Bhubaneswar: Noted Odia poet, essayist and former CSIR-IMMT scientist Dr Ashutosh Parida will be honoured with the 47th Sarala Puraskar for his 2024 poetry collection ‘Bishwas De Pruthwi’.
The award, presented annually by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the philanthropic arm of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA), recognises outstanding literary achievement.
Parida will receive a citation, a copper plaque and a cash prize of ₹7 lakh at a ceremony in Bhubaneswar on October 25.
Seven books reached the final round of selection: ‘Aparna Mohanty ka Payeen Kabita’ by Aparna Mohanty, ‘Dahana Pada Bama Pada’ by Padmaja Pal, ‘Bishwas De Pruthwi’ by Ashutosh Parida, ‘Sita’ by Archana Nayak, ‘Mayabarta’ by Bijay Nayak, ‘Mokhya Mudra’ by Prakash Mahapatra, and ‘Kabi ka Naam Bedbyash’ by Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi. The shortlisted works span poetry, stories, novels, short stories and drama, highlighting the breadth of contemporary Odia literature.
The shortlisting committee included Dr Indira Dash, Pratiksha Jena, Amiya Bej, Pradip Kumar Panda and Abhay Nayak. The jury comprised Dr Sucheta Mishra, Dr Hrushikesh Mallick, Sangram Jena, Swapna Mishra, Prof Dr Natabar Satapathy, Dr Sarojini Sahoo and Ajay Kumar Mohapatra.
In addition, the Ila-Bansidhar Panda Kala Samman for lifetime excellence in the arts has been announced for 2026. Odissi maestro Guru Durga Charan Ranbir (Padma Shri) and sculptor and art educator Damodar Behera will each receive a citation, copper plaque and ₹2.5 lakh.
Judges for the performing arts were Guru Puspita Mishra, Dr Nazia Alam and Suramani Abhiram Nanda, and those for the visual arts were Panchami Manoo Ukil, Sangita Patnaik and Veejayant Kumar Dash.
Founded in 1980 by Ila Panda and Dr Bansidhar Panda, IMPaCT has long supported Odia literature and the state’s cultural traditions in art, music and dance. The trust also instituted the Ekalabya Puraskar in 1993, now regarded as one of Odisha’s most prestigious sports awards.