SAMBALPUR: The prestigious Gangadhar National Award for Poetry-2021 was conferred on noted Malayalam poet KG Sankara Pillai by the Sambalpur University on 56th foundation day of the institution on Tuesday.
The Gangadhar National Award for Poetry was instituted by Sambalpur University in 1989 in memory of Swabhava Kabi Gangadhar Meher, to honour an Indian poet for his/her creative excellence and distinctive attainment in Indian poetry. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a shawl and a citation.
Sankara Pillai is one of Kerala’s finest poets who came into prominence in the 1970s with the publication of the poem ‘Bengal’ and is now one of the most popular among the modern poets of Kerala.
Receiving the award, Pillai said, “Poetry arises from a deeper sense of justice and history. When a social system starts to perform fascism, no doubt, poetry of that social system brings out the resistance force from within to respond.”
Pillai further said, “I am personally impressed by the plethora of themes and styles in the work of Gangadhar Meher. He was a visionary, who shaped the course of Odia literature and enriched Indian literature with progressive and idealistic portrayal of human life.”
The meeting was presided over by vice-chancellor Bidhu Bhusan Mishra. Minister of Higher Education Rohit Pujari was the chief guest while vice-chancellor of the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh, TV Kattimani attended the event as the chief speaker. Among others, the chairman PG Council, Sanjukta Das and registrar of the varsity, Nruparaj Sahu spoke.