Odisha Channel Bureau
Bhubaneswar: Well-known Odia poet Nityananda Nayak was honoured with the prestigious Sarala Puraskar for his contribution to literature here on Monday.
The annual award, comprising a citation, plaque and Rs. 5 lakhs, was presented to Nayak in a simple programme held in strict compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, according to the organisers.
The Sarala Puraskar, instituted by eminent Odia industrialist Bansidhar Panda and Ila Panda in 1980, was given to Nayak for his poetry collection `Sete Bela Ku Nathibi’ published by Friends’ Publishers in 2017.
Two other personalities were also honoured for their contribution in the fields of music and art by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT).
‘Ila Panda Chitrakala Samman’ was presented to Shyamsundar Pattanayak, while ‘Ila Panda Sangeet Samman’ was conferred on Ranjeet Kumar Nag.
The ‘Ila Panda Sangeet Samman’ and ‘Ila Panda Chitrakala Samman’ carry an award of Rs 1.5 lakh and a citation each.
“We don’t have a stage or a guest to confer the award. But we don’t feel the absence of any guest as the three great famous talents who are being awarded by us today are our esteemed guests,” said Paramita Panda, Trustee of IMPaCT.
