User talk:Aamaodisha

SOUMYA RANJAN PATNAIK

Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, an intellectual and a visionary, has acquired household popularity as a youth icon and change agent. His love and commitment for Odisha and Odiyas is reflected in all his projects and endeavors, be it Sambad or Aama Odisha. His vision of a prosperous and clean Odisha, led him into politics at the tender age of 18. Since then Patnaik has been passionately involved in civil society networking, institution building and varied social activities. He is recognized and accepted by people from all walks of life as a leader and trendsetter.

Early Years…

In 1972, Soumya Ranjan became the youngest lecturer at the reputed Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which triggered a debate in parliament initiated by the then Hon’ble Member of Parliament Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He boasts of a brilliant academic track record - a gold medalist in Political Science from BHU and the topper of Utkal University in Public Administration. He is also an alumnus of prestigious universities like London School of Economics and Oxford.

Sambad - The Trend Setter…

In 1984, when he established Sambad, the vernacular Odiya daily, little did anyone know that it was going to be an epoch making day for the media in Odisha. Now Sambad the largest circulated Odiya daily has changed the face of newspapers in terms of content, form and technology.

Media Convergence…

His foray into media did not remain confined to Sambad. A private FM station, a 24*7 Odiya news channel and an entertainment division are his other ambitious ventures. Patnaik’s Eastern Media Ltd. is the largest media conglomerate in the state having immense reach and popularity.

Social Initiatives…

‘Aama Odisha’ is a social initiative set up by Soumya Ranjan in 1996 to uphold and popularize Odiya language, culture and identity among the masses. With its unique and goal-directed approach, it has appealed to people from all age groups.

Youth Empowerment – Large scale youth conventions at zonal levels from time to time to motivate and inspire the youth to take up community service and inculcate initiative and voluntarism.

Blood Donation Camps- A massive blood donation drive initiated by Patnaik has created a record of sorts. Organizing more than 500 camps and collecting more than 25,000 units of blood annually, Aama Odisha is the only voluntary organization which has the support of all 53 blood banks in the state including State Red Cross.

Oriya Language and Knowledge Tests – Odiya language tests conducted in schools by ‘Aama Odisha’ are taken by more than a lakh students on a yearly basis.

Life Begins at Sixty – An ingenious concept proposed by Soumya Ranjan, which aims at involving senior citizens in various programs, inspiring and motivating them and giving them an opportunity and a platform to continue contributing to the society even after retirement.

Political Life – Soumya Ranjan has shown an inclination towards politics from a young age. During his undergraduate days at Ravenshaw College, Katak he contested for the post of College President in 1970. Hailing from a political family and getting married into one, it can be said that politics runs in his blood. Born with a rebellious spirit and an eagerness to get things done rather quickly, he has changed political parties which has often been misunderstood by people.

In 1995, Soumya Ranjan made a dramatic debut in politics as he took on the legendary Biju Patnaik in the Bhubaneswar Assembly Constituency and almost pulled off a giant killing feat. Though he lost by a close margin, the writing on the wall was loud and clear.

In 1996, he contested from the Bhubaneswar Parliamentary Constituency and was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha.

Since then, despite electoral failure, Soumya Ranjan has been an active public figure and has made tireless efforts for Odisha’s growth and development through his varied projects and programs.

A Leader – An eloquent speaker, Soumya Ranjan casts a spell on his audience as he can hold forth on any topic under the sun with absolute élan.

He headed the Odisha Gram Panchayat Secretaries Association and has fought relentlessly for their cause. His efforts bore fruit when the State Government had to give in and fulfill the genuine demands that had been ignored for long.

He was also the Founder Chairman of Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprises (OASME), an organization involving over 10,000 entrepreneurs.

Soumya Ranjan’s popularity and acceptability spread over the entire state through his solid, social network in almost all the 314 blocks is an unparalleled feat. So much so, that at one point of time he was the President of 36 public and private associations in Odisha.

Personal Profile

Soumya Ranjan is married to Sudatta Patnaik and has two daughters. He was born in the Keonjhar district of Odisha on 18th August 1952.

Contact Address – 185/186 V.I.P Area, Nayapally, Bhubaneswar – 751015 Email – srpatnaik@sify.com

Phone – 0674 – 2555514, 2550480 Mobile- +91 9861025000, 9937025000