Odia poet Dr. Rajendra Kishore Panda has been selected for the Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar, the national award instituted in memory of the late poet laureate, for 2020.
The award carries a cash award of ₹5 lakh, a silver medal and a citation. The name of Dr. Panda was finalised by a three-member committee comprising Kannada poet Dr. H.S. Shivaprakash, Agrahara Krishnamurthy, former secretary of Central Sahitya Academy, and Bengali author Shyamal Bhattacharya. The committee met under the chairmanship of Prof. Hampa Nagarajaiah and chose Dr. Panda for the award.
The award is given annually to a writer who has contributed in any of the languages recognised by the Constitution of India. While the award is presented at Kuppalli, the birthplace of Kuvempu in Shivamogga district, on December 29 to mark his birth anniversary, the announcement for 2020 was delayed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Panda, born in 1944, is a poet and novelist from Odisha. He has published 16 poetry collections and a novel. He was presented the Gangadhar National Award in 2010, and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985. He was awarded a D.Lit. by Sambalpur University.
