BHUBANESWAR: Keeping with the tradition of honouring men achievers, Parichay Foundation organised the 4th edition of Shrie Awards here on Saturday.
Rajya Sabha member Sonal Mansingh inaugurated the event in presence of BJD MP Achyuta Samanta and Chinese Consul General in Kolkata, Zha Liyou.
Mansingh, one of the finest exponents of Odissi and Bharatnayam, urged the artists and social workers to persevere which will eventually bring success.
She recounted how she was overlooked for Padma awards and all government events because she opposed imposition of Emergency. Eventually, the course correction was made in 1992.
Shrie is the only award ceremony which exclusively honours and felicitates men achievers in different categories.
People who have made significant social impact in their own spheres but stayed away from limelight are selected for the prestigious award.
The awards were given away under 12 categories. While lifetime achievement award was presented to Ajay Agarwal, other recipients included Dr Neelamadhab Rath (Medical Science), Guru Bichitrananda Swain (Art and Culture), Uttam Tripathy (NRO), Madhusudan Das and Dhirendra Thakur (Social Work), Dr Satyabrata Minaketan (Education), Pranab K Pani (Entrepreneur), Pravat Baral and Piyush Ranjan Rout (Sports), Avinash Nanda (Entertainment), Manoj Sahoo (Photography) and CA Samir Kumar Samal (Special mention). Award in field of media was given to Deputy Resident Editor of The New Indian Express, Odisha, Siba Mohanty.
This apart, Parichay also felicitated individuals for their exceptional work towards the society in the aftermath of Fani.
During the event, the Chinese Consul General handed over a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh to Parichay for carrying out women empowerment activities in Fani affected areas.
“Every year, we are getting achievers from all over the country and that fills my heart with pride. They are all inspirational in their own right. We hope, we can live up to the expectations,” foundation’s president Rosalin Patasani said. Among others, former MLA Priyadarshi Mishra also spoke.