Odia poet Rajendra Kishore Panda bags Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar

SHIVAMOGGA: The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar, the national award instituted in memory of late poet laureate Kuvempu, has been awarded to renowned Odia poet Dr Rajendra Kishore Panda for the year 2020. 

The prestigious award carries a cash award of Rs 5 lakh, a silver medal, and a citation.

The name of Dr Panda was finalised by a three-member committee consisting of celebrated Kannada poet H S Shivaprakash, former secretary of Central Sahitya Academy Agrahara Krishnamurthy, and eminent Bengali author Shyamal Bhattacharya. 

The committee met under the chairmanship of Prof Hampa Nagarajaiah and chose Dr Panda for the award, according to a release from Kadidal Prakash, secretary of the Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Pratishtana, Kuppalli in Shivamogga district.

Founded in 1992, Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Trust instituted this national annual literary award in 2013 in the name of Kuvempu to recognise litterateurs who had contributed in any language recognised by the Constitution of India. 

Ever since, writers from Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Kannada, and Panjabi languages had been chosen and conferred the award at programmes held in Kuppali, the birthplace of Kuvempu in Shivamogga district, on December 29 to mark his birth anniversary. However, the announcement of the national award for the year 2020 was delayed owing to the Covid pandemic. The award will be conferred at a convenient date in the near future.

Born on June 24, 1944, Dr Panda writes in the Odia language. He has published 16 poetry collections and a novel. He is a major Indian poet who steered the path of modern Odia poetry to great heights. He was awarded the Gangadhar National Award in 2010, and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985. He was awarded a DLitt by Sambalpur University.

Works of Dr Panda include Collected Poems-2003, Drohavakya-2003, Dujanari-2003, Vairagi Bhramar-2003, Satyottara-2003, Bahwarambhe–2003, Ishakhela–1999, Bahubreehi–1991, Anya-1988, Shailakalpa (Mountainesque)-1982, Odia-and-English Poetry Bodhinabha (The Bodhi-Sky)-1994 and Odia novel Chidabhas-1999.