Poet Suryasnata Tripathy to Receive SOA Yuva Sahitya Puraskar 2025
Balasore, November 12:(Krushna Kumar Mohanty) Acclaimed Odia young poet and writer Suryasnata Tripathy has been selected for the SOA Yuva Sahitya Puraskar 2025, which will be presented during the valedictory session of the 3rd SOA Literary Festival at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar, on November 30.
Tripathy was unanimously chosen by the Jury Board for his short story collection 'Thia Puchi Naranga', published by Barsha Publication in 2024. The book features twelve finely crafted stories reflecting his deep understanding of human emotions and contemporary life.
Born in 1991, Tripathy is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at IIT Ropar. He is the author of seven poetry anthologies, a short story collection, and an Odia translation of Dharamvir Bharati’s Kanupriya. Recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (2017), he is also a noted playwright associated with Hyderabad-based theatre groups KASH, Kissa Go, and Play of Shiva. His acclaimed plays include Botal Arz Hai, Lash’t Wish, Generations, and Newton.
Recently, he has ventured into cinema with the Odia feature film Indradhanu and short films Maatimuhana (Odia) and Khidkiyaan (Hindi).
Instituted this year, the SOA Yuva Sahitya Puraskar aims to encourage and recognize emerging literary voices in Odia literature across genres such as poetry, fiction, drama, and criticism. The award carries a cash prize of ₹1,00,000, along with a citation, silver plaque, and shawl.
The festival will also honour Javed Akhtar with the SOA Sahitya Samman 2025 for his outstanding and lifelong contribution to Indian cinema and literature. The event, organized by SOA and conducted by its centre PPRACHIN, will take place on November 29 and 30 under the theme Culture, Creativity, and Artificial Intelligence. Around 100 eminent writers, poets, artists, and thinkers from across India will participate in 30 sessions over two days, informed Prof. Gayatribala Panda, Head of PPRACHIN and Festival Director
