Not just 'Padmashree', Dr. Jayanta Mahapatra please consider 'Honorary Doctorate'

'Award Wapasi' the recent day phenomenon of awards being returned by eminent personalities in protest of growing intolerance in the nation is an individual choice. I feel everyone has the right to protest till the time it's non-violent. #AwardWapasi has been hogging media space and it is being widely discussed. Thus I feel the objective of the few individuals who decided to protest in the said manner has well been achieved.

Many have been attributing 'AwardWapasi'­ as one of the main reasons for the mave­rick act pulled off by Lalu & Nitish in ­winning the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls. T­he trend was first started by non other ­than Nayantara Sehgal (niece of Pt. Jawa­har Lal Nehru)  She had informed then that the Dadari­ lynch incident prompted her to do so. A­ man brutally murdered by a mob for alle­gedly eating beef is certainly a matter of shame for the nation. This is not the­ first or last incident when one ate bee­f on Indian soil. Dadari is in UP yet ev­ery one targeted PM Narendra Modi for th­e intolerance.

From #Odisha to jump into this hoard of award returnees is our very eminent and highly respected Padmashree Dr. Jayanta Mahapatra . I admire his style of writing. It is his personal choice to protest against the growing intolerance being faced by him. I have had the chance to read his letter to the Hon'ble President of India, in which he has stated his reasons for 'Award Wapasi' return of the 'Padmashree' award which had been decorated on him in year 2009. (The letter which he has shared with the media). I fully respect his viewpoints and even agree with most of them. However, I fail to understand that why is it that only what the Nation has decorated on him must be returned and not what the state of Odisha has decorated him with. Dr. Jayanta Mahapatra lives in Odisha and he faces the ugly side of intolerance right here. Thus, I feel besides 'Padmashree' (Govt. of India) he should also consider returning the 'Honorary Doctorate' which was decorated on him in year 2007 by Govt. of Odisha.