Priyambada Patnaik

🪔 About

Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi, born on November 18, 1939, is a pioneering Indian classical Odissi dancer, distinguished scientist, academician, and author. She began her Odissi training at an early age under Guru Ban Bihari Maiti and later refined her skills with Singhari Shyama Sundar Kar at Utkal Sangeet Samaj in Cuttack. Her dance was further polished by Kavichandra Kalicharan Patnaik. Hejmadi's performance at the First Inter-University Youth Festival in New Delhi in 1954 was pivotal, drawing national and international attention to Odissi, a dance form then largely unknown outside Odisha. She further solidified Odissi's classical status by presenting the first full evening performance of the dance in New Delhi in 1961. Beyond her significant contributions to dance, Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Zoology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She served as a Professor of Zoology at Utkal University from 1961 to 1998, including eight years as Head of the Department, and later as the Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University. She is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and has conducted globally recognized research on marine turtles. An accomplished author, she has penned the authoritative book "Odissi: An Indian Classical Dance Form" and numerous articles on both dance and zoology. She also served as a member of the National Board of Film Certification from 2005 to 2011 and led a Cultural Delegation to South-East Asia under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in 1989-90. Awards & Honours: Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1996), Padma Shri (Science & Engineering) (1998), Governor's Plaque (Odissi Dance), Odissi Nrutya Sanman (2013), Nrutya Saraswati Samman, Nrutya Bharati Samman, Pitamber Pant National Environment Fellowship Award (1991), All India Congress of Zoology Gold Medal (1994), Biju Pattnaik Award (for wildlife conservation), Bigyan Ratna Award (2013), Honorary D Sc by Ravenshaw University, Upendra Bhanja Award.