BHUBANESWAR : President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday paid rich tributes to Adikabi Sarala Das, a 15th century poet and scholar of Odia literature on his 600th birth anniversary, and presented the Kalinga Ratna Award-2024 to Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Addressing the birth anniversary celebrations of Das, organised by the Sarala Sahitya Sansad at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, Murmu said Adikabi enriched Indian literature by composing the Mahabharata.
Stating that the Indian epics have been written in many languages, Murmu said, “Our diversity is like a rainbow. Our unity has been very strong for ages. We have many languages but the sentiment is one. The world remains amazed at how India remains united and integrated amidst so many languages and so many religions.”
She further noted that Indian languages have contributed immensely towards enriching the Indian educational tradition. “It is a matter of happiness that in the National Education Policy-2020, emphasis has been laid on imparting education in the mother tongue,” she said.
Stressing that education in the mother tongue could help children connect to their culture and tradition, Murmu said one should also focus on learning other languages.
The President congratulated Pradhan on receiving the Kalinga Ratna Award. She also lauded Bijaya Nayak, noted short story writer, for receiving ‘Sarala Samman’, a prestigious literary award of the state.
Expressing gratitude to the Sarala Sahitya Sansad for considering him worthy of the Kalinga Ratna Award, Pradhan said, “It is a great pride and honour for me to receive the award from President Murmu. This recognition is not just mine but belongs to every Odia.”
“We need to strive to take our Odia language to new heights. Using artificial intelligence and digital platforms, we must make personal efforts to enrich our language and literature,” Pradhan added.