Bhubaneswar: Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi presented the 37th annual awards for sculpture and paintings at the Buddha Art Gallery in Bhubaneswar, Saturday. Ashok Panda, the state Minister of Tourism and Culture Ashok Panda, graced the occasion as chief guest, while BJP MP Prasanna Pattsani was the guest of honour.
Altogether, 138 artworks were in contention for the coveted awards, but only eight artworks and artists were selected for the 37th Lalit Kala Akademi awards for 2016. The artistes who won the awards include Dillip Majhi, Gagan Bihari Mandal, Jitendra Kumar Parida, Kalpataru Moharana, Nrusingh Charan Ojha, N Umasyhankar, Prabal Mallick and Sujit Kumar Seth.
Each artiste received presented with a cash prize of Rs 30,000, a trophy, a citation and an uttariya.
Addressing the gathering, Panda said, “Art is a medium of expression which should be encouraged at every stage. The Lalit Kala Akademi award is no less than a lifetime achievement award.”
A souvenir was also unveiled by the guests on the occasion, while artworks by around 138 artists were put on display at an exhibition here. The beautifully displayed sculpture and paintings attracted many art-lovers. Among the awardees, Gagan Bihari Mandal’s ‘My neighbourhood’ depicted the pollution caused by plastic wastes, while Jitendra Kumar Parida’s drawing on patta leaves based on ‘Krishnalila’ left the audience overwhelmed.
A drawing competition was also held for school children and each winner received a cash prize of Rs 5000, Rs 3000 was presented to each second place holder, while third prize winner got Rs 2000. Besides, seven students, whose drawings were adjudged ‘meritorious,’ were feted at the occasion.
Among the awardees, Gagan Bihari Mandal’s ‘My neighbourhood’ depicted the pollution caused by plastic wastes, while Jitendra Kumar Parida’s drawing on patta leaves based on ‘Krishnalila’ left the audience overwhelmed.
Following the award ceremony, Sangeeta Swain presented a soulful musical recital of Geeta Govinda.
