Scholarships to be awarded to Jajnaseni Dhal and Khyati Sanger
Dhenkanal: On 4th August, precisely 155 years ago, the first Odia newspaper, ‘Utkal Deepika,’ was published. Karmabira Gourishankar Ray published the weekly newspaper from Cuttack Printing Company founded in 1864. The weekly newspaper came at a time when Odisha was facing several problems and it played an instrumental role in the social and political life of Odisha. Hence, August 4 is celebrated as “Odia Journalism Day.” Utkal Deepika was successful in conveying the common people’s plight and bringing it to the attention of the then administration. Odisha experienced a severe drought from 1866 to 1868. The news of the drought was extensively covered in Utkal Deepika at that time. The journal offered a lot of thoughtful advice on how the government could aid the hungry. It attempted to integrate the Odia-speaking regions in the larger interest of the Odias. It was published for seven decades straight, from 1866 to 1936.
Every year on 4th August, ‘Odia Journalism Day’ is observed in IIMC, Dhenkanal. This year Professor Jatindra Nayak is set to speak on the topic of ‘Journalism and Literature.’ In addition, for the academic year 2020-21, Jajnaseni Dhal, a student with the highest marks in the first semester of the post-graduate diploma in Odia journalism, will receive the Radhanath Rath Scholarship. Likewise, the Dr. Satya Mohapatra Memorial Scholarship will be granted to Khyati Sanger, a post-graduate diploma student in English journalism. The event is scheduled at 11 a.m. on Google Meet platform. The event will also include a video screening by Odia journalism students from the 2020-21 academic year on ‘Odia Journalism Day’ followed by a riveting lecture by the economist Dr. Nilakantha Rath.
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