The Padma Shri award was presented to 102-year-old Nanda Prusty on Tuesday for his services to education. In the award receiving ceremony, Nanda Prusty lifted his hands to bless President Ram Nath Kovind after earning India’s fourth-highest civilian honour for his efforts.
He has spent decades of his life in Jajpur, Odisha, imparting free education to children and adults. He is affectionately known as ‘Nanda Sir.’ Nanda was only able to study till Class 7 due to his family’s poor situation, but since independence, he has been educating students for free with the objective of eliminating illiteracy in his community.
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Nanda Prusty for Literature & Education. 102-yr-old “Nanda sir”, who provided free education to children and adults at Jajpur, Odisha for decades, raised his hands in a gesture of blessing the President. pic.twitter.com/4kXPZz5NCJ
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 9, 2021
The informal school of Nanda Prusty operates out of a temporary cabin in the hamlet. According to reports, it opens at daybreak and is open seven days a week till 9 pm for youngsters and older persons.
In a report by a leading daily in January this year, Nanda Prusty was quoted as saying, ‘I am delighted at being chosen for the Padma Shri award. I did not know about it till a few reporters of some vernacular dailies told me about the honour. I had never imagined that the award will be bestowed on me’.
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President Ram Nath Kovind presented Padma Awards at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday and Tuesday. The Padma Awards list for 2021 contains seven Padma Vibhushans, ten Padma Bhushans, and 102 Padma Shri Awards, with 29 women and one transgender person among the recipients.
Art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, commerce and industry, medical, literature and education, sports, civil service and other areas have all received Padma Awards.
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