The Central Universityhere held the first Kuntala Kumari Sabat Memorial lecture at its campus on Saturday. The programme was presided over by former Principal of Ravenshaw College Dr Prafulla Kumar Mohanty, who is also an eminent writer and a critique. Noted litterateur and Jnanpeeth awardee Dr Pratibha Ray delivered a special lecture on the occasion.
Varsity Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Surabhi Banerjee gave a brief account on the life and works of Kuntala Kumari Sabat, the legendary Odia poet of early 19th century. Describing Sabat as the apostle of women empowerment, she portrayed her as a symbol of gender equality.
On the topic “Utkal Bharati Kuntala Kumari: Eka Rahasyavadi Kavyaswara”, Dr Ray described Sabat as a realist poet with a combination of mysticism and spiritualism. “Kuntala Kumari, who always tried to create sweetness out of enmity and bitterness, was also a good writer,” said Dr Ray.
Referring some creations of Sabat like Prema Chintamani, Anjali, Sphulinga, Dr Ray said her creations are a mixture of Rabindra Nath Tagore and Swamy Vivekanand’s love towards mankind and Radhanath Ray’s romanticism. She can be rightly described as the nightingale of Odisha, opined Dr Ray.
But, her creations need proper recognition at State as well as national level and more research should be done on her creations, Dr Ray added. Among others, Dr Mohanty and CU registrar Prof Ajit Kumar Mishra spoke.