Mahanga, Jan, 03: The 150th birth anniversary of Palli Kabi (rural poet) Nanda Kishore Bala, a distinguished son of Mahanga, was celebrated at the state level. The programme was jointly organized by the Odisha Sahitya Akademi and the Mahangi Development Parishad. On this occasion, discussions were held on the literary works of the rural poet, who created a unique identity by vividly portraying the true stories of village life through his writings.
The event was held at the premises of Nanda Kishore Vidya Mandir at Kusupur, the poet’s birthplace. Several eminent poets, writers, social workers, and public representatives paid floral tributes at the statue of the poet located on the school campus. A Saraswata (literary) gathering was also organized on the school premises, which was presided over by Mahanga MLA Sarada Prasad Pradhan.
Former minister Amar Prasad Satapathy attended as the chief guest, noted writer Dr. Bhagabat Shukla spoke as the keynote speaker, and writer Dr. Basanta Kumar Sahu joined as the guest speaker. The speakers stated that the literary contributions of Palli Kabi Nanda Kishore Bala have greatly enriched Odia language and literature.
The programme was anchored by Sanjay Kumar Chhual Singh, Assistant Director of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. BEO Monalisa Sarkar introduced the guests.
Several dignitaries including Jitendra Satapathy, Bhaktacharan Paik, Amarendra Singh, Manoranjan Nayak, Kishore Rout, Manoranjan Biswal, Arun Sethi, Nirmal Rout, Kanakalata Behera, Sarada Jena, Prabhas Barma, Biswaprakash Prusti, Upendra Sahu, Seshadev Sahu, Padmalochan Nayak, Mahendra Behera, Kamalakanta Pradhan, Dhrubacharan Samal, Subodh Behera, and Umesh Das, along with teachers and students of the school, actively participated and extended their cooperation.
On this occasion, the guests also felicitated meritorious students of the school for their achievements.