Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi under the department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture on Wednesday presented various awards for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The prestigious awards in three broad categories were presented to as many as 134 eminent personalities at a special ceremony held at the convention centre of Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.
Eminent singer Pranab Kishore Patnaik, and noted theatre personality Badal Sikdar, known for Mogal Tamasha of Bhadrak, received the Akademi’s highest honour- Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Award for 2023.
Similarly, renowned flutist Mohini Mohan Patnaik an
d eminent Odissi dance exponent Sudhakar Sahu was conferred Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Award for 2024.
For 2025, noted musician Ghanashyam Panda and folk dance exponent Bhagabat Pradhan have received the prestigious Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Award.
The Akademi also announced awards for different categories for these three years. Apart from Akademi Award, Upayana and Kabichandra Kalicharan Yuva Prativa Puraskar were also announced.
List of awardees for 2023:
Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman – Dr Pranab Kishore Patnaik & Badal Sikdar
Acting – Dr Samitarani Mohanry, Premananjan Parida & Anuj Kumar Patniak
Playwright – Niladri Bhushan Harichancan
Direction – Lalatendu Rath & Satya Narayan Jena
Theatre art (Manchalaka) – Nentrananda Sahu
Sound/Light – Shrikant Choudhury
Devotional music – Dikhishyam Tripathy
Sugama Sangeet – Adyasha Das
Music Direction – Ramesh Mahananda & Om Prakash Mohanty
Odissi vocal – Alakeah Chandra Samal