Poet & writer Gayatribala Panda from Odisha to get Sahitya Akademi award 2022

Bhubaneswar: Sahitya Akademi announced its annual prestigious  Sahitya Akademi Awards in 23 languages today. Gayatribala Panda from Odisha won the award from Odisha in Poetry category for her poetry collection ‘Dayanadi’. It had been published by ‘Pakhhighar Prakashan’ in 2017.

The Award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and an amount of Rs 100,000 towards cash content each will be presented to the awardees at the award presentation function which will be held on a later date.

Earlier, Panda had got the Kendra Sahitya Akademi youth award in 2011 for her poetry collection ‘Gan’ (village). She is the first Odia poet to get Kendriya Sahitya Akademi award twice. Earlier she had also got the Kadambini Kabita samman.

‘Dayanadi’ dwells upon the Kalinga war where 64 poems are there. Amid the narration of the fury of war the essence of defeat is conveyed in the poetry.

In a career spanning over 3 decades Panda has so far published 25 books. Out of this 12 poetry collections, 2 story collections, 2 novels and an essay are in Odia language. Her poetry collections are – Ahata Pratisruti, Aspasta Ishwara, Anayatta, Gan, Jetiki disuchi Akasha, Akhi Nain Kana Nain, E Ratira Jete Tara, Bagha, Dayanadi, Mohenjodaro.

Born in 1977 to Arunima and Golak Bihari Panda in Sadeipur of Jagatsinghpur district, Gayatri Panda is wife of Rajya Sabha MP Manas Mangaraj.