Rajendra Kishor Panda wins Gangadhar award for poetry

Sambalpur (Odisha), Nov 26 (PTI) Noted Odia poet Rajendra Kishor Panda would be conferred with the prestigious Gangadhar National Award for Poetry. Instituted by Sambalpur University in memory of eminent poet Gangadhar Meher (1862-1924), the award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a shawl and a citation. Panda is the 20th recipient of the award. A galaxy of poets of various Indian languages including Alli Sardar Zafri, Kedar Nath Singh, Ayyapa Panikar, Shakti Chottopadhyaya, K Satchidanandan, Dillip Chitre, Jayanta Mohapatra, Gulzar, Nabakanta Barua, Prof AMK Shahryar, Nirupam Kaur, Binda Karandikar, Haraprasad Dash and Ramakant Rath have received the award. This prestigious award would be presented on the occasion of the foundation day of Sambalpur University on January 4, 2012. Panda's earlier awards included Kendriya Sahitya Akademi (1985) and Sarala Award (1995). A retired IAS officer of chief secretary rank, Panda was born in 1944 in Sambalpur district.