Dharmapada Award For 2022 Conferred On Odisha Painter Bansidhar Pratihari

Bhubaneswar: The prestigious Dharmapada Award for 2022 was conferred on Odisha’s eminent painter Bansidhar Pratihari on Monday.

Minister of State for Tourism, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Excise Ashwini Kumar Patra presented the award to 94-year-old Pratihari at a function in Bhubaneswar. The award of the Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi under the Culture department includes cash award of Rs 5 lakh, a citation and a shawl.

This is the highest award given by the Odisha government to an artist for his or her lifetime contribution to the field of visual art and sculpture.

Eminent sculptor and painter Brajabandhu Mishra, palm leaf artist Laxmidhar Subudhi, Pattachitra painter Bhramarbar Naik, painter Ramesh Behera and stone sculptor Keshab Chandra Maharana were also felicitated on the occasion. Each of them were presented cash award of Rs 1 lakh, a citation and a shawl.

The members of the Akademi and senior government officers were present at the function.