Author: Rinky S

Chemmeen is a Malayalam novel written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai First published in 1956. Chemmeen tells the story of the relationship between Karuthamma, the daughter of a Hindu fisherman, and Pareekutti, the son of a Muslim fish wholesaler.Unable to live with the man she loves, Karutthamma marries Palani, who, despite the scandal about his wife’s past, never stops trusting her, a trust that is reaffirmed each time he goes to sea and comes back safe since the ‘sea-mother’ myth among the fishermen community goes that the safe return of a fisherman depends on the fidelity of his wife. Then, one…

Draupadi is the Daughter of Drupada’, also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, and the common consort of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva.She is noted for her beauty, courage, and a rare polyandrous marriage. In Mahabharata, Draupadi and her brother, Dhrishtadyumna, were born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) organized by King Drupada of Panchala. Arjuna won her hand in marriage, but she had to marry the five brothers because of her mother-in-law’s misunderstanding. Later, she became an empress, as Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya ritual and…

Na Hanyate is a novel written in 1974 by Maitreyi Devi, an Indian poet and novelist who was the protégée of the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. The writer received Sahitya Akademi Award for this novel in 1976.She wrote the novel in response to Romanian philosopher Mircea Eliade’s book La Nuit Bengali (titled Bengal Nights in English), which related a fictionalized account of their romance during Eliade’s visit to India. Originally published in 1974, Maitreyi Devi’s Sahitya Akademi-winning novel Na Hanyate was translated into English as It Does Not Die. The autobiographical novel was written in response to Romanian philosopher…

Fakir Mohan Senapati (13 January 1843 – 14 June 1918), often referred to as Utkala Byasa Kabi (Odisha’s Vyasa), was an Indian writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer. He played a leading role in establishing the distinct identity of Odia, a language mainly spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. Senapati is regarded as the father of Odia nationalism and modern Odia literature. His “Rebati” (1898) is widely recognized as the first Odia short story. It is the story of a young innocent girl whose desire for education is placed in the context of a conservative society in a backward…

Hadi Das was an Odia Hindu devotee of Odisha in the early 18th century. Hadi Das, a saint from Odisha, was born at Champapur just one km from Chhatia in the state of Odisha in 1772 A.D. to the parents Chemei Ojha and Devaki of a Kamar (blacksmith) family. His parent had lost all the children before Hadi Das was born. For this reason his parent out of love and affection named the child as “Hadi”. Actually his real name was Hadi Das. His spiritual teacher was Mastaram Das, a saint from western India residing at Puri at that time.…

Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928), popularly known as Utkalamani,was a social worker, reformer, political activist, journalist, poet and essayist.Gopabandhu Das was born on 9 October 1877 in Suando village, near Puri, Odisha in a Brahmin family. His mother was Swarnamayee Devi, the third wife of Daitari Dash. His father was a mukhtiar and the family were reasonably well-off. Das married Apti at the age of twelve but continued his education. He had basic schooling in the village before progressing to a middle school nearby. Then, in 1893, by which time his mother had died, Das joined Puri Zilla School. There he was…

Krushna Prasad Basu was born in 1894, though known throughout odisha as a dramatist, is also a renowned litterateur with considerable contribution to odia literature. He was born in an affluent zamindar family at Kuanshpur, near Jajpur town in Cuttack district. As a child, Krushna was a lover of music and a good singer. He inherited his musical talent from his father, Govinda Prasad, who was a good instrumentalist and a lover of traditional songs. He has written twenty-three dramas out of which only three or four have been published. A few of his popular dramas are: Satya Sandha Harishchandra,…

Kelucharan Mohapatra (8 January 1926 – 7 April 2004),He was a legendary Indian classical dancer, guru, and exponent of Odissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century. He is the first person to receive the Padma Vibhushan from Odisha. A noted Sanskrit poet of India writes on this Guru: Saango-paanga-subhangi-laasya-madhuram samteerna-nrutyaarnavam, which translates as – “Each fraction of his dancing body leads to paramount sweetness, through miraculous poses and postures. In fact, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra crossed the ocean of styles.” Books Info Books NameGuru Kelucharana : Jiban O Kruti/ଗୁରୁ…

Madhusudan Das (28 April 1848 – 4 February 1934) was an Indian lawyer and social reformer, who founded Utkal Sammilani in 1903 to campaign for the unification of Odisha along with its social and industrial development. He was one of the main persons, helping in the creation of Orissa Province (present-day Odisha, India), which was established on 1 April 1936. He was also the first graduate and advocate of Orissa. He is also known as Kulabuddha (Grand Old Man), Madhu Babu, and Utkal Gouraba (Pride of Utkal). In Odisha, his birthday is celebrated as the Lawyers’ Day on 28 April.…

Radhanath Ray (28 September 1848 – 17 April 1908),He was an Odia writer of initial modernity era in Odia poetry during the later part of nineteenth century. He was born in a Zamindar family in Baleshwar (Bengal Presidency), now in Odisha, and is honoured in Odia literature with the title Kabibara .In his early life, he composed in both Odia and Bengali languages, Though the medieval Odia literature was rich and distinct literary tradition and history, some of the Bengali educationalists wanted to abolish Odia language as the medium of teaching from schools. As Bengal was under by British rule…