“Despite limited opportunities and challenging circumstances, Meher enriched Odia literature through unique masterworks like Tapaswini, Pranaya Ballari, and Indumati. ADVERTISEMENTThe occasion was also marked by the unveiling of a life-size statue of pioneering freedom fighter and legislator Sarala Devi outside the Odisha Legislative Assembly, honouring the pivotal role of women in the freedom movement and public life. “Sarala Devi was not merely a leader or Odisha’s first female legislator; her contributions to the freedom movement and women’s rights were peerless. In the legislative assembly, she championed girl child education, widow remarriage, and social security for women. Besides being the first Odia woman to join the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921, she was the first woman elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly and briefly served as its first female Speaker.