Biju memorial body holds poets’ meet at Paradip

To mark the 21st death anniversary of Biju Patnaik, a State-level Odia poets’ meet was held here at Zero Point under the aegis of the Biju Patnaik Smruti Sansada (BPSS) and the Eastern India Oil Refinery Workers’ Union.

The meeting was presided over by BPSS president and noted trade union leader Santosh Kumar Pattnaik. Prominent Odia satire poet Braja Subudhi, known as Bolgarh Express, was chief guest. Poets Alok Kumar Mahapatra (Galua Maharaj), Susant Kumar Sahoo (Durbalia Kabi), Prasanna Kumar Das and Ananta Jena, storywriter Rabi Panda and All India Radio singer Jibanananda Adhikari were guests of honour. Welcome address was given by BPSS convenor Biswanath Bala. The poems of the poets were coordinated by Prasant Kumar Rout.

Hundreds of poets and writers from Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada and other districts participated in the meet. BPSS president Pattnaik congratulated the writers and poets and declared that the collected poems and stories regarding Biju Patnaik would be published in a book. The poets recited their poems about Bijubabu and thanked the BPSS president for organising such an intellectual meeting.

Manindra Guru, Chinmay Das, Dillip Kumar Behera, Arup Patnaik, Mihir Ranjan Sahoo, Niranjan Nayak and other BPSS committee members coordinated the event.