At the age of 12 years when a child should be busy reading, this boy left school and took up the family business of weaving to help his father and shoulder family responsibilities.
Soon with his hard work and dedication, he became a master craftsman and went on to win several awards. Yes, we are talking about Gobardhan Panika, a weaver from a small town of Kotpad, who has made his way to Padma Shri this year.
He is one of the five eminent persons from Odisha, who has been selected for the highest civilian award of the country. The names of the Padma awardees were earlier announced on the eve of Republic Day on Thursday.
More than 30 years have gone by since Panika adopted the family business but he continues to work with the same enthusiasm and dedication as he thinks there’s a lot more to achieve in life.
Panika had earlier won the National Merit Award, Sant Kabir, and other national awards, for his immense contribution to weaving.
"The Padma Shri Award’s announcement was a surprise for me as I had never expected it. My family is also very happy. The award will encourage me to continue promoting this craft and weaving skills across the globe,” said an elated Panika.
“Panika deserved that because of his hard work and dedication. We are proud of him for all the laurels he has brought for Kotpad,” said Hemant Kumar Patro, a local resident.
Congress MlA from Kotpad Chandra Sekhar Majhi also thanked the Central Government for recognising the talent of Panika and recommending him for the Padma Award.
“Panika is someone who truly deserves the award. If the State and the Central Governments lend a hand, more people from Kotpad can achieve such glory and scale new heights,” said Majhi.