Suryasnata Tripathy to Receive SOA Yuva Sahitya Puraskar 2025
Bhubaneswar: Odia poet and writer Suryasnata Tripathy will be conferred with the SOA Yuva Sahitya Puraskar 2025 during the valedictory session of the 3rd SOA Literary Festival to be held at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar, on November 30.
“Tripathy was unanimously picked by the jury board for his short story collection ‘Thia Puchi Naranga’, featuring twelve finely crafted stories that reflect his keen insight into human emotion and contemporary experience,” SOA said in a release.
He will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh along with a citation, a silver plaque and a shawl.
Tripathy, who is currently working as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at IIT Ropar, has authored poetry anthologies, one short story collection, and an Odia translation of Dharamvir Bharati’s ‘Kanupriya’.
Recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (2017), he is also an accomplished playwright associated with Hyderabad-based theatre groups KASH, Kissa Go and Play of Shiva, for which he has written several acclaimed plays including Botal Arz Hai, Lash’t Wish, Generations and Newton. His recent venture into cinema includes the Odia feature film ‘Indradhanu’, along with two short films, ‘Maatimuhana’ (Odia) and ‘Khidkiyaan’ (Hindi).
“Instituted this year, the SOA Yuva Sahitya Puraskar seeks to encourage and celebrate emerging voices in Odia literature, recognising originality and promise across genres such as poetry, fiction, drama, and criticism,” the release further said.
Legendary poet, lyricist, scriptwriter and social thinker Javed Akhtar will be presented the SOA Sahitya Samman for 2025 for his outstanding and lifelong contribution to Indian cinema and literature during the inaugural session of the 3rd SOA Literary Festiva on November 29.
The SOA Literary Festival, organised by SOA and conducted by its centre PPRACHIN, will be held on November 29 and 30 with the theme ‘Culture, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence’. “Around 100 eminent writers, poets, artists, and thinkers from across India will participate in the festival, which will feature 30 sessions over two days,” said head of PPRACHIN and festival director Prof Gayatribala Panda.