Bhubaneswar,05.January 2019: Mystic Kalinga Festival kicked off here on Saturday amid presence of leading personalities of Indian Literature such as Ashok Vajpeyi, Ramakanta Rath and Sitakant Mahapatra and many other literary and cultural enthusiasts of the city.
On the opening day of the three-day long festival, noted poet and former Lalit Kala Academy Chairman Ashok Vajpeyi received prestigious MysticKalinga Literary Awards.
Vajpeyi is a noted Hindi poet, critic, essayist and translator, and a dynamic presence in the Indian cultural scene. He is the author of thirty-eight books of poetry and criticism in Hindi and the founder/editor of eight journals in Hindi and English.
He is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1994) for his book KahinNahinVahin, the AgyeyaRashtriyaSamman (1997) for his contribution to Hindi literature, the Officer’s Cross of Merit (2004) from the Republic of Poland, and the Officier de L’Ordre des Art et des Lettres (2005) from the Republic of France, among others.
Along with Vajpeyi, noted Odiapoet, playwright and poet Harihar Mishra also received Mystic Kalinga Literary Award for his exceptional contribution in creating thought-provoking Odia plays. He had won the OdishaSahityaAkademi Award way back in 1977 for his playRatiraDuiti Dena.
Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Special Citation)was conferred uponPrateekPatnaik, a young researcher of Odia literature and Odissi music who hasreceived many accolades for his extraordinary contribution in digitising the classical literature, vulnerable cultural practices including performing arts, musical tradition, lesser known monuments, neglected languages and palm leaf manuscripts.
The award has been instituted to recognize and celebrate three prolific writers, poets and performers in Odia, in one Indian language and in one international language. The awardees have been chosen keeping in mind their contribution to their specific language and genre.
On the opening day, many other notable personalities such as Mani Rao, Jerry Pinto, ShabnamVirmani, ArundhatiSubramaniam, ParamitaSatapathy and SachidanandaMohanty participated in different sessions covering various aspects of Indian poetry and Bhakti music.
The event also witnessed Hindustani Music performance, book launches and conversation with senior police officer BasantRath for his exceptional management skills in overseeing security situations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Prasanta Patnaik