Prasanta Maharana from Puri, Odisha, for his Excellence in Pattachitra Artwork. Born into a paramparik family of Pattachitra artists in 1989, Prasanta Maharana hails from the Craft Village Nayak Patana in the Chandanpur district of Puri. Prasanta Maharana was trained in the nuanced art of Pattachitra Painting under the supervision of the National Awardee Shri. Sarat Kumar Sahoo at his home, following the ethos of the Guru Shishya Parampara. He has also been trained in Palm Leaf painting under State Awardee Prafulla Kumar Moharana. His exquisitely nuanced pattachitra wall hangings depict stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata, Gitopadesh, Krishna Lila and other Puranic tales. The mellow beauty of his imagery done in delicate brush strokes in colours derived from shell, stone, harita, and lamp soot adorn wall hangings in tussar, silk and specially prepared cloth canvas as well as functional items such as trays, coasters, etc. Shri. Prasanta Maharana has participated in a 7 day workshop cum demonstration of his craft at Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai in 2010. His lyrically painted Pattachitra art has also been exhibited at exhibitions in Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Chennai, Vijayawada and at Suraj Kund. The Crafts Council of India is privileged to confer on Shri. Prasanta Maharana the ‘Young Artisan Award’ for the year 2019.