The First Kuntala Kumari Sabat Memorial Lecture was organised on 4th January, 2013 Under the lecture series of Central University of Orissa at CUO Main Campus Sunanbeda, Koraput. On the occasion the special lecture was delivered by noted litterateur and Jnanpeeth Awardee Dr. Pratibha Ray. The programme was presided over by Dr. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty, former Principal of Ravenshaw University and eminent writer and critique.
Prof. Dr. Surabhi Banerjee, Vice-Chancellor of the University delivered the welcome address. On the occasion she gave a brief biography of Kuntala Kumari Sabat, legend Odia poet of early nineteenth Century, on whom the Memorial Award is instituted.
Describing as the apostle of women empowerment she described Kuntala Kumari as the symbol of equality. Her creations were marvellous compared to her time. The Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr. Pratibha Ray on the topic “Utkal Bharati Kuntala Kumari: Eka Rahasyavadi Kavyaswara”.
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She described Kuntala Kumari as the realist poet with the combination of mysticism and spiritualism. Her mysticism with the combination of reality is incomparable at that period, i.e. the two decades of twenty first century. Her poetry also dealt with love towards mankind. Kuntala Kumari always tried to bring sweetness from the world of enmity. She was also a good writer of Orissa.
Dr. Ray discussed some of the creations of Kuntala Kumari including Prema Chintamani, Anjali, Sphulinga and other creations. The creations of Kuntala Kumari are the mixture of Rabindra Nath Tagores’s , Swamy Vivekanand’s love towards mankind, Radhanath Ray’s Romanticism. She was a love poet with purity. She can be described as the Nightingale of Odisha. Dr. Ray concluded that the creations of Kuntala Kumari Sabat needs proper recognition not only in the state but at the national level also. More research should be done on the creations of Kuntala Kumari Sabat.
Dr. Prafulla Kumar Mohanty, presiding over the event spoke on Ethics in literature. He stressed the need for bringing ethics in literature so that the society can be purified. In the present society defining ethics is difficult but it is literature which can bring ethics to the society. The term ethics is always dynamic. It changes with the need of the society. Prof. Ajit Kumar Mishra , the Registrar of the University gave the vote of thanks. The event was attended by prominent literary figures of the Koraput district, faculty members, staff and students of the University.
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