Naveen Patnaik

Naveen Patnaik is the Chief Minister of Orissa, India. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Orissa and Gandhi era freedom fighter Biju Patnaik.

Shri Naveen Patnaik was born on October 16, 1946 at Cuttack, Orissa to Shri Biju Patnaik and Smt. Gyan Patnaik. He went to Welham Preparatory School for Boys in Dehradun when he was seven years old. After that he studied at the The Doon School, Dehradun till he passed out with a Senior Cambridge Certificate at 17 years. He excelled in History, Oil painting and athletics in this school. He went on to Delhi University when he got his Bachelor's Degree in Arts at the age of 20 years.

He has done pioneering work in international recognition of Indian designs and worked with handloom weavers to enlarge home market for Indian textiles. His work has always in one way or the other been connected with Art, Ecology and Culture. He has travelled extensively in India and abroad. Naveen Patnaik is a founder member of the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH). He has written three books: A Second Paradise: Indian Country Life 1590-1947, A Desert Kingdom: The people of Bikaner and the Garden of Life: An introduction to the Healing Plants of India. All his three books have been published in India, England and USA. He has written articles for cultural and environmental publications, and lives in New Delhi and Bhubaneswar.

Earlier Shri Patnaik was elected as Member of the 11th Lok Sabha in by-election from Aska Parliamentary Constituency. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel & Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce, and Member Library Committee of Parliament. In 1998 he formed the Biju Janata Dal Party in Orissa and was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha from the Aska Parliamentary constituency.