Bhaskar Parichha
“If your action inspires other to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”.
– John Adams.
With ‘role models’ in India’s parliamentary functioning rapidly becoming extinct, finding even a miniscule percent of the MPs adhering to the hoary practices of democracy would be the best thing in the present chaotic times.
Biju Janta Dal’s MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab has been an exception, besides winning the best parliamentary performance award with a vengeance. If the level of debate and decorum in parliament has declined in recent years, he is one among a few who would have to be absolved of all the sins afflicting our parliamentarians today.
Mahtab recently got the ‘Sansad Ratna Award 2018’ instituted by a Chennai- based NGO. Prior to this, he had received the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian Award’ given by the Indian Parliamentary Group to an outstanding sitting Member of Parliament for overall contribution. If awards are given on the basis of parameters like initiating debates, private members’ bills, questions raised and the attendance in the House, Mr. Mahtab surely deserved them. Both these awards bear testimony to his achievements in Lok Sabha in the past twenty years. Mr Mahtab’s speeches, delivered invariably in English, have stood out as models of reason, fluency and have earned him the accolades.
The present book ‘Bhartruhari Mahtab-Outstanding Parliamentarian’ – encompassing his achievements – was released by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the presence of former union minister M Veerappa Moily, RS MP Prasanna Acharya et al.
As the blurb says, ‘it attempts to capture the nuances of his variegated personality, his vision and mission as a public figure and a leader par-excellence’.Edited by Prof. Upendra Padhi,Dr Nishamani Kar and Dr AK Patnaik,this 500-page book is essentially a compilation Mahtab’s speeches in Parliament and has been published by the Institute of Media Studies – Utkal University combine.
The hardback is divided into two parts .The first part contains articles on him by great parliamentarians who earlier had made their mark :Gopalkrishna Gandhi,Murli Manohar Joshi,the late Ananth Kumar,Dr AM Singhvi.Dr Shasi Tharoor,Supriya Sule,Sitaram Yechury ,Meenakshi Lekhi and a host of other leaders cutting across party lines. Then there are write- ups (both English and Odia) by educationists, bureaucrats, diplomats, litterateurs, retired judges, and journalists from his own state as well as from Delhi – who knew Mr. Mahtab from close quarters.
The second part of the book deals with Mr. Mahtab’s selected speeches in the 15th and 16th Lok Sabha.These snapshots right away give an overview of his erudition and depth. To the extent that Mr.Mahtab has proved himself to be one of the finest speakers in the lower house who do in-depth research and speak on every issue in an articulate manner, this book will be helpful in guiding future parliamentarians – the syntax of parliament debate and the refinement they need at every step . Also, this is going to be an enormous reference book on various issues that were debated in parliament over the decades.
With some rare photographs and messages from the Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Odisha Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik, ‘Bhartruhari Mahtab-Outstanding Parliamentarian’ is a brilliant work on a parliamentarian who was far from ‘Zero Hour’ activism and has greatly contributed to serious debates in parliament.
Bhartruhari Mahtab-Outstanding Parliamentarian
Edited by Upendra Padhi
Institute of Media Studies
Kharvel Nagar,Unit 3
Bhubaneswar 751001
Rs. 599
(The writer is a senior journalist and currently associated with OdishaLIVE as Consulting Editor)
