Prez presents Padma Shri to 3 from state

Bhubaneswar: Three people from state received the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. Of the three, one is a medicinal plant grower, Patayat Sahu, from Kalahandi district, another is a folk singer named Krishna Patel from Sambalpur and the other one is litterateur Antaryami Mishra, who is from Dhenkanal district.
Sahu (67), a native of Nandol village under Junagarh block, got the award for his contribution towards agriculture. He has grown around 3,000 medicinal plants in his backyard. As a traditional healer (vaidya), he has helped many people without demanding money and helped in popularising and planting herbal medicines. He was also part of the team that discovered 350 herbal plants of rare varieties in Ghana.
Patel, on the other hand, has played an important role in popularising Sambalpuri folk songs across the world. Born in Kuchinda, the 64-year-old singer is known for ‘Rangabati’, a song that was first aired in 1976, which was then recorded by a Bengal-based renowned company. The recording added to its popularity both in India and abroad. She is the third person associated with the iconic song to receive the Padma Shri.
Mishra, who received the honour for literature and education, has contributed to the study of Odia language, grammar culture and history for nearly five decades.
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and others congratulated the trio for receiving the honour.
Apart from the three, eminent puppeteer Maguni Charan Kuanr, 85, a native of Keonjhar district, was also selected for Padma Shri. He received the award from the President on March 22.