Achyuta Samanta from India receives ISA Award for Service to Humanity

Prof Achyuta Samanta the founder of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) , Odisha, India has been awarded the prestigious ISA Award for Service to Humanity by king of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa yesterday, June 3, 2015.

Dr Achyuta was presented the award for the year 2013-15 for his efforts in the field of social care and education at a grand ceremony held at Isa Cultural Centre, Manama.

king of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa presents ‘ISA award for Service to Humanity’ to Prof.Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT & KISS. Photo by special arrangement.

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The award was presented to him in the presence of Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalif and Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the crown prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.

The award carries certificate of merit, a gold medal and a prize of US$ one million.    The international award instituted by Bahrain in 2009 is named after the late Amir Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and was presented on June 3,  2015 to mark his birth  anniversary.

Dr Achyuta Samanta is the second recipient of this award instituted to honour individuals and institutions that have rendered selfless and exceptional service to create a better world for posterity.  The first recipient of the award was Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood who lives in KaulaLampur for her commitment to humanitarian issues and her inspiring leadership in 2013.

The award was instituted in 2009 by King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and is granted every two years and has been named after the late Amir of Bahrain Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa. The awardee is selected through a gruelling process by an expert panel of jurists.

Dr Achyuta Samanta who has played a pivotal role in establishing state of the art independent campus that provides education to over 25,000 children from the underprivileged and poor tribal communities is rightly chosen for this prestigious award in recognition of his unparalleled and tireless service to the society.

In his address the King of Bahrain said, “Today, we have witnessed the outcome of the second round of the Isa Award for Service to Humanity.  We continue to take promising steps in different arenas and we want to make this as an Arab and global award of repute in the field of human service. The Award transcends all barriers borders and is given irrespective of restrictions of borders, sect, or nationality.  Our ultimate goal is to encourage humanitarian services. These are the very values and principles that His Highness the late Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa believed in, based on His Highness, humility and closeness to his people”.

He further said that the achievements of the late Amir in the name of humanity were a testament of his spirit and it has brought appreciation and respect both to him and to this country.  Those achievements have acted as an incentive to every person striving to work for the benefit of humanity and to alleviate suffering everywhere.  Such initiatives have also always inspired us, to become an example of coexistence and brotherliness, on the basis of the strong bonds in our global social sphere and to live in openness by reinforcing the spirit of tolerance and cooperation”.

He further stated that he was happy to receive nominations from individuals and institutions from all over the world for their service to humanity.  “The nominations were reviewed by a panel of international experts who chose to give the award to a humble, self-made and altruistic person  in Prof Achyutha who sacrificed his life in the service of humanity.  His initiative has become one of the biggest self-financed institution offering free state-of-the-art education and accommodation to thousands of children in an independent campus. This initiative involves thousands of children and young students from the poorest families.  This award is a tribute to Prof Achyuta Samanta and his pioneering accomplishments”.

He stressed that the late Amir’s humanitarian work had gained him and Bahrain international acclaim, and stimulated everyone seeking to serve humanity and alleviate the sufferings of human beings everywhere.

He affirmed that the Award reflected the distinguished qualities of HM the King and the Bahraini people, noting their tireless efforts in serving humanity and spreading values of consensus, tolerance and fraternity among all human beings, wherever they are.

Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Isa Award for Service to Humanity Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa praised the humanitarian values embedded in the Award, which, he said, truly reflected King Hamad’s love to the late Amir and appreciation of his humanitarian initiatives. He also commended Prof Achyuta Samanta for his self-sacrificing work for humanity and for empowering the poor and the marginalised through the power of education.

He said “the Jury recognised the work of and decided unanimously to grant the second Isa Award for Service to Humanity to the founder and Director of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Prof.Achyuta Samanta, for his pioneering and outstanding efforts in saving thousands of children, belonging to various ethnicities and religions, from poverty, homelessness and deprivation and opened up horizons of hope, work and production”.

Senior Royal Family members, Speaker, Shura Council Chairman, MPs, Chairmen of parliamentary committees, members of the Board of Trustees of the Isa Award for Service to Humanity, governors, senior officers of the BDF, Interior Ministry and National Guard, heads of diplomatic missions, editors-in-chief of newspapers, presidents of charity and social organisations, university students and guests attended the ceremony.

A documentary on the life and accomplishments Prof. Achyuta Samanta was screened on the function.