Noted Odiya writer and Kendra Sahitya Akademi award winner Punya Prava Devi (83) died here on Friday after a brief illness.
She had won the national award for best children’s literature in 1960, the Akashvani Award for a her marital songs in 1962, and Shishu Sahitya Ratna - Bal Sahitya Puraskar by the Kendra Sahitya Akademi in 2010.
Born in Odisha, she made Visakhapatnam her home after her marriage with Prahlad Chandra Mohanty.
Despite being a school dropout after suffering an eye infection, her quest for literature and language continued even after her marriage.
Apart from Odiya, she was proficient in Telugu, Hindi, Bengali and English.
