Kathakara Surendra Mohanty

Surendra Mohanty (21 June 1922[1]- 21 December 1990) born in Odisha was an author who wrote in Odia.He was the recipient of the Central Sahitya Academy Award for his novel Nilashaila.

He was the president of Odisha Sahitya Academy from 1981 to 1987. He was also the first editor, and later chief editor for the newspaper The Sambad.He is a writer of short stories, novels, travelogues, criticism and biographies. He wrote around 50 books belonging to different genres. His well-known books are Mahanagarira Ratri (The Night of the Metropolis), Maralara Mrutyu (The Death of a Swan), Andha Diganta (The Dark Horizon), and Mahanirvana (The Final Departure). Yadubamsa O Anyaanya Galpa (The Yadubamsa and other stories), Rajadhani O Anyaanya Galpa (The Capital and other stories), Krushnachuda (The Gulmohur) and Ruti O Chandra (The Bread and The Moon) are his famous short stories.

Apart from being a litterateur, he was also active in politics. He was a member of Ganatantra Parishad. He was elected as a member of parliament in 1957 from Dhenkanal on Ganatantra parishad ticket. Later he joined Utkal Congress and was elected from Kendrapada constituency in 1971.

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