Socio-political leader Suparno Satpathy, while welcoming the returning of Padmashree award by noted poet Jayanta Mahapatra, urged him to return the Honorary Doctorate conferred on him by the Odisha Government (Utkal University) in view of the growing intolerance in the country.
He said that while Award Wapasi, a recent day phenomenon of awards being returned by eminent personalities in protest of growing intolerance in the nation, is an individual choice, it has not just able to grab media space but has succeeded in achieving its very objective.
“From Odisha to jump into this hoard of award returnees is our very eminent and highly respected Padmashree Dr Jayanta Mahapatra. I admire his style of writing. It is his personal choice to protest against the growing intolerance being faced by him. I have had the chance to read his letter to the President of India, in which he has stated his reasons for returning the Padmashree award which had been decorated on him in 2009,” he said in a release.
He added, “I fully respect his viewpoints and even agree with most of them. However, I fail to understand why only what the nation has decorated on him must be returned and not what the State of Odisha has decorated him with. Dr Mahapatra lives in Odisha and he faces the ugly side of intolerance right here. Thus, I feel besides Padmashree, he should also consider returning the Honorary Doctorate, which was decorated on him in year 2007 by the Government of Odisha.”