Padma Shri recipient, Nanda Kishore Prusty, fondly addressed as ‘Nanda Sir’ breathed his last on Tuesday (Dec 7) while undergoing treatment at SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Nanda Sir, the centenarian teacher from Odisha’s Jajpur district, passed away this afternoon after losing a week-long battle with the Covid virus, informed his grandson Khageshwar Prusty. Nanda Prusty, who was a resident of Kantira village in Sukinda block, was first admitted to the Jajpur District Headquarters Hospital for treatment after he had complained of chest pain and uneasiness.
Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Kalinga Nagar area of Jajpur district after testing positive for Covid-19. However, after his condition deteriorated, he was then shifted to Bhubaneswar.
It is to be noted that Prusty was conferred with the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi on November 9th this year for his contributions in the field of education.
Nanda Prusty had spent several decades of his life providing free education to children and adults in his homeland Jajpur. His mission to eradicate illiteracy from his area earned him the title Nanda ‘Sir’.