Odia Books

Rajendra Panda was born in 1944.He is a poet-administrator, is profoundly contemporary in his poetic creation. He started writing in the mid-sixties and several volumes of his poems have been published since 1975. They are rich in quality and provide a substantial structure to the new poetry in odia. His representative volumes are Gauna devata, Anabatara o anya anya, Nija pain nana baya, Ghunakshara, Satadru aneka, Chaukathare chira kala, Shaila kalpa and Anya. All the collections are characterized by innovations in both form and subject and set a pattern for experiments in style and versification.

Rajendra’s poetry can be broadly divided into two groups, metaphysical and socio-political, and his
subjects range from love to joys and sorrows of life. He concentrated on philosophy and mythology in the
first few volumes, while the later volumes, by and large, take up the themes of despair and hope. In the first four collections he interweaves his philosophic notions and myth into most of the poems.

Initially, he was interested in the presentation of Advaita philosophy, the concept of ‘Shunya Brahma’ as depicted in poetry by Bhima Bhoi (1855-1894) and the mystical experience of God which surpasses all other earthly experiences. He gives a feeling of the ultimate union of the soul with God, and seems to have affinities with the English metaphysical poets.

In subsequent collections he is more interested in the presentation of contemporary social themes. They
disclose the predicament of man and express disgust at the hollowness of modern society. But he can also be optimistic and think of a solution to the individual’s problems. As a whole, hope, despair, failure, fear and death are the major themes in his poetry. Fear of death is a recurring theme. At the very moment of his perception of beauty, he seems to be haunted by death.

What most attracts attention in Rajendra’s poetry is its form. It is partly lyrical and partly dramatic. In
some poems there is a rhythmic pattern; in others only a few lines bear musical quality. In most of his poems he prefers free verse to the regular, and a significant feature is the sudden emergence of short lyrical lines after long prosaic ones. He has at his command the choicest words which are really used everyday.

As his thought became matured, he felt it necessary to use traditional language and go back to ancient literature like Charya pada, Rudra sudhanidhi and Madala panji for inspiration. Besides, he has used words out of their ordinary run and from dialects, and has even invented strange compounds. The use of myth and symbolism is an integral part of his poems, while his images are pictures rather than descriptions. As a poet he seems to have been influenced by ancient literature, Sanskrit classics and western myths.

Gouna Devata
Anavatar O Anya Anya
Ghunakshara
Satadru Anek
Nija Pain Nanabaya
Choukathhare Chirakala
Shailakalpa
Anya
Ishakhela
Bahubreehi