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Odisha has not only given India its second women President Droupadi Murmu, it also has a long legacy of nurturing several female trailblazers who steer businesses, art and whole movements with the same acumen and ambition that our Head of the State steers the country.
To honour and celebrate these formidable female forces who are the gold standard in their chosen fields, The New Indian Express brings the Devi Awards 2024 to Bhubaneswar for the second time. The media conglomerate believes in women and their power to move mountains hence, we hail their contributions through this annual gesture of acknowledgement and appreciation.
An award-winning conservation architect, Vijaya Amujure is currently the Principal Director (Architectural Heritage), INTACH. Vijaya has over 22 years of experience in the field of heritage conservation in India. Born and educated in Odisha and in the UK, she is responsible for restoration of about 50 historic monuments in Delhi as well as for the preparation of conservation and management plan for the President’s Estate.
She is a recipient of the prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Award 2017 (Honourable Mention) for the conservation of Gohad Fort in Madhya Pradesh, a project by the World Monuments Fund and Government of Madhya Pradesh. She was awarded the ‘Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh Award 2024’ for exceptional work in the conservation of cultural heritage.
Dr Smruti Swain currently heads the ENT department of the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack, one of the premier government-run healthcare institutions in the state. And she does this despite being an amputee. Dr Swain lost a leg due to a health complication in 2017 but never has she let the disability affect her work in the last nine years. Born in 1968, she pursued her MBBS from MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur and post-graduation from Utkal University in 1996.
Having worked in several medical colleges across the State, she has been an HOD in SCB MCH since 2023 and prior to that Dr Swain was the HOD of ENT at PRM Medical College at Baripada, Odisha. In the medical teaching profession for more than 25 years, she is currently researching middle ear diseases in association with the Institute of Life Sciences
Jyotirmayee Dash is a Senior Professor and Chair of the School of Chemical Sciences at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata. Her research integrates chemical synthesis with biology and materials science to advance structure-based therapeutic discovery in anti-cancer and anti-microbial drug development.
Through her interdisciplinary vision, she continues to advance chemical innovations that bridge fundamental science and translational biomedical applications, inspiring the next generation of scientists to address pressing challenges in human health. Her group pioneers the molecular targeting of non-canonical DNA and RNA structures such as G- quadruplexes and i-motifs - key regulators of gene expression in cancer and pathogens.
Odisha’s ace sprinter, Srabani Nanda specialises in 4x100m relay,100 metre and 200 metre sprint events. Her personal best timing is 11.36 and 23.07 seconds in 100 m and 200 m respectively. A native of Odisha’s Kandhamal district, she joined the Bhubaneswar Sports Hostel in 2002 and it was her first coach Nilamadhav Panda who shaped her sprinting journey at the hostel.
In the last 23 years, Srabani has won many national and international medals for the state as well as the country. Her Olympic dream became a reality in the year 2016 when she represented India in the women’s 200 m category event and finished sixth in the race.
Popularly known as Yasoda Maa in Odisha, Nibedita Lenka began by adopting three children orphaned by a gas explosion, transforming her from a devoted homemaker to a passionate social activist and a nurturing mother figure. Recognizing the enduring educational challenges for underprivileged children due to poverty and remote locations, she has provided aid to students hindered by financial and familial obstacles. She has established five Barnabodh Pathshala centres, organised community health camps and reintegrated child labourers.
A leading actress in the Odia film industry, an Odissi dancer, and a model, Archita Sahu wears many hats. She rose to prominence after being adjudged as the first runner up in the Pond’s Femina Miss India East 2013. Starting her career in the Odia film industry in 2005 with the movie ‘O My Love’, Archita has won several accolades, including the Best Actress award at the Odisha State Film Awards four times.
Most recently, the actress earned appreciation for delivering a powerful performance in the movie ‘Pade Aakasha’ which is based on the life and work of eminent disability rights activist Dr Sruti Mohapatra.
Presently the chief trustee of Zain Foundation Trust, Gargi Bhattacharya aspires to make Eastern India’s first residential facility for those with autism and other neurodiversity conditions. Gargi began as a theatre artiste in Calcutta and thrived consequently while learning film making, starting with television and graduating to feature film.
Post marriage, she worked with Unicef, Odisha, as their print and audio visual documentary resource. The call of duty has made her a powerful advocate for autism, keeping the community of special parents motivated and building the holistic residential infrastructure of Zain Foundation.
Co-founder and Director, Thinkraw Innovative Solutions, Minushri Madhumita’s company is recognized under Startup India and Startup Odisha for developing solar-powered smart technology solutions for agriculture and aquaculture. From aqua farms to agri fields, their innovations like Dhivara Mitra and Krishi Dhanu reduce drudgery, boost productivity, and empower the women who form the backbone of this workforce. Through every solution, they’re reimagining how rural communities can work, earn, and thrive.
Currently posted at Lakhanpur in the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary under the Hirakud Wildlife Division, Khirabdhi Seth joined the Forest Department, Government of Odisha, in 2012, working sincerely in remote locations inside the sanctuary. She has nabbed 17 hardcore poachers along with country-made guns and other weapons and arrested two timber smugglers-cum-poachers, braving narrow escapes from injury. A national level sportsperson, she has bagged different medals in swimming at the National Forest Sports Meet, representing Odisha. In the last one year she has patrolled 4,186 km inside the Debrigarh Sanctuary on foot.
Born and raised in the culturally rich tribal belt of Odisha, Madhusmita Soren grew up immersed in the flavours, stories, and traditions of the Santhal community. Her early life revolved around village kitchens, earthen clay pots, and recipes passed down through generations. Food for her was not just sustenance—it was an identity, a heritage, and a bridge between the past and the present. Currently associated with the Tata Steel Foundation and a core member of the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, Madhusmita works to preserve and promote indigenous food culture while empowering rural and tribal women through skill development programs. She trains women in tribal belts to harness culinary skills as a means of livelihood, ensuring traditional recipes are not lost to time.
Champa Raspeda is the first girl from the Didayi community, which is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, to have cleared the NEET. Hailing from Amlibeda village in Malkangiri district, she has secured admission to Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital at Balasore, Odisha. With her father Lachmu Rasbeda being a farmer, Champa had to face numerous financial hardships to pursue education and her dream of becoming a doctor. Poverty forced her to give up on BSc education and pursue teacher training when her school teacher Utkala Das, who was aware of her educational potential, facilitated free NEET coaching for Champa.
President of the Arad Bazar Jaughar Self Help Group, Arad Bazar, Balasore, and Instructor, Baleswari Craft Centre, Kanaklata Das makes magic with her hands. Winner of the Kalakruti Saman from the Handlooms Textiles and Handicrafts Department of Odisha, she has attended and conducted several w orkshops in lacquer craft. She has had group and solo exhibitions of her lacquer work dolls, keeping an ancient tradition alive with contemporary design interventions.
A distinguished Odissi dancer, Sujata Mohapatra is the disciple and daughter-in-law of the late Guru Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra, the legendary exponent of Odissi, from whom she has inherited his devotion and passion for the classical dance form. In recognition of her dedication and lifelong adherence to Odissi, she received the Degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) from Fakir Mohan University at Balasore. An outstanding category of artiste in ICCR, New Delhi, and top grade artiste in Doordarshan, New Delhi, she has travelled all over the world and performed as a soloist in many prestigious festivals in India and abroad. She is a winner of several awards including the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Konark Sahitya Samman.
A resident of Nuaguda village of Koraput district, Raimati Ghiuria is known as the ‘Mandia Rani’ of Odisha for her work in preservation of endangered varieties of rice and millets. Although she has never entered any agriculture college to learn about organic farming and preserving paddy or millets varieties, Raimati has preserved close to 40 varieties of millets and 80 paddy landraces till now. Belonging to the Bhumia tribal community, Raimati has preserved some of the rice varieties like Kalajeera, Machkanta, Tikichudi, Haldichudi, Tulasi, and Laktimachi, which are resilient to factors like drought, salinity and flooding. Besides, she has so far trained 2,500 farmers in SRI (System of Rice Intensification), line transplanting method for paddy and finger millet cultivation, and SMI (Seed Multiplication Index). Raimati has been heading a farmers’ producer company, Bamandei Company, in Koraput which is involved in production of bio-fertilisers and millet procurement.
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