By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Notable fiction writer Dr Sarojini Sahoo received the 45th Sarala Puraskar instituted by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT) which is offered annually for the best literary achievement. Prominent poet & fictionist Sri Devdas Chhotray presented this award to Dr Sahoo, which comprises of a copper plaque and award amount of Rupees Seven Lakhs for her novel ‘Asthira Pada’.
In addition, legendary sculpting artist Shri Sudarshan Sahoo and well-known playback singer Shri Tansen Singh were conferred with the ‘Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman’. Both the artists received a citation plaque and Rupees Two Lakhs and Fifty Thousand, each.
Presiding over the function, IMPACT Trustee Ms. Paramita Panda said that a deserving writer or artist should not turn away from creativity due to financial constraints, this is the underlying objective of this award. The ‘Primary Recommendation’ is the foundation of this prestigious award in a three-tiered judging process.
The higher the number of recommendations, the wider and more transparent the scope of this award. For the development and prosperity of Odia language & literature, Dr. Bansidhar Panda and Mrs Ila Panda introduced the ‘Sarala Puraskar’. Their vision and relentless efforts to take Odisha’s artliterature to a respectable height, have succeeded today.
On this occasion, the Chief Guest Sri Devdas Chhotray shared a personal anecdote, recalling how his father, playwright Gopal Chhotray, received the Sarala Puraskar in 2000 but couldn’t attend the ceremony. He praised the humility of Mrs. Ila Panda and Dr Bansidhar Panda, who personally visited his home and presented the award to his father. Such greatness is rarely seen in award promoters.
Further, he opined, most of the world’s fiction readers live outside of fiction. A writer is the only person who ably connects them by composing a story. Winner Sarojini Sahoo said that after the announcement of the Sarala Puraskar, I felt connected to the rest of the world. For the friends and relatives of my teenage years, I seemed to rise again. This is a strange life force. What a wonderful awakening from deep sleep.
The event drew writers and literature enthusiasts from across the state, making it a resounding success.
The Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), founded in 1974 by Dr. Bansidhar Panda and his wife Mrs. Ila Panda, has been instrumental in promoting Odia literature through the Sarala Puraskar (instituted in 1980), Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman, and Ekalabya Puraskar
