Bhubaneswar, Nov 11: The Postgraduate Department of Geography, Utkal University, hosted the General Body Meeting of the Eastern Geographical Society on 10th November 2026. The Eastern Geographical Society is a professional scientific organisation established in 1970 with the objective of promoting academic excellence and research in the field of Geography. Since its inception, the society has made significant contributions to the advancement of geographical education and research, both in Odisha and across the country. It has a distinguished membership comprising eminent geographers from Odisha and other parts of India and is recognised as one of the largest professional geographical societies in the eastern region. The society also publishes its prestigious scientific journal,Eastern Geographer, which provides an important platform for scholarly research and academic exchange.

During the General Body Meeting, the new office bearers of the society were unanimously elected. Prof. S. N. Tripathy was elected as the President, Dr. Ashis Chandra Pathy as the Secretary, and Prof. Gopal Krishna Panda as the Editor-in-Chief of the journalEastern Geographer. The meeting was attended by several eminent academicians and geographers from the state, including Prof. Jayant Kumar Rautray, Prof. M. I. Hassan, Prof. Pritirekha Daspattnayak, Mr. Satya Narayan Mohapatra, Prof. Ranjana Bajpai, Prof. K. C. Rath, Prof. K. M. Sethy, Dr. Nihar Ranjan Das, Prof. Sibabrata Das, Prof. Siba Sankar Sahu, Dr. Rumana Khatun and Mr. Puspajit Mohapatra.

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The members deliberated on the future action plan of the society, with particular emphasis on the development and promotion of geographical education and research in Odisha. They also discussed various initiatives to strengthen the academic activities of the society and encourage greater research engagement among students, scholars and faculty members. A key focus of the deliberations was the organisation of memorial lectures in honour of eminent geographers of the state who have passed away, recognising their valuable contributions to the discipline. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to further strengthen the role of the Eastern Geographical Society in promoting geographical knowledge, academic collaboration and research excellence.