BHUBANESWAR: The 188th birth anniversary of eminent astronomer and scholar Pandit Samanta Chandra Sekhar Harichandan Mohapatra, known as Pathani Samanta, was organised by Mun Baghel family at Khandapada in Nayagarh district.
A two-day event was organised on the premises of Khandapada palace by SOA University and Mun Baghel family from Thursday and Baghel Samman was presented on the occasion. Inaugurating the event, former Kandhamal MP Pratusha Rajeshwari Singh spoke on life and times of Pathani Samanta. Lawyer and columnist Girija Shankar Tarasia, writer Kulamani Sarangi and convenor of Mun Baghel family Dhaneshwar Mahapatra also spoke.
The second day was attended by VC of Asian Institute of Public Health Aditya Prasad Das and Satyanarayan Acharya, professor of literature at National Sanskrit University, Tirupati.
Various competitions, a health camp and cultural programmes were organised on the occasion. A music session was held in memory of Kishor Rath, popularly known as Kataksha Kishor, artiste Suresh Mahapatra, Giridhari Barik and Vikari Muhammad, known as second ‘Salabega’. Former deputy speaker and minister Bibhuti Bhushan Singh Mardaraj and Siddharth Shekhar Singh, former MLA of Khandapada were present.