India News | Poet Nityananda Nayak Honoured with Sarala Puraskar

Bhubaneswar, Oct 26 (PTI) Noted Odia poet Nityananda Nayak was honoured with the prestigious Sarala Puraskar on Monday for his contribution to literature.

The annual award, comprising a citation, trophy and Rs 5 lakh, was presented to Nayak in a simple programme held in strict compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, the organisers said.

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The Sarala Puraskar, instituted by eminent Odia industrialist Dr Bansidhar Panda and Ila Panda in 1980, was given to Nayak for his poetry collection Sete Bela Ku Nathibi, they said in a statement.

On this occasion, two others were honoured for their contribution in the fields of music and art.

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'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', each carry an award of Rs 1.5 lakh and a citation.

Speaking at the event, Trustee Paramita Panda said, "We dont have a stage or a guest to confer the award. But we dont feel the absence of any guest as the three great famous talents who are being awarded by us today are our esteemed guests."

The award is given by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT).

IMPaCT is the charitable wing of IMFA Ltd, the leading and the only fully integrated producer of ferro alloys in the country, the statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)