Bhubaneswar: Four persons from Odisha have been selected for Padma Shri for the year 2024.

Gopinath Swain, Bhagabat Pradhan, Binod Maharana and Binod Kumar Pasayat from Odisha have been selected for the prestigious award. They all have been chosen for Padma Shri for their contribution to various fields of art.

The Padma awards for the year 2024 were announced by the Centre on the eve of the Republic Day today.

Swain is a Krishna Leela singer from Ganjam district while Pradhan is an exponent of Sabda Nrutya folk dance from Bargarh district.

Swain has been performing Krishna Leela Bhajan for over last several decades. He started singing the devotional songs at the age of five.

He has established several Akhadas (traditional village schools) and imparted training to hundreds of disciples.

Pradhan dedicated five decades of his life to preserve and popularize Sabda Nrutya folk dance.

A primary school teacher by profession, Pradhan has trained more than 600 folk dancers over the years.