Puppeteer, 85, gets Padma Shri

Bhubaneswar: Popular rod puppeteer Maguni Charan Kuanr of Keonjhar on Wednesday received Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu during a special event at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Kuanr has been selected for the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards of the country, for his lifelong contribution to the field of art for keeping alive the dying art of rod puppetry.
Kuanr, 85, received the award for promoting, popularizing, and preserving rod puppetry for over six decades.
“I am extremely happy after receiving the Padma Shri,” said Kuanr after receiving the award.
Kuanr has also received the Kabi Surya Upendra Bhanja Award, the highest award of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi for 2012 and Sahitya Akademi award in 2004. Kuanr and his troupe have performed at different stages across India on a wide range of subjects starting from mythology to social messages.
Apart from Kuanr, three others were selected for the Padma Shri — singer Krishna Patel, littérateur and educationist Antaryami Mishra and Patayat Sahu of Kalahandi for agriculture for 2023.