Bhubaneswar: Poets, writers and critics paid glowing tributes to eminent poet and administrator Padma Bhushan Ramakant Rath, who passed away on Sunday.
A condolence meet was organised on Monday at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University by the SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) in honour of the poet who had created a unique space for himself in the country’s literary fraternity.
Head of PPRACHIN Prof. Gayatribala Panda said that late Rath – who was honoured with ‘SOA Literary Award’ in November 2023 — had provided a new direction to Odia poetry with modern classic ‘Sri Radha’ being his unique creation.
Ashwini Kumar Mishra, poet and former Odisha Sahitya Akademi secretary, said that Rath’s style was so unique that it made him stand apart from other litterateurs.
Poet Ashutosh Parida recalled Rath’s keen sense of observation and clarity of vision. “Love and death were two of his main themes both of which had a ring of mystery around them,” he said.
Another poet Aparna Mohanty narrated her personal experiences with Rath and his family.
Writer Dr Asit Mohanty spoke about Rath’s humorous aspects and dwelt on the philosophy of his life, while Khirod Parida described him as ‘a poet with empathy’.
Among others present were Santosh Kumar Rath, Phanindra Bhushan Nanda, Gouranga Charan Dash, Subhas Satpathy, Pradipta Kumar Panda, Banoj Tripathy and Mihir Kumar Sahu.
