Bhubaneswar: Eminent puppeteer from Keonjhar Maguni Charan Kuanr who was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu for the year 2023, has been hospitalized on Tuesday.
According to his sources, Kuanr who had received the highest civilian award for promoting and propagating the traditional rod puppet dance form of Odisha, was rushed to Keonjhar District Headquarters Hospital after he became unwell.
Kuanr did not respond when his son called him for medicines on Tuesday morning. That’s why his family admitted him to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. He might be unwell due to unbearable humidity and medicine overdose, hospital sources said.
It may be mentioned that he lost his elder son a few days back while his younger son died a few years back. He was spending a lonely life after losing both of his sons, said his daughter-in-law.
Born in 1937 in Keonjhar, Kuanr belongs to a family of traditional puppeteers. He was initiated into the art of Kandhei Nacha, which employs rod puppets, by his father Shri Baishnab Charan Kuanr.
His work has been documented by various organizations in India and abroad. Among other honours, Shri Kuanr has received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to the traditional puppetry of Odisha.
