Simanchal Patro
A veteran of Prahallad Natak, the masked folk theatre of Odisha, who has acted, sung and taught it since childhood, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Simanchal Patro is honoured in Odisha as the elder statesman of Prahallad Natak, a folk theatre of song, dance, dialogue and elaborate masks and costumes. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Odisha [1].
Learning the roles
Patro was born on 7 July 1927 into a poor rural family [2]. His father was himself a Prahallad Natak artist and teacher [2]. At seven Patro learned Sakhi Nata, in which boys play female companions, from guru Narasingha Pradhan of Palur [2]. His father then taught him the roles of Prahallad and of the sutradhar, the lead singer who directs the show [2].
For the next twenty years he trained under the Prahallad Natak masters Lakshan Satpathy and Trinath Pradhan, learning the songs, ragas and dance of the play [2]. He became famous as the “Raja”, the demon king Hiranyakashipu, the lead role [2].
Guru
He set up many akhadas (training centres) and spent months at a time teaching young people [2]. Many of his students are now gurus themselves [2]. In his late nineties he still works for the art form [2].
He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990 and the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1997 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Simanchal Patro — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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