Students take part in Bhubaneswar’s foundation day celebrations on Friday. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 13: The 64th foundation day of the capital city was a day of pride for some, while for others, it was a day of nostalgia. The occasion was celebrated with grandeur by the state government in front of the Assembly on Friday.

For Sudhir Kumar Swain, 50, a postman for 22 years, the foundation day of Bhubaneswar was a special moment because he received the Rajdhani Gourab award at a function.

Sudhir recalled the days when the city had only a handful of highrises and inland letters used to be the most popular medium of communication.

“I have seen the city growing up from inland letters to mobile phones. The development of Bhubaneswar can be established from the numbers of business letters I have to deliver now-a-days. In the 80s, only a few business letters used to be delivered, but now I have to deliver as many as 300 business letters everyday,” said Sudhir.

Apart from Sudhir, 11 others also received the Rajdhani Gourab award for their contribution in various disciplines such as art, cinema and social service during the 64th foundation day celebrations.

Students in uniforms of various shades marched past the Assembly while tiny tots presented the inaugural song of the event. The 12 kids, most of them below 10 years of age, were the centre of attraction during the performance of the song matching footsteps with each other.

“This was the first time I performed at a such a big event,” said Subhashree Swain, a Class II student.

The main attraction of the event for the youth was a colourful parade of motorcycles, presented by college students. “We had practiced day and night for this special event so that we could give our best,” said a participant.

People from various sections of the society, irrespective of party politics, joined hands to take the city towards a better future. Some of them pitched for a special district status for the city, which became the state capital on April 13, 1948.

“In the past, I have raised the issue to give the city the status of a separate district. This could help boost development works in the city,” said member of Parliament from Khurda, Prasanna Kumar Patasani. Assembly speaker Pradip Amat was also present on the occasion.