Pradyumna Bal Personality Award Conferred to Five Distinguished Individuals and Talents
Bhubaneswar: This year, the Pradyumna Bala Award will be presented to the distinguished Gandhian, Smt. Krishna Mohanty, while the Pradyumna Bala Journalism Award will go to Harichandra Nanda Goswami, a senior journalist from Baitarani in the Mayurbhanj district. Additionally, five distinguished individuals and talents have been selected to receive the Pradyumna Bala Personality Award.
Among those selected for the Pradyumna Bala Personality Award this year are three prominent individuals: veteran Sarvodaya worker Mohammad Mohasin Khan, social worker Smt. Nayana Majhi, and caretaker of the Parbati Giri Ashram, Smt. Sudhira Behera. In addition, two talents have also been selected to receive the Pradyumna Bala Personality Award: social worker Fulame Majhi and para-athlete Suchitra Parida.Mohammad Mohasin Khan hails from the Khurda district and is 92 years old. He has spent his entire life as a Gandhian, leading the Sarvodaya movement. For his dedicated service and patriotism toward the nation and society, he has been selected for the Pradyumna Bala Personality Award.
Smt. Nayana Majhi from Nabarangpur is a noted Sarvodaya worker. Inspired by Gandhian ideals, she has actively contributed to constructive work since the time of the independence movement. Although over 80 years old, she remains known for her dedication to social service and Gandhian values, making her a deserving recipient of this year’s Pradyumna Bala Personality Award.
Smt. Sudhira Behera is a caretaker at the Parbati Giri Bal Niketan in Patharchepa, Balangir. After the passing of Parbati Giri, a notable freedom fighter who had endured much hardship and was a mentor at Kasturba Gandhi Mother’s Home, Sudhira continued her work in child care, eventually joining another ashram in Maneswar. Currently, she serves as a caretaker at the Bal Niketan in Patharchepa.
The two talented recipients are Fulame Majhi from Kalahandi and Suchitra Parida from the Puri district. Fulame, from the remote, tribal-inhabited Rajendrapur village of the Bandhpali Panchayat in Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi, has been active in educating children and women in tribal areas. Known as “Nani” in her village, she has led initiatives such as grain collection, crop protection, and anti-liquor campaigns. She has also served as the Sarpanch of Bandhapali Panchayat twice.
A tragic accident did not deter Suchitra Parida, a para-athlete from Puri district’s Bhean village in the Gop block. When she was 22 years old, she met with an accident while climbing a mango tree, after which she could no longer walk and had to rely on a wheelchair. Her indomitable spirit and determination turned her into a prominent athlete. She has made her mark in the field of sports, creating a national record in javelin throw (T-55 category). In a recent national para-athletics championship held in Goa, she won a gold medal with a 16.99-meter javelin throw, setting a new national record, making her a successful para-athlete in the state.
