Kanheilal Das Jayanti to Be Held in Bhubaneswar on June 25
* 'Kanhei Katha Award' to be conferred on fiction writer Saroj Bal
Balasore, 5/6 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): Acclaimed fiction writer of the younger generation, Saroj Bal, has been selected for the Kanhei Katha Award 2025.
Instituted in memory of the distinguished Odia storyteller Kanheilal Das, this annual award is presented to a deserving Odia fiction writer under the age of fifty.
The announcement was made today at a preparatory meeting of the Kanheilal Das Smruti Sansad held at the Circuit House in Balasore. The meeting also discussed the detailed plan for the upcoming award ceremony.
Presided over by Dr. Subash Chandra Patra, President of the Smruti Sansad, the meeting was convened by Bhogarai MLA Gautambuddha Das, who is also the convener of the Sansad.
At the beginning of the meeting, Executive President of the Sansad and head of the award committee, Krushna Kumar Mohanty, presented the list of potential awardees. Saroj Bal was unanimously nominated for this year’s award. MLA Goutambuddha Das was also congratulated for completing one year in politics.
Utpala Mohanty, Secretary of the Sansad, presented the blueprint of this year’s Jayanti celebrations, announcing that the award ceremony will be held at Gitagovinda Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on June 25 at 6 PM. The event is being organized in collaboration with the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, whose Secretary Chandrasekhar Hota has given his formal consent.
The program will feature Higher Education and Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj as the Chief Guest, with eminent litterateur Shantanu Kumar Acharya as the Guest of Honour, and distinguished fiction writer Ajay Swain as the Chief Speaker. Noted poet Aparna Mohanty will attend as a Special Guest.
On this occasion, Saroj Bal will be presented with a citation, uttariya (ceremonial shawl), a memento, and a cash prize of ₹10,000.
Previous recipients of the award include Chirashree Indra Singh (2015), Aditeswar Mishra, Monalisa Jena, Hiranmayee Mishra, Amaresh Bishwal, Biraja Routray, Rajendra Roul, and Chittaranjan Chiranjeet (2024).
Among others present in today’s meeting were: MLA of Jaleswar Ashwini Patra, Nibaran Jena, Byomanath Rath, Jadabesh Mishra, Abhaya Das, Ramanarayan Dey, Smruti Das, Shubhendu Das, and Rajesh Giri.
