Another Odiya Puo , who made us proud...

Film maker Nila Madhab Panda was honoured with the Padma Shri  and the Odia filmmaker, who won international acclaim for his film 'I Am Kalam.Talking about the milestone moment, Nila said, "As I sat there in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, I remembered my whole journey, from a small village in Odisha, and I wondered why I was being given this award. Then I looked around at the other recipients, and realised that they did not set out to achieve something, to win someone's heart or make their families happy or make money. They had one thing in common - they had a dream, they loved doing something and they put all their heart and soul into it." He added, "I just love to tell stories and my films are not formula films. I am only proud and humbled by the fact that my work has had an impact on people and has found recognition. But it is just the beginning. A civilian award only means that now you have to do something for the betterment of the society because it has not been a solo journey - many have contributed in it."

Nityananda Das, a synonym  name of sheer determination & undying human spirit.

A renowned Odissi dancer who ran away from his house at a very young age & joined a Jatra group as a child artist.

Later he joined Odisha Dance Academy & trained under Guru Bimbadhar Das. He learned Odishi & different folk dances of Odisha.

An unfortunate tragedy happened to his life which  turned his life off side down. He lost his most precious asset, his right leg in a road accident.

Dance was his life. Imagine how can he live without dance.

After recovery he returned back to Jatra. He was encouraged by his Guru Bimbadhar Das to practice dance with one leg only. 

With sheer determination & hard work he became the first handicapped Odishi dancer of the world.

In 2005, he performed his 1st dance show after the tragedy at Rabindra mandap on the theme "Pangu Langhayate Giri..." means a person with fully handicapped can able to cross a mountain with his confidence.

He became the live example of this & a new icon for the world.

Then he never looked back. He participated in various national & international level shows. He became first handicapped Odishi dancer in India and received many awards like National Ability Mastery Award, State Redcross award, Super Ideal Award  to name a few.

Now he runs a dance institution `Kalasharam’ in Bhubaneswar where hundreds of students learn dance from him .

The tragedy made him physically handicapped but not mentally.

Really this Odia dancer is an inspiration to many people. He showed the world that a person can achieve anything by strong will power & sheer determination. By watching him I can say "Yes, it is possible, Pangu Laghayate Giri." 
You are the real “Proud Oriya Son” of the soil!!!