Bhubaneswar: Eminent litterateur Pratibha Ray was conferred the prestigious fellowship by the Sahitya Akademi at a special ceremony held in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
While welcoming fellowship recipient Pratibha Ray and other dignitaries present at the event, Sahitya Akademi Secretary Varun Gulati described Ray as one of the country’s most talented literary figures.
Akademi President Madhav Kaushik stated that although Pratibha Ray writes in Odia, she represents writers from across the country.
Gourahari Das, convener of the Sahitya Akademi’s Odia Advisory Board, observed that the life of a woman writer is not the same as that of a male writer. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty, Sanghamitra Mishra, and Debaprasad Dash participated in a programme organised to discuss Pratibha Ray’s literary contributions.
Speaking on the occasion, Pratibha Ray expressed her gratitude to the Sahitya Akademi authorities for travelling from Delhi to confer the fellowship upon her in the presence of her cherished readers.
It may be noted that the Sahitya Akademi had announced Pratibha Ray’s selection for this fellowship on April 1 following a meeting of its general council. However, the fellowship was formally conferred upon her on Thursday, nearly five months after the initial announcement.
Prior to this, Jayanta Mahapatra (2019), Sitakant Mahapatra (2013), Ramakanta Rath (2009), Manoj Das (2006), Sachi Rautray (1996), Kanhu Charan Mohanty (1994), and Kalindi Charan Panigrahi (1971) from Odisha had been honoured with this fellowship.
The Sahitya Akademi has stated that this highest honour of the Akademi is reserved exclusively for immortal literary figures, and eligible writers are selected through a specific process. The total number of Sahitya Akademi Fellows stands at 22 at any given time.