BHUBANESWAR: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred the prestigious Padma Shri awards on three eminent Odias for the year 2025 at the Civil Investiture ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
They are sculptor Adwaita Charan Gadanayak, neurosurgeon Dr Ashok Kumar Mahapatra and artiste Durga Charan Ranbir. While Gadanayak and Ranbir were honoured for their contributions to the field of art, Dr Mahapatra received the award for his work in the field of medicine.
Gadanayak, the vice-president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, is known for his monumental sculptures ‘Dandi March’ at Rajghat, National Police Memorial and statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the India Gate, New Delhi.
Dr Mahapatra is an acclaimed neurosurgeon who in 2017, had led one of the most successful separation surgeries in the world at AIIMS, New Delhi, by separating Jaga and Balia, conjoined twins from Kandhamal district.
Meanwhile, Odissi Guru Ranbir is credited for creating new training techniques in Odissi and counted among one of the most celebrated disciples of late Odissi Guru Deba Prasad Das.
At the Civil Investiture ceremony-I, the awards were conferred in three categories - Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service. The President presented four Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 57 Padma Shri awards on the day.
Odia writer Pratibha Satpathy will receive the Padma Shri at the Civil Investiture ceremony-II. A noted poet of Odia literature, Satpathy’s poetry focuses on human relationship.