New Delhi, 03 August (H.S.):

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday unveiled the statue of eminent freedom fighter, renowned social reformer, educationist, and journalist Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das at Lajpat Bhavan in Lajpat Nagar.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the President paid floral tributes to the statue of Lok Sevak Mandal founder and legendary freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. She then unveiled the statue of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das by pressing a remote-control button. This is the first statue of Gopabandhu Das to be installed in Delhi.

Gopabandhu Das dedicated his entire life to serving the poor, the underprivileged, orphans, and the distressed, while working tirelessly for the promotion of education and national awakening. In recognition of his unparalleled public service, he was honoured with the title Utkalmani (Gem of Odisha).

During the event, Lok Sevak Mandal National President Raj Kumar Chopra and National Secretary Ramanath Jha welcomed President Murmu by presenting her with a bouquet.

According to Lok Sevak Mandal Media In-charge Ravishankar Mishra, Union Minister Jual Oram, former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP National Vice President Baijayant Panda, Dr. Santrupt Misra, and several other public representatives attended the ceremony. Deepak Malviya and Rajendra Kumar Jena welcomed the guests, and all dignitaries paid floral tributes to the statue of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das.

During the programme, President Murmu also interacted with the life members and office-bearers of Lok Sevak Mandal, enquired about their well-being, and posed for commemorative photographs with them.

The event was attended by family members of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, social workers, educationists, public representatives from various states, and office-bearers and members of Lok Sevak Mandal. Speakers at the ceremony recalled Gopabandhu Das's ideals of service, sacrifice, education, and nation-building, and reaffirmed their commitment to following the path he had shown.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar