Rabi Ray(second from left)

Cuttack, April 8: Prestigious Kalinga Ratna Award-2008 was conferred on former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray yesterday for his procedural innovations that made the Parliament work more effectively as an institution and for his social activism after his tenure as the Speaker (1989-91).

Though Ray, 82, did not contest the Lok Sabha elections after 1991, he has been busy spearheading people’s movement through non-political organisations like Lok Shakti Abhiyaan against corruption, excessive decentralisation and the “decadent” consumerist culture.

Orissa Governor M.C. Bhandare gave away the award — a silver bust of Goddess Sarala, a bronze plaque and a citation — at an well-attended award ceremony at Sarala Bhavan on Monday evening.

Sarala Sahitya Sansad, a literary, cultural organisation, instituted the award last year. Former Chief Justice of India Ranganath Mishra was conferred with the Kalinga Ratna Award in 2007.

Prabhakar Swain, the secretary of Sarala Sahitya Sansad, described Ray as “an activist and an idealist wedded to humanism”.

“Socialism for him is not a intellectual conviction. He practices it in real life, too,” he said.

“Besides social activities on Gandhian lines, Ray has many literary accomplishments. He has edited the Samata, an Oriya monthly, and Chaukhamba, a Hindi weekly, brought out by the former socialist party. His book, Parliamentary Diplomacy, was well received, too,” Swain added.

To mark the Oriya Sansad’s 27th anniversary function, noted littérateur and former education minister Jadunath Das Mohapatra was awarded Sarala Samman-2007 for his contribution to Oriya literature.

The collection of works of Oriya novelist Kanhu Charan, titled Storyteller Kanhu Charan, was released on the same occasion. Kanhu Charan was one of the most prolific Oriya novelists in the post-Independence era and the book was released to mark his birth centenary.