Odisha's Hindi belt

The new petroleum minister and Odiya strongman of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Dharmendra Pradhan surprised everyone with the ease with which he spoke Hindi, a skill rarely associated with denizens of eastern India. On Tuesday, he conducted an entire media briefing in pitch-perfect Hindi, with the odd Urdu word thrown in. When non-Hindi speaking journalists asked him to repeat himself in English, he proved himself a loyal BJP soldier by repeating the slogan that has gained traction after the BJP's victory. "Acche din aa gaye hai [good times have arrived]," he said, and added, "Ab sab kuch Hindi mein hoga" [now, everything will be in Hindi].