BHUBANESWAR: Writer Biraja Routray will be conferred the Kanhei Katha Puraskar-2022 this year for his outstanding contribution to Odia fiction and other literary activities.The award has been instituted by Kanheilala Das Smruti Sansad in the memory of the writer and is given to an Odia fiction writer every year. Das was a trendsetter in Odia fiction in the 70s.
The award and a cash prize of Rs 10,000 will be presented to Routray on July 24 this year marking the Kanheilal Das Jayanti Samaroha in Balasore which would be held after a COVID-19 break of two years. The event is being jointly organised in collaboration with the Odisha Sahitya Akademi.
Born in 1973, Routray is a powerful voice among contemporary voices in Odia short stories. His short stories and poems are about the variance of the day-to-day life of a common man.