Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, April 28: The 163rd birth anniversary of Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das, the architect of modern Orissa, was observed across the state on Thursday.

Observed as Lawyers Day, the day was marked by a meeting of High Court Bar Association in Cuttack where the contributions of Madhu babu, or Madhusudan Das as he was fondly called, were discussed at length. Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and justice B.P. Das attended the meeting, while Bar Association president Biswa Mohan Patnaik presided. Earlier the Chief Justice and other judges paid floral tributes by garlanding the statue of Madhusudan Das on the court premises.

Floral tributes were also paid by the district administration and many social and cultural organisations including Adhibhakta Parishad, Neelachakra and Ama Odisha at his Samadhi at Gorakabar, his statue at Cantonment Road and at his residence at Madhusmruti at Mission Road where he stayed from 1889 till his death in February 1934. People also visited the Madusudan Nagar Library and Union Club at Mission Road to pay homage.

Union Club put up a display of over 20 paintings on the life of the great leader by artists of city-based Creative Arts. “We feel proud to be part of an institution formed by Madhu babu,” said Madhusudan Sahu, president of Union Club.

Madhusudan Das had formed the Union Club with 450 members over a sprawling area of four acre at Mission Road in 1904.

In Bhubaneswar, chief minister Naveen Patnaik garlanded Das’s statue on the premises of the legislative Assembly. “The life of Madhu babu inspires thousands even today. His philosophy and vision for Orissa shows us the way to serve the society,” said Naveen.

Lawyers observed Utkal Gaurav Jayanti and Lawyers’ Day at the Bhubaneswar Bar Association. Governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare inaugurated the event.