Seven eminent Odisha artists awarded

Seven eminent artists were conferred with the prestigious 'Dharmapada Samman' by the Odisha government. The award, instituted by the Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi, is given to artists for their lifetime contribution towards conservation, propagation and development of traditional art, contemporary art and Odishan art.

State Culture Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi handed over the award to the artists at their houses on Monday as no function could be held in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The artists who were conferred with the prestigious award are Gokul Bihari Patnaik (2009), Asim Basu (2010), Durga Prasad Das (2011), Padma Sri Sudarshan Sahu (2012), Jatin Das (2013), Dinanath Pathi (2014), and Padma Bibhusan Raghunath Mahapatra (2015).

Patnaik, Basu and Pathi were given the honour posthumously and their families received the awards from the minister who visited their houses. Jatin Das could not be handed over the award as he is at present in Delhi. A representative of the Akademi will later felicitate him at his Delhi residence, an official statement said.