BHUBANESWAR: Four persons of eminence from Odisha - Maguni Charan Kuanr, Antaryami Mishra, Krishna Patel and Patayat Sahu - will receive the prestigious Padma Shri awards. The highest civilian awards were announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday. While Kuanr and Patel will receive the award in the field of art, Mishra has been chosen for his contribution to literature and education and Sahu for agriculture.
“I am very happy receiving the Padma award at this age. But this would not have been possible without The New Indian Express, Odisha, which highlighted my efforts to popularise medicinal and herbal plants,” said 66-year-old Sahu of Nandol village in Kalahandi who has developed a herbal garden on 1.5 acre of land behind his house. The garden boasts of a wide range of 3,000 medicinal plants.
A farmer and a traditional healer, Sahu’s story was reported in the Brightside column of The New Indian Express following which, Prime Minister Narendra Modi featured Sahu in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio show. Kuanr, who is the last surviving artiste of rod puppetry (Kathi Kandhei) in Odisha, was ecstatic.
“I have received this award in the last stage of my life but I cannot express how happy I am,” said the 85-year-old Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee from Keonjhar. Kuanr, who continues to perform with his troupe Utkal Biswakarma Kalakunj. Writer, columnist and researcher Mishra thanked Lord Jagannath for the award.
“It is His blessings that I have been chosen for the Padma Shri,” said the 72-year-old author who has been writing for nearly five decades on Odia language, history and Jagannath culture. Differently-abled, Mishra was in 2019 conferred the President’s Award for his contribution to classical Odia language, the only Odia linguist to get the award.
Singer Patel, who is the voice behind the cult Sambalpuri song ‘Rangabati’, said she is overwhelmed. Dedicating the honour to Maa Samaleswari and her mentors, she thanked both state and Centre besides, her fellow artistes and audience. “All my hard work has finally bore fruit,” she said.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated all the awardees. He said President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have honoured Odisha’s talent by selecting the four for the prestigious Padma Award.