Since the last eight years or so, I have been living in Delhi and I'm very much in love with it. There are a few other Indian cities too like Bengaluru and Vizag where I had spent a fair amount of time while pursuing my studies there and made some beautiful memories to cherish for life. However if I'm asked to choose my favourite ciy on this planet, my answer will always be Bhubaneswar, my home city. Although I have largely remained away from it since the late 90s while pursuing my studies and career but my heart still beats for the place. No matter how many years I live in the metros or in other major Indian cities but Bhubaneswar is where my heart truly belongs and will continue to be so. I was born and brought up there and thus I have a special connection with the city. However it's my favourite not just because I spent a good part of my life there but also because it is one of the most beautiful places to live in India. Since the last decade or so, it has undergone a massive transition from being the sleepy capital city of Odisha in the seventies to become a prime centre of economic development and educational facilities in Eastern India. Today it is the cynosure of all eyes for industrial and business investments. It has been one of the fastest developing cities in India in the recent times, having made rapid strides in various sectors viz Manufacturing, Telecommunications, Information Technology, Education, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Real Estate to name a few. No wonder recently the
World Bank ranked Bhubaneswar as the best place to do business in India.
Bhubaneswar is a unique blend of antiquity and modernity. The city has a rich religious history and dates back more than 3000 years, to a time when it boasted of more than two thousand temples that were built in the 7th century or were even older. And that is how the city earned its sobriquet - "Mandir Malini" or "the Temple city" in India. It continues to be one of the important pilgrimage centres among the Hindus owing to the presence of Tribhubaneswar or Lingaraj (or Lord Shiva); the city derives its name from the deity. Even today because of the various temples like Lingaraj temple or Mukteshwar temple or Raja Rani temple and the rock-cut caves at Khandagiri and Udayagiri adorning its landscape, that showcase a distinct style of architecture called Kaḷinga architectural style, the city attracts visitors in droves and leaves them enchanted.
After India's Independence, it was decided that Bhubaneswar would replace Cuttack as the new administrative capital of Odisha and it was formally inaugurated as the capital city by the first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru on 13th of April, 1948. It had already created a landmark in the country's town-planning history because two years earlier in 1946, it had the distinction of being India's only second city after Chandigarh to be developed on a master plan. The famous German architect Otto Konigsberger had drawn the master plan for the city.
The city has had a remarkable journey from being primarily an important religious centre to emerge as one of the most promising business destinations in India today. In the last few years, it has taken quantum leaps and has witnessed some stunning progress and infrastructural development. Given the talent pool available in the city, since the early 2000s, various service sector industries primarily the IT and ITES companies have set up their campuses and have started operations there. The city today houses sprawling campuses of most of the major IT giants like Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Mahindra Satyam, Mind Tree among others. Thus the city is already seen as one of the major IT centres in India today.
With 7 Deemed Universities, some being very acclaimed like Utkal University, KIIT University, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), and with more than 40 engineering colleges, various management institutes including Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) which is regarded as a premier business school in India and three medical colleges, Bhubaneswar promises quality educational facilities in almost all streams of study and is regarded as a prime destination for education in the Eastern India. The top class educational institutes like IIT, BITS and AIIMS have already built their campuses and have started operating in the city.
The city is well connected to all parts of the country by roads, railways and the airways. Being an important business destination in the Eastern part, the Indian Railway runs several trains to and from Bhubaneswar connecting it to all major Indian cities. Bhubaneswar is an important junction in the East Coast Railway zone with the divisional headquarters being located in the city. Regarding air connectivity, the city has both an International as well as a domestic terminal and one can find regular flights to and from the city to various parts of the country. The Biju Pattnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar that attained the International Airport status a few months back, was recently ranked as the 17th busiest airport in India. Bhubaneshwar is located on the NH5 that runs between Kolkata and Chennai and thus one would find regular bus services on this route from the city. Even within the city, getting around isn't difficult thanks to the perfect town planning and the easy availability of buses, autos and taxis for easy commuting.
The Odisha government is also planning about setting up a Metro rail project in the city to connect its various parts to the adjoining cities and towns like Cuttack, Khurda and Jatni. The government has already signed an agreement with Secundarabad-based Balaji Railroad System Limited asking it to prepare a detailed project report for the metro rail services. Even though the number of vehicles being added to the roads is steadily increasing day by day but thankfully, traffic congestion and pollution have never been a problem in Bhubaneswar. Even then, keeping an eye on the future, the Government of Odisha is planning and has already initiated steps to build a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system in Bhubaneswar like the ones in Ahmedabad and Delhi. Separate lanes have been demarcated for the cyclists as well at almost all places in the city.
Not just that, my heart swelled up with joy and pride when Bhubaneswar topped the list of 20 cities that have been selected to be developed as smart cities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Smart City project. So in a nutshell, Bhubaneswar is well on course to become the next happening city in India.
