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Patnaik's staff forced to
learn Hindi, English

While Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is struggling to learn Oriya, his staff has been forced to learn Hindi and English, to communicate with him.

His staff has to pick up Hindi and English, to cope with Patnaik, who rarely speaks to them in their mother tongue.

"Naveenbabu talks in Hindi and sometime uses English words, as he is unfamiliar with Oriya. We have to learn Hindi and a little English to serve him," said Babu, an aide at his residence, Naveen Nivas, which was named after him by his father, Biju Patnaik.

"We are picking up Hindi very well, by conversing in the language among ourselves," said Kalia, another staffer of Patnaik. There are 10 staffers at Naveen Nivas and five at his office.

Often, Patnaik's staff answer telephone calls in Hindi.

The English savvy Patnaik spent most of his life outside Orissa, before he entered state politics three years back. His mother, with whom he spent most of his life, is a non-Oriya. Patnaik was born in Cuttack but spent most of his life outside India, a Biju Janata Dal leader said.

Patnaik is a bachelor at 54. But, his mother, sister and sister-in-law do not stay with him at Naveen Niwas, while his mother, Gayan, who is around 80, lives with the elder Prem Patnaik in New Delhi.

Patnaik has been taking his Oriya lessons seriously in recent months, following criticism from party colleagues, opposition members and even people. He has a tutor and has started speaking a few lines at public meetings in Oriya. However, the speeches are written in Roman script, and are followed by speeches in Hindi.

Information and Public Relations Minister Duryodhan Majhi had claimed that some of his close aides were taking advantage due to his lack of knowledge of Oriya.

Although Oriya is the state's official language, ever since Patnaik took over, all correspondence is being conducted in English.

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