BHUBANESWAR: Noted poet Ramakanta Rath will get the prestigious ‘Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman’ for the year 2018 for his contribution to Odia literature.
It is the highest literary award of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. The literary body will also felicitate 15 other litterateurs of the state. The award is named after 15th century Odia poet Atibadi Jagannath Das.
Rath is famous for his poetry book ‘Sriradha’. It is acknowledged as a modern classic. Besides this, he has authored several poems and stories. His famous literary works are like ‘Kete Dinara’, ‘Sripalataka’, ‘Anek Kothari’, ‘Sandigdh Mrugaya’ ‘Saptama Rutu’, ‘Sachitra Andhaar’, ‘Simanta Basa’, ‘Pheri Chahinle’ and ‘Sabudina Sepakhe’.
Rath, born on December 13, 1934, in Cuttack, has completed his master degree in English from Ravenshaw College (now it is an university) and joined in Indian Administrative Service in 1957. He was the former chief secretary of the state.
His first anthology of poems ‘Kete Dinara’ was published in 1962. He has received Padma Bhushan award for his immense contribution to the field of literature. He has also received several literary awards like Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Saraswati Samman, Sahitya Bharati Samman, Kabir Samman and Bishuba Samman.
This Atibadi Samman will be conferred on Rath on July 26 on the foundation day of Odisha Sahitya Akademi. He will get Rs 1 lakh as prize money. Other 15 literateurs will get Rs 25,000 each as award money, said akademi sources.