Foundation Day of Fakir Mohan Sahitya Parishad Celebrated at Balasore
Balasore, March 2 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): The Foundation Day of Fakir Mohan Sahitya Parishad was celebrated under the chairmanship of Dr. Subas Chandra Patra.
On this occasion, three former Presidents of the Parishad shared their experiences from their respective tenures. Speaking first, Dr. Harish Chandra Behera recalled the struggles he faced in carrying forward the activities of the Parishad during his time. He noted that the Diamond Jubilee marking 60 years of the institution was celebrated during his presidency. Eminent personalities of Odisha, including Sitakanta Mahapatra, Ramakanta Rath, and Shantanu Kumar Acharya, were invited as distinguished guests to the Parishad during his tenure.
Former President and poet Bimal Jena, while sharing his views, remarked that his tenure was marked by many significant and eventful moments. He candidly expressed that even today he feels a deep pain in his heart while recalling certain experiences from his period of presidentship.
Dr. Laxmikanta Tripathy, who served as President three times, stated that he became an executive member of the Parishad at the young age of 19 in 1975. During his tenure, several rare books were published through dedicated efforts. The Parishad was registered with the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. A memorial structure was constructed at Shanti Ghat. Since 2004, the publication of 'Sahityabahika' was initiated. For the first time, a bulletin highlighting the Parishad’s activities was introduced. A recorded version of “Bhasha Bandana” was produced and presented ceremonially. He also participated in programmes at Rourkela, Santiniketan, and Bhubaneswar to speak on Fakir Mohan Senapati. During his presidentship, the Fakir Mohan Smruti Samman and the first Fakir Mohan Bhasha Sahitya Samman were instituted. The Parishad was specially honoured under the state government’s “Bhasha Nua-O-Odisha” programme. The year-long series of 365 continuous programmes remains a matter of pride for him.
Former Secretaries Dinabandhu Lenka and Pradip Chatterjee also expressed their views about the Parishad.
At the beginning of the meeting, a song written by Dr. Laxmikanta Tripathy on the Parishad was presented by Kalyani Nanda and her team. Secretary Dr. Ratnakar Singh delivered the introductory remarks, while joint secretary Rajesh Kumar Giri conducted the proceedings. Kalyani Nanda offered the vote of thanks.
A large number of literary enthusiasts and intellectuals attended the Foundation Day celebration.
