Bhubaneswar, Mar 16: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan extended condolences over the passing of renowned Odia poet Ramakanta Rath.

CM Majhi also announced that poet Ramakanta Rath’s final rites will be conducted with full state honours.

"Saddened to learn the passing away of Padma Bhushan awardee, poet Ramakanta Rath. He will always be remembered for his contribution to the Indian civil service as well as the world of literature. His last rites will be performed with full state honours. I pray to Lord Sri Jagannath for the eternal peace of the departed soul of Rath and express my condolences to the bereaved family," the CM posted on X.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Pradhan, in his social media – ‘X’ – post, wrote:" I am saddened and heartbroken to hear the news of the demise of Ramakanta Rath, a renowned poet of Odisha and Padma Bhushan awardee. His contribution to enriching the world of Odia literature through poetry is immeasurable. He will be remembered forever in the Odia people for his timeless poems. I pray for the eternal peace of his soul and express my condolences to the bereaved family."

Ramakanta Rath passed away at his residence in Bhubaneswar's Kharavela Nagar. He was 91.

Born on December 13, 1934, in Cuttack, Ramakanta Rath, is one of the most renowned modernist poets in the Odia literature. He started his illustrious creative life as a poet writing in the 1960s.

His major works include Kete Dinara, 1962; Aneka Kothari, 1967; Sandigdha Mrigaya, 1971; Saptama Ritu, 1977; Sachitra Andhara, 1982; Sri Radha, 1984; and Sri Palataka, 1997. A number of his poems have been translated into English and other Indian languages.

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