Eminent Odia Poet Girija Kumar Baliarsingh Honoured with Sahitya Akademi Award for Literary Excellence in Padapooran

Bhubaneswar Mar, 26:  The prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2025 has been announced. This year, eminent Odia poet Girija Kumar Baliarsingh has been selected for this distinguished honour. He will receive the award for his popular poetry collection Padapooran. Following the announcement, a wave of joy has swept across the literary community of Odisha.
Awards Announced in 24 Languages
The Sahitya Akademi has announced awards in a total of 24 regional languages, including Odia, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Maithili, Kannada, Urdu, Kashmiri, and English. Writers have been selected across various categories such as poetry, short stories, novels, essays, and autobiography.
Nature of the Award
As part of the award, Mr. Baliarsingh will receive a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a citation, and a commemorative plaque. The award will be presented at a special ceremony scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 31.
Congratulations Pour In
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Odia Language, Literature & Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj have extended their heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Baliarsingh on his remarkable achievement. They stated that this recognition has further elevated the prestige of Odia literature at the national level.
It is noteworthy that the selection process for the award began in January 2025. Based on the recommendations of a jury comprising eminent writers and scholars from various languages, the winners’ names were formally announced today.