Bhubaneswar: The First Akshaya Upanayasa Puraskar, instituted by the Pratibha Ray Foundation Trust was conferred on writer Swagatika Swain for her novel “Drohakala” in an elegant ceremony at Jaydev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar. The award has been instituted in memory of eminent engineer Shri Akshaya Chandra Ray, the founder of renowned publishing house Adya Prakashani. Vice-president of the Trust, Dr Adyasha Das presented the profile of the Trust, its multi-pronged objectives and informed that the award coincided with the forty-seventh Birth anniversary of Adya Prakashani, the Trust’s publication house. The award included a cash prize of Rs 51,000, citation and a memento.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest, Shri Niranjan Rath said it was a blessing to receive an award instituted by the Trust of Jnanpith laureate Pratibha Ray. He said the award would encourage young writers to choose novel writing as their creative genre. The Guest of Honour, Shri B.B.Mishra, eminent writer and ex- Director General of Police extolled the virtues of Shri Akshaya Chandra Ray and praised the endeavour of the Trust to create this opportunity for young writers. Engineer Pravakar Swain elaborated the life and achievements of the Founder of Adya Prakashani Shri Akshaya Chandra Ray. Dr.Basant Panda discussed the significance of “Drohakala”, the award winning novel. Shri Lalit Das, Additional Director General of Police and patron of the Trust presented a profile of the trustees and patrons and the plans of the Trust for the promotion of Odia literature. Eminent writer, Dr.Pratibha Ray, President of the Trust stated that theTrust conceived of this award to recognise young writers and encourage more such talents in the field of novel writing in Odia. Ishani Das, Secretary. presented the vote of thanks.
On this occasion, Shri Banoj Tripathy, Pakshighar Prakashani, publisher of “Drohakala”, Ohio based Shri Satya Pattanayak, publisher of Black Eagle Books, USA, Padmashree Dr.Damayanti Besra and Shri Tapas Rout were felicitated for their contributions in respective fields.
Many literary luminaries attended the function which will be an annual affair.
Comments are closed.