Several years after Biju Patnaik captured the popular imagination in Orissa as an ace pilot and a politician, his party, the BJD’s, multi-talented Rajya Sabha member B J Panda may just be laying claim to the pilot-politician legacy. Having successfully earned a chopper pilot licence from South Africa, Panda takes his flying very seriously. What is more, he flies his own chopper to travel into the interiors of Orissa for public gatherings, functions and meetings with workers. It saves him time, allows him to keep his flying going and more importantly, it underlines that he is a pilot and politician rolled into one.
