Manna Dey to receive first Akshaya Samman

Bhubaneswar, Oct 7:Playback singer Manna Dey will receive the first Akshaya Samman award for his life time contribution to the field of music.

Eminent Oriya singer Pranab Pattnaik today announced the name of Manna Dey, a recipient of Padmabhusan, at a news conference here.

The award instituted by the Akshaya Mohanty Foundation, carries a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh and a citation.

It would be presented to Manna Dey at a special function here on October 12 to commemorate the birth day of popular Oriya singer Akshaya Mohanty.

Foundation president Bidhu Bhusan Das said the award would be an annual feature and be presented to a person of national eminence to immortalise the singer, composer and lyricists Akshaya Mohanty, who popularised Oriya music.

The Foundation has decided to publish three volumes of "Akshaya Samagra" depicting all the 8000 odd songs he had penned along with his photographs.

Foundation secretary Gyana Ranjan Mohapatra said soon the Akshaya Mohanty School of Music would be set up in the state to impart training to budding artists by reputed singers. The government, he said had agreed to name a Chowk (circle) in Bhubaneswar in memory of the great signer.

UNI