Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi, Feb 23:

Eminent novelist Paramita Satpathy and notable Santali language writer Gobinda Chandra Majhi, both hailing from Odisha, were conferred with the prestigious Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2016 at a function in New Delhi yesterday.

While Satpathy received the award for Prapti, a collection of ten novellas in Odia, Majhi got the prize for Nalha, an anthology of poems.

Satpathy has already received several awards for her valuable contribution in the field of literature.

She has been felicitated with Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award, Bharatiya Bhasa Parishad Yuva Puraskar, Gangadhar Rath Foundation Award and Bhubaneswar Book Fair Award.

Her several novels have been translated in Hindi, English, Bengali, Telugu and Marathi languages.

Similarly, Majhi, born in Mayurbhanj district and currently working as the vice president of Odisha chapter of All India Santali Writers Association, has been active both in Santali literature and films. "Bapla" and "Jolon" are two Santali movies he has been involved with.