A Day Out In Rome When Naveen Stunned The Historian-Guide With His Knowledge on Great Renaissance
By D N Singh
The soft spoken and suave chief minister of Odisha could floor a famous historian and guide in Rome with his knowledge in ancient history of Rome and places associated with the Great Renaissance. The guide was not only impressed but was left scrambling for wits for a while.
It was a normal dry day in the otherwise cool clad city of Rome, when the chief minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, during his visit to Italy, was on a day out visiting some places of historical importance and connected with Western history.
Known for his calm and self-composed traits, Patnaik took to the streets, accompanied by his aides and of course a known historian and historical guide from Rome.
Then starts the journey and an enthusiastic guide up sticks his wisdom cap to initiate the famous politician and chief minister from Odisha, into Roman history.
There they go and after a few minutes of deliberation by the guide, the chief minister got his bearing set and elucidate the foreign guide about Western history and made the latter saunter through the nuances of Roman history.
The guide looked in askance, and hardly could believe that, the politician from India, clad in a white Kurta, could steer him through the phases of history but the places of historical importance, their connections with the Renaissance.
The marble dome of #SheikhZayedMosque, Abu Dhabi is an epitome of magnificence with intricate inlay work inspired by Moghul architecture. I am told, the artisans & the marbles also came from Makrana village of Rajasthan.
A bit of India, everywhere. pic.twitter.com/qHWZpaFlgU
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) June 27, 2022
Instead being getting guided by the Guide, the chief minister, practically, made the guide search through his fact-sheets for the occasion.
“ I am an historian, and I work as a guide for clients in Rome, and it has been an honour for me to take your minister around…he is an incredibly educated man. The level of understanding and knowledge he has of ancient Rome and Renaissance culture is outstanding. I don’t think I have ever encountered it in a client” that was the confession from the humbled down guide in Rome.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik is often discussed for his unchallenged reign in Odisha for last 24 years, hardly many people are aware that, in him lives a scholar of history.
His authored ‘Second Paradise: Indian Country Life 1590-1947, ‘A Desert Kingdom:The Rajputs of Bkaner’ besides the much talked about ‘Healing Plants of India’ had him in good stead among the galaxy of history scholars.
A knowledge in history can help into a good present and accomplishment in future and Patnaik has proved that amply as a futuristic leader.
