrip twice to ensure that no raiders were around. Instructions from Prime Minister Nehru's office were clear: If the airport was taken over by the enemy, he was not to land. Taking a full circle the DC-3 flew ground level, the crew observed that the airstrip was empty. Not a soul was in sight. No opposing combatants were present at the airfield at that time.
Patnaik has been described as supporting socialist and federalist principles. He advocated the equitable distribution of resources among Indian states, a position noted in his political speeches and writings.
In 1946, Patnaik was elected uncontested to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from North Cuttack constituency. In 1952 and 1957, he won from Jagannathprasad and Surada, respectively. In 1960 he assumed the presidency of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (state unit of the Congress Party).
Patnaik, representing Chowdwar constituency, became Chief Minister of Odisha on 23 June 1961 at the age of 45 with the Indian National Congress winning 82 of 140 seats. During his tenure, he focused on industrialisation and infrastructure development, aiming to transform Odisha into a modern industrial state. Patnaik remained in the position until 2 October 1963, when he resigned from the post under the Kamaraj Plan to revitalise the Congress party.
In the 1960s, due to his proximity to the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, Patnaik assumed the planning and special projects mandate of the defense ministry of India becoming an "overseer of the defense effort". With his skills and qualifications in the field of aviation and guerilla warfare during the Second World War, Patnaik carried out a one-man covert mission to Washington DC in March 1963. He conveyed to Robert McNamara and President of the United States John F. Kennedy the need and possibilities for collaboration between American and Indian agencies for specialised military assistance especially in the field of night fighter capabilities of the Indian Airforce and special forces. During this visit he also made a stop at the CIA headquarters to convey possible collaborations between the two nations related to the ongoing Indo-China conflict and worsening Indo-Pak relations. This visit led to the formation of the Aviation Research Centre at Charbatia airbase in Chowduar, Cuttack with the help of American experts and specialists like Ed Rector and Moose Marrero.
Patnaik had a political relationship with Indira Gandhi who took over the Congress Party in 1967. However, they clashed in 1969 over the presidential election. He left the Congress and formed a regional partyâÂÂthe Utkal Congress. His party won several seats in the 1971 assembly election. Patnaik then re-established contact with his old friend Jayaprakash Narayan (whom he knew from his WW2 days) and joined the JP movement as it gained support in 1974. When the Emergency was declared in 1975, Biju Patnaik was one of the first to be arrested along with other opposition leaders. He was released in 1977. Later, in the same year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Kendrapara and became Union minister for steel and mines in both the Morarji Desai and the Charan Singh governments until 1979. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha again in 1980 and 1984 from Kendrapara as Janata Party candidate despite the Congress wave in 1984 following Indira Gandhi's death. With the Congress defeat in 1989, he returned to active politics after the Congress defeat in 1989. He supported V. P. Singh during the period leading to SinghâÂÂs term as Prime Minister, chose to go back to Odisha, and prepared for the assembly election.
Patnaik returned to power as Chief Minister of Odisha in 1990. In 1990 state assembly election, the Janata Dal won a two-thirds majority in the state assembly election, which saw Biju Patnaik being the Chief Minister of Odisha for the second time until 1995.
In 1992, Biju Patnaik famously stated, "In my dream of the 21st century for the State, I would have young men and women who put the interest of the State before them. They will have pride in themselves, confidence in themselves. They will not be at anybody's mercy, except their own selves. By their brains, ntelligence and capacity, they will recapture the history of Kalinga."
Patnaik was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 from Cuttack and Aska constituencies as a Janata Dal candidate. He retained the latter until his death on 17 April 1997 of cardio-respiratory failure.
Patnaik played a key role in promoting industrial development in Odisha. He was associated with the establishment and expansion of major infrastructure and industrial projects, including ports and public sector industries. His vision emphasized the use of OdishaâÂÂs natural resources for economic growth and employment generation. He also supported the development of transportation networks and industrial corridors. These efforts contributed to laying the foundation for OdishaâÂÂs industrial economy.
Patnaik was involved in establishing several industrial and infrastructure projects, including Kalinga tubes, Kalinga Airlines, Kalinga Iron work, Kalinga Refractories and the Kalinga, a daily Odia newspaper. In 1951 he established the international Kalinga Prize for popularisation of Science and Technology among the people and entrusted the responsibility to the UNESCO. He was involved in establishing or promoting several industrial and infrastructure projects, including the Port of Paradip, Odisha Aviation Centre, Bhubaneswar Airport, the Cuttack-Jagatpur Mahanadi highway bridge, Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, Sainik School Bhubaneswar, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology-Bhubaneswar, NALCO (National Aluminum Company), Talcher Thermal Power Station, Balimela Hydel Project, HAL-Sunabeda, and Choudwar and Barbil industrial belts. He also established the Kalinga Cup in football.
Institutions in Odisha named after Patnaik include the Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar, the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, at Nalco Nagar, Angul etc. The Odisha government observes 5 March, PatnaikâÂÂs birthday, as Panchayat Raj Divas in his memory. The Biju Patnaik 5 Rupee commemorative coin was released in 2016. Reports noted that his coffin was draped with the flags of India, Russia, and Indonesia.
A commemorative Postage stamp was released by India Post to mark his 102nd birth anniversary.
Patnaik was an avid Bridge player. Biju married Gyanwati Sethi of Rawalpindi, a Kinnaird College, Lahore alumni, because his wife was from Punjab, he was sometimes referred to as a âÂÂson-in-law of PunjabâÂÂ. She was the first Indian woman to get a commercial pilot's licence. In the 1940s, Gyanwati also known as Gyan Patnaik participated with Biju Patnaik in air missions during World War II, including the evacuation of civilians from Rangoon during the Japanese advance.
Together they had three children Prem, Naveen and Gita. Patnaik's younger son, Naveen Patnaik, was Chief Minister of Odisha until June 2024. His daughter, Gita Mehta, was an author. His elder son Prem Patnaik is a Delhi-based industrialist.
This is a comprehensive list of state honours received by Biju Patnaik.