Padma Honour for Four Odias

Padma Honour for Four Odias

Four distinguished Odias have been honored with Padma Awards for their exceptional contributions in medicine, art, literature, and dance.

Dr. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Medicine
Dr. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra is a renowned neurosurgeon and an alumnus of MKCG Medical College, Berhampur. He served as the chief of the Neurosciences Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi, and was the director of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar (2012–2016). In 2017, he led a groundbreaking surgery to separate conjoined twins, Jaga and Balia, from Kandhamal district. Currently, he serves as the principal advisor (health sciences) to the Academy of Sciences and Research at SOA University, Bhubaneswar, and is the university's former VC.

Adwaita Charan Gadanayak, Art
Adwaita Charan Gadanayak, a celebrated sculptor, hails from Neulapoi village in Dhenkanal district. An alumnus of BK College of Arts and Crafts, he completed his master's at the College of Art, New Delhi, and also studied at the Slade School of Fine Arts, London. The former Director-General of the National Gallery of Modern Art, his masterpieces include the ‘Dandi March’ at Rajghat, the National Police Memorial, and the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue at India Gate. A recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi award, he specializes in monumental black granite sculptures.

Pratibha Satpathy, Literature and Education
Pratibha Satpathy is a prominent poet in Odia literature, known for her deep exploration of human relationships. She gained prominence in the 1960s with her work Sesha Janha and won the Central Sahitya Akademi Award in 2001 for her poetry collection Tanmaya Dhuli. Her writings, spanning over four decades, have been translated into various languages. As the editor of the Odia magazine Istahaar for 25 years, she also translated works of renowned authors like Pearl S. Buck into Odia.

Durga Charan Ranbir, Art
Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, an iconic figure in contemporary Odissi dance, is a disciple of the legendary Guru Deba Prasad Das. Founder of the dance school Nrutyayan, he has contributed to the evolution of Odissi by creating innovative training techniques. Over five decades, his choreographies and teachings have been acclaimed internationally. A recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, he has taught Odissi at renowned institutions in India and abroad, including Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Delhi, and the US.