'Orissa' to be spelt as 'Odisha' soon

Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik does not speak or read Oriya - the mother tongue of people of Orissa. But when it came to the pride of the state, he stood up and scored a major victory, as the Centre agreed to make necessary amendments so that 'Orissa' is henceforth known as 'Odisha'. The spelling of the language will be changed from the anglicized word 'Oriya' to 'Odia'.

In the Schedule I of the Constitution, the state's name is mentioned as 'Udisha' and the language as 'Udia' in Hindi. There was a mistake with both Hindi and English spellings of the state and its language, which was never rectified. The state came into existence on April 01, 1936. It was spelled "Orissa" in the Indian Constitution adopted in 1950, but nobody raised any objection. It's an irony that the issue was long ignored by the leaders of the state. Kudos to CM Naveen Patnaik for taking up this matter and restoring the pride of people of Odisha.