Cuttack, March 5: The prestigious Sahitya Bharati Samman for 2014 for excellence in Odia literature would be presented to 81-year-old revolutionary poet Rabi Singh.

The award, instituted by Gangadhar Rath Foundation in 1995, carries a cash award of Rs 1 lakh and a silver emblem of the Konark Temple.

Foundation Trustee Jayant Rath said: 'Rabi Singh was chosen for his contribution to Odia literature for over five decades.' The award will be given away at a function here on March 15.

Singh had carved out a niche for himself in Odia literature for the striking progressive trend in his poetry collections.

His poetry collections include Patha prantara kabita (the poems of roadside), Charama patra (the final testament), Sithila balga (the slack rein), Lal pagoda ra preta o anya kabita (the spirit of red pagoda and other poems), Bhrukuti (frowning glance), Bidirna (the broken), Padatika (footnotes), Apritikara kabita (the unpleasant poems), Jawalara mala (the garland of anguish), Kshata (injury), Bishabani (Poisonous words), Durgama giri (the impenetrable mountains), Jhada (storm), Sarbahara (have-nots), Banya (the flood), Anaryara Charyapada (the songs of a non-Aryan), and many more.

Through his poems, Rabi Singh, who had received the Odiya Sahitya Akademi award in 1961, has always voiced his thoughts against old values and double standards.

The foundation would also give away the Bhanujee Rao Smaraki Puraskar and Binapani Mohanty Katha Sahitya Purashkar to poet Hussain Rabi Gandhi and writer Indira Das respectively. The Subrata Rath Smaraki Puraskar will be given to Sahadev Sahoo and Rabinarayan Maharana.