Bhubaneswar: Odia litterateur Girijakumar Baliarsingh poetry collection ‘Padapurana’ has been selected for the Sahitya Akademi Award 2025, one of India’s most prestigious literary honors. Among ten Odia books recommended for the award this year, the jury unanimously chose ‘Padapurana’ for its literary merit.
Published in 2020, ‘Padapurana’ has been recognised in the poetry category, highlighting Girijakumar contribution to contemporary Odia literature. Born on December 9 in 1954 at Naragoda village in Khordha district, Girijakumar acquired the fine art of writing poetry of excellence from his school days which later, with continuity, developed into a blossomed tree, fetching him popularity from all corners. Master in the art of diction and alliteration, and perfect rhythms and rhyming, Girijakumar is a post-graduate in Odia language and literature.
After a stint in teaching, Girijakumar professionally entered the literary career with literary journalism and feature writing. At various points of time he edited the special and weekly literary pages of the daily Pragativadi, the Sambad and the Prajatantra. He also edited the quarterly magazine Renaissance (1980), Satirtha Sahitya: Kabya Kabita (1981), Jahnarati (2006), and the fortnightly Sammuksha.
Girijakumar’s second book of poems, ‘Krowncha Mithuna’ (1982) earned him real reputation as a poet par excellence. In addition, he has twelve other collections of poems, titled ‘Kaalira Kabita’ (1976), ‘Diaryra Saayiri’ (2002), ‘Bharatavarsha’ (2003), ‘Neela Nirvana’ (2003), ‘Trushna Tarpana’ (2004), ‘Chaturdashira Chandra’ (2005), ‘Uttaramegha’ (2006), ‘Chitra Pratima’ (2007), ‘Sheeta Shirshaka’ (2008), and ‘Chaarana Charjya’ (2011). Girijakumar was honoured with the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award, 2006 for his ‘Bharatavarsha’. His other poetry collections includes ‘Kabya Purusa’ and ‘Charana charjya’.
Girijakumar is an accomplished composer of poetry and an adept neologist who is endowed with the ability to sculpt a real Konark of poetry employing his unparalleled command over the repertoire of Odia vocabulary as well as his unique ability to effect alliteration, internal rhythms and perfect rhyming that flow naturally with the movement of his pen. He has also earned reputation for his sonnets.
As a student, he received the Gandhi Centenary Essay Competition Award (1972) and was declared Literary Champion (1971-72) at the university level. He has also won the Utkal Sahitya Samaj Gangadhar Kabita Samman (2005) and Jhankar Kabita Samman (2008) for poetry of high order.
The Sahitya Akademi on Monday announced its annual awards covering 24 Indian languages recognised by the institution. This year, eight poetry collections, four novels, six short story compilations, two books of essays, one literary criticism, one autobiography, and two memoirs have been honored with the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025.
Each awardee will receive a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a ceremonial shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. The award presentation ceremony is scheduled on March 31 in New Delhi.
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