Odia Books

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13 / Aug 2022

Ashwinikumar Ghosh

Ashwinikumar Ghosh was born in 1892,he is son of Akshyakumar Ghosh, spent his early years with his
mother Sundaramani in the house of his maternal granduncles, Gourishanker Ray, the founder-editor of
Utkal dipika and Ramshankar Ray, the eminent odia dramatist. He was deeply influenced by them. Dramas were staged at the family residence of his granduncles at Cuttack. Ashwinikumar also saw many folk plays, rasas, odia dramas and dramas in Bengali or translated from Bengali. After passing the F.A. examination from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack he went to Calcutta to study for the B.A. degree.

The Shakespearean dramas as well as the dramas of D.L. Ray, Girishkumar Ghosh and others made a deep impression on him. Unfortunately, before completing his studies, he had to return to Cuttack where he became a teacher in Muslim Seminary and later in Peary Mohan Academy. However, he passed the M.A: examination in Mathematics, appearing as a private candidate. He joined Haranath High School in Calcutta as the Headmaster and after retirement lived there.

While a student he wrote his first drama Bhishma for the stage in 1911. It was successfully presented by the Dramatic Society of Ravenshaw College in 1915. It has traditional elements like the ‘prastavana’ and the character of ‘vidushaka’. It attained popularity and was staged several times by the Sri Radhakrishna Theatre, a professional organisation of Balanga. Thus began his career as a dramatist.

He drew from the epics and myths and wrote plays, like Savitri (1917), Chandaluni (1951), Srimandira Janaki and Satyanarayana (1955); plays depicting deep devotion, like Salabeg (1933), Ramadas (1933), Raghu Arakshita (1937), Bhakta Harijana and Bandhu Mahanty (1944); a large number of historical plays, like Seoji (1918), Govinda Vidyadhara (1922), Kalapahara (1922), Samaleshvari (1931), Utkala gaurava (1932), Paikapua (1933), Taj mahal (1933), Bhanja bhujanga (1936), Kapilendradeva (1953), etc; and social plays, like Irani (1937), Hindu ramani (1937), Bhai (1942), Chasa jhia (1946), Mamlatkar kaidi (1957), etc. Besides, he wrote farcical plays like Reformed Lady and Premika chhatra and a couple of Bengali plays, Purir mandir and Abhinaya. He wrote nearly fifty plays and also a few novels and some
stories

The most outstanding dramatist after Ramshankar, Ashwinikumar dominated the dramatic scene till
Kalicharan Pattanaik came into prominence. The plays adapted from epics acheived considerable popularity. The devotional dramas, mostly based on ‘dardhyata bhakti’ appealed to the audience for their themes and the miraculous events depicted in them. Occasionally obvious reformism and undramatic portrayal of the good and the evil retarded interest. In the historical dramas, largely influenced by Shakespeare’s chronicle plays and the plays of D.L. Ray, sometimes truth was sacrificed to fiction; melodramatic and sensational elements or characters came in.

But on the whole they gripped the audience of the time with their dramatic moments, the elements of suspense and tension and the occasionally manifested patriotism. Gandhian idealism is seen to some extent in a few dramas. Mamlatkar kaidi deals with the psychology of the criminal. Social problems are treated in dramas like Hindu ramani. Greater realism is seen in the dialogues of social plays while ‘khanda amitrakshara chhanda’ (Blank verse with sentences broken into parts) abounds in the historical plays. In the one-act play named ‘Suna Bhanja’ he wrote a long introduction in the manner of Bernard Shaw.

Ashwinikumar was no mere dramatist. His keen love for the art of drama led him to take over at
enormous expense the assets of the Balanga Theatre Party on the sudden death of its founder Banamali Pati. Renaming it as Balanga Art Theatre, he kept it up till 1933.

Ashwinikumar’s great contribution to the dramatic writing and stage won considerable recognition for
him. He was awarded the title, Natya Ratnakara, by Utkal Sahitya Samaj, Cuttack in 1944, Natya Bharati by the odias of Calcutta and Natya Samrat by the people of Berhampur in the Ganjam district.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Girijashankar Ray, Odia natyakala; Mayadhar Mansinha, Odiya sahityara itihasa;
Natabar Samantray, Odia sahityara itihasa; Natyakara Narayan Satpathy, Odia nataka; Ratnakar Chaini,
Udbhata natyaparampara; Saradaprasad Dalbehera, Odisa rangamanch itihas; Sarbeswar Das, Nataka
vichara; Virakishore Das, Yuge yuge natyasahitya.

Odia Books By Ashwinikumar Ghosh

Bandhu Mahanty
Savitri
Chandaluni
Salabeg
Ramadas
Raghu Arakshita
Bhakta Harijana

Historical Plays

Govinda Vidyadhara
Kalapahara
Samaleshvari
Utkala gaurava
Paikapua
Bhanja Bhujanga
Kapilendradeva

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Gaurcharan

Biography of Paramananda Acharya

Born: 1814
Died: 1890

or Gaurcharan Adhikari was born in the village Lehanga, near Khurdha, in the district of Puri. His father was Mukunda Mishra, a Vaishnava by faith, and the family was a Vaishnava family. Gaurcharan had traditional education, after he started a small school in his own house and maintained his livelihood out of the meagre income he received from that. He was initiated into Vaishnava faith by Sadananda Brahmachari, the head of the Vaishnava monastery at Puranabasta, near Ranapur, about 30 kms
from Khurdha. Later in his life Gaurcharan himself became the head of the same monastery, for which he came to be known as ‘Adhikari’ and initiated many others into Vaishnava faith. He was a fine singer and was respected all around for that. Besides, in addition to Odia, he was well-versed in Sanskrit, Hindi and Bengali and composed songs too, in these languages. A great devotee himself he worshipped the idol of Sri Chaitanya in his own house, and till his death, even inside his own family, he spent a life of simplicity, sacrifice and devotion.

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Though for many years Gaurcharan’s songs circulated and were sung by innumerable songsters and brought immense pleasure to innumerable listeners, they were first collected in book-form in 1926 by his son, Harekrishna Mishra, under the patronage of Radhacharan Das Goswamy, Mahant of Radhaballabh Mutta at Puri. It contained only 100 of his songs and was entitled Gaurkrishna bhajan shatak (Hundred bhajans about Gaurkrishna). Subsequently Babaji Baishna Charan and late Bichhandcharan Pattanaik collected more songs of Gaurcharan which were published in 1951 under the title Gaurcharan gitabali (The songs of Gaurcharan). An enlarged version of this volume was published later by Kalinga Bharati and was  entitled Gaurcharan padyabali (The poetical compositions of Gaurcharan). It contained 276 songs. Gaurcharan’s songs are basically fine poetical composition. As regards subject matter they may be broadly divided into three categories: (1) relating to Radha and Krishna, (2) relating to various festivals and rituals of Lord Jagannath. As regards form, the songs utilized a number of contemporary forms, such as  chaupadi, chautisa, boli, kirtan and bhajan, etc. The poet’s involvement with Vaishnavism was almost complete and its influence could be seen in all that he wrote. The songs that deal with Radha and Krishna, portray their many-faceted love along with their changing moods and emotion. Besides there are accounts of Krishna’s many activities at Brindaban particularly as related to Gopis, and to Krishna himself as a child. Similarly there are songs related to different incidents in Sri Chaitanya’s life along with the songs in worship of Sri Chaitnya. Similarly the songs about Lord Jagannath are either based on popular tales about the Lord or they refer to His many festivals, such as Car-festival, Bathing-festival, Summer-festival, etc. The songs do not have unnecessary verbal complications or rhetorical modes. They are written in simple, colloquial language in adjustment with simple, familiar themes. Besides the poet has often taken the help of wellknown ancient Odia rhymes and metres to provide an extremely graceful musical structure to his songs. All these made Gaurcharan’s songs popular all over Odisha and his name almost a household word along with Banamali and Gopal Krishna, the famous Odia bhakti poets of 18th and 19th century respectively. A few examples may be given. Thus suggesting Radha’s plight a poem begins:
Didn’t I caution you before?
And yet why did, you look that way?’
And yet, why did you expose your breast
to the weapon-sharp eyes of
that care-taker of Yamuna?
Lo! an incurable disease has spread in your body,
And you suffer as nobody else suffers!
It’s the poison of that black cobra And pity! you drank it thinking it to be nectar.
Elsewhere in a different vein, the poet submits his complaints to the great Lord:
When should I tell my woes,
Oh Hari? – the killer of woes!
And the rider of Garuda.
Look, even if the sun is there
Darkness comes,
Isn’t that a shame to you,
Oh four-armed!
You have put me in a boat of worries
And pushed me to the seas, Oh Lord!
Alone, adrift, moving to an end;
And whom should I call for help,
and where?
You have turned your ear as
hard as iron.
Gaurcharan’s poems had fine music and wit, and his contribution to Odia padabali and bhakti literature was both substantial and significant.

Odia Books By Paramananda Acharya

  • Odishar Parba Parbani
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13 / Aug 2022

Radhamohana Gadanayaka

Radhamohana Gadanayaka was born in 1911,He is a lyricist and balladist in modern odia literature. He is well acquainted with other languages also like Sanskrit, Bengali and English. He started working as a Production Officer in the Directorate of Education of Odisha, but did not continue for long. Gadanayaka always wanted to be a free man without any bondage so that he could be a sincere and dedicated poet. In 1925 he started his poetic career by writing a poem in Gadajata basini, a journal of that time. His early poems are collected in Banaraji nila (The forest’s blue, 1968, written during 1925-28). But his collection, Kabyanayika (Poetry, the heroine, 1945) established him as one of the leading poets of the day. In the poem‘Kabi heba pain basana mora’ (My aspiration to be a poet) he narrates the objective of his poetic vision.

Prior to this, he translated Sohrab and Rustum of Arnold and Meghaduta (The cloud messenger) of Kalidasa into odia successfully. His poetic drama Kalidasa (1940) is based on the life and achievement of the great poet.The poet’s other books like Utkalika (Stories of Utkal, 1945), Smaranika (Stories of remembrance, 1950),Kaishorika (Stories of adolesence) and Samukara swapna (Dream of an oyster shell, 1961) are fine collections of ballads. As a ballad writer, he is next only to Godabarisa Mishra, the noted poet of ‘satyabadi’ school. His Pashupakshir kabya (Poems of birds and beasts, 1959) is a beautiful collection of ballads on beasts and birds.

Mausumi (Monsoon, 1951) is a collection of narrative poems which reminds us of Shelley’s‘Ode to the West Wind.’ In Dhusara bhumika (Grey preface, 1960) he narrates the grey stories of the postindependence period. The poem Ayi prithi (Oh, earth) recollects the plentiful days of Prithu, the mythical king described in the Bhagavata, when this earth had to become a cow (Kamadhenu) to cater to the needs of the people. Duiti tahara dena (His two wings, 1954), a collection of poems, depicts the contemporary scene and happenings of the country. Surya o andhakara (The sun and the darkness. 1974), a memorable collection, earned the Sahitya Akademi award for the poet in 1975. Unlike his contemporaries, Gadanayaka did not join any camp. He is individualistic in temperament. Being a ballad writer, he has not accepted modernistic approach and technique of poetry.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Laxmidhar Nayaka (ed.), Gadanayaka abhinandana grantha (Cuttack, 1961)

Odia Books By Radhamohana Gadanayaka

Kalidasa
Utkalika
Smaranika
Kaishorika
Samukara Swapna
Surya O Andhakara
Mausumi

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Golakbihari Dhal

Golakbihari Dhal was born in 1921,he was a linguist and writer. He took his M.A. in Sanskrit from Patna University (1943-45) and also in Linguistics from London University (1949-51). From London he visited the United States for a short time, on the award of a scholarship. Joining Orissa Education Service he taught phonetics in some of the schools of linguistics which were held by the Deccan College, Poona in collaboration with Rockefeller Foundation of New York. He was duly promoted to the Post-Graduate Professorship in odia in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. His important works are:

Amerika anubhuti (My experience in America, 1952) which deals with the author’s experience about the
social life in America; London chithi (Letters from London, 1953) – mainly a book of travel to and in England; Manisara bhasha (The language of man, 1953) which analyses the human speech from the
phonetic standpoint with suitable illustrations from the odia language; Amara manisa (Immortal men, 1955) which contains short biographies of some great men; Shishushiksha-kathamala (1955) which deals with stories of children; Gandhijinka sahita eka saptaha (A week with Gandhiji, 1955); Petara pabana patira katha (The air of the stomach is the speech of the mouth, 1956) – simple phonetics primer; Godana (1957) – an odia translation of the famous Hindi novel of Premchand; Dhvani vijnana (Science of Phonetics, 1958) – an authoritative book on Phonetics in Hindi; Ingreji uchcharana-shiksha (How to pronounce English, 1963)and Bidesha yatra (Journey to a foreign country, 1964).He was awarded a prize by the Government of India for promoting adult education.

Odia Books By Golakbihari Dhal

Amerika Anubhuti
London Chithi
Manisara Bhasha
Amara Manisa
Shishushiksha-Kathamala
Petara Pabana Patira

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Nirmala Devi

Nirmala Devi was born in 1907.He is a well-known odia poet. Though not formally educated, she read a lot from ancient and mediaeval literature. After marriage in 1920, she began writing poems, stories etc., some of which appeared mostly in two odia periodicals, the Baruni (1934) and the Jhankar (1948). She contributed to odia literature some of the finest love-lyrics through her poetry collections, Dinante (At the End of the Day, 1953) and Simante (At the End of the Life, 1962). A communion of nature and human soul can also be traced in her poems. Most of her writings’ are still unpublished. She was honoured and felicitated by Prajatantra Prachar Samiti, Cuttack in 1958, by odisha Sahitya Akademy in 1970 and by a host of other educational and cultural organisations.

Odia Books By Nirmala Devi

Dinante
Simante

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Bidyutprabha Devi

Bidyutprabha Devi was born in 1926, he stated writing poems in the middle of the forties under the inspiration of her father Nimaicharan Das. She got herself acquainted with talented writers of odia literature when she was just a girl. Though educated in an urban area she reflects the intimate memory of rural life of her childhood days. The poetic influence of Nandakishore Bal and Kunjabihari Das, two major poets of rural scenes, worked as a spell on her mind. The f.ollowing publications speak of her deep involvement in rural life: Sabita, 1947, Utkal Saraswata Prativa, 1947, Kanakanjali, 1948, Marichika, 1948, Bihayasi, 1949, Bandenika, 1950, Swapnadeep, 1951, Jhara Siuli, 1957, Jahaku Jie, 1957. Collection of her entire work known as Bidyutaprabha Sanchayan was published in 1957.

Within these ten years of creativity Bidyutprabha emerged as a powerful lyricist with traditional attitude towards nature and G.od. She had never tried to get out of the boundaries of village life and as such she closed her eyes towards the complex situation of post-war period. Her poems clearly deal with the problems of women that exist in an age-old conservative society. In this sense, most of her poems are full of pathos. After 1957,.

She wrote some children’s literature occasionally. Mati, Pani, Pabana, Jyotishikha and Surjyamukhi, all published in 1973 are three collections which indicate her drift towards spirituality. In this period she chose to lead a spiritual life and stayed at the Aurobindo Asram of Pondicherry. She was so restless that she shook off all attachment with her loving husband and hardly came to see him at Bhubaneswar. With this restlessness and search f.or a celestial light she finally committed suicide in a cold winter morning of January under the wheels of a moving train near Bhubaneswar.

Odia Books By Bidyutprabha Devi

Mati
Jyotishikha
Surjyamukhi
Pabana
Pani

Poems

Sabita
Utkal Saraswata Prativa
Kanakanjali
Marichika
Bihayasi
Bandenika
Swapnadeep
Jhara Siuli
Jahaku Jie

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13 / Aug 2022

Sacchidananda Tribhuban Deb

Sacchidananda Tribhuban Deb was born 1872,he was the eldest son of Vasudev Sudhal Dev, the renowned ruling chief of Bamra, a Feudatory state of Odisha. He was particularly interested in art, literature and music from his adolescent period and through his effort two cultural associations named Bamra Chhatra Samity (Student’s society of Bamra) and Sahitya Alochana Sabha (An association for literary discussion) were set up at Debgarh; the capital of Bamra. He earned proficiency in Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi and English.

In 1903, after the death of his father, Sacchidananda became the ruler of the State. He was a patron of learning and culture. He used to invite the poets, scholars of Odisha, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Madras to his capital and honour them by offering titles and certificates of merit. Incidentally, Fakiramohan, the eminent novelist of Odisha and Lochanprasad Pandeya, the eminent Hindi writer. were given the titles of ‘Saraswati’ and ‘Kavya Vinod’ in his court.

Most of his poetical works are romantic in nature written in imitation of the style of poet Radhanath. His language is refined, ornamental and dignified. His Alankara Sora is a work on prosody and poetics written on the basis of Sanskrit poetics and Kadambari is a poetical rendering of Sanskrit Kadambari of Banabhatta. His Bristi Vigyana is a treatise on Meteorology, the first of its kind in Odialanguage. His travelogue Bhramana Brittanta and prose work Rasa Rahasya shows his refined and ornamental prose-style.
FURTHER WORKS: Maya Sabari, 1894; Ananga, 1894; Vishma, 1894; Chandra Dura, 1899; Chitra, 1910;
Sundari, 1911; Prakriti, 1911; Jouna Nirbachana, 1912; Abahana, 1913.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. Praharaj, Odia Bhashakosa, 1941, R. Brahma, Adhunik Oriya Sahityaku Bamrara
Dana, 1977.

Odia Books By Sacchidananda Tribhuban Deb

Rasa Rahasya
Maya Sabari
Abahana
Jouna Nirbachana
Prakriti
Chandra Dura
Vishma
Sundari
Chitra
Ananga

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13 / Aug 2022

Jalandhar Deb

Jalandhar Deb was born in 1873,He was an essayist. He was related to the royal family of Bambara, a feudatory state of the then odisha. Though he had to serve as a Diwan and a magistrate still he wrote a number of socio-religious essays. His discussion on pros and cons of marriage entitled Bibaha Bichara (The Choice in Marriage, 1928) had aroused interest in the minds of the readers. His essays like Veda-O Hindudharma (The Vedas and Hinduism, 1952), Barna-O-Jatiyata (Caste and Creed) and Bhagava Gita bear testimony to his insight and wide range of study. Diaryra Kiyadansa (Some pages of Diary, 1952), a collection of essays on travel is also worthy of attention. Besides these, he also wrote a few short stories, some historical playlets (Uday Singha, 1934, Ranasinghankara Mahaprayana) and poems Meghabhabana (Thoughts on Cloud 1934), Asprisya (Un-touchable woman, 1934). Jalandhar was noted for his liberal thinking and reflective essays.
BIBLIOGRPAHY: Ramachandra Brahma, Adhunika Odia Sahityaku Bambadar Dana, Cuttack, 1977.

Odia Books By Jalandhar Deb

Veda-O Hindu Dharma
Barna-O-Jatiyata
Bhagava Gita
Meghabhabana
Asprisya
Jalandhar

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Yasovanta Das

Yasovanta Das was born to Jagu Mallika and Rekha Devi. From his childhood he had strong faith in God. He occupies a special position among the devotees and poets of medieval odisha. He was very fortunate to find a place among the Five Associates. After coming into contact with Chaitanya he led a spiritual life. He fascinated not only devotees but also the Gajapati King Prataprudradeva.

Yasovanta composed many bhajanas in odia explaining the first principle of Pinda-Brahmanda. Among
his compositions on Brahmajnana Malika and Govinda Chandra Tika are famous. In the Malika, Yasovanta
has described the ‘Lokadharma’ of Kali Age, when the minds of the people have become covered with
ignorance and darkness. They have been deeply self-willed, without realising the importance of paying respect to their parents, preceptors and superiors.

Yasovanta Das is now remembered only through his ballad of Govinda Chandra, sung by the mendicants
of the Yogi caste. Govinda Chandra, a prince from Bengal, renounced royal comfort, his wife and son, for ascetic life, strangely enough on the advice and persistent persuasion of his own mother Mukta Devi. The prince’s yogic guide was Hadipa, a scavenger, from whom he learnt about the worthlessness of worldlypleasure which is nothing but transitory. All this fitted very well into the ascetic and cosmopolitan aspiration of the five comrades and was, therefore, taken up by Yasovanta for popularisation among the masses.

His Svarodaya describes the ways for the accomplishment of the objective. Prema-Bhaktigita is a
valuable work on ‘Jnana-mishra-bhakti’. Having placed Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannatha in the body, Yasovanta has introduced the first principle of creation, the existence of Brahma and the birth of Yogamaya.In the Yantraboli, vivid description is given of the guhyachakra, lingachakra, nabhichakra, hridayachakra,kanthachakra and lalatachakra and the existence of paramatma in them.

In the Divyadehi, Loigita and Atmaparache Gita, Yasovanta has indicated the ways for Bhakti. He was also an expert in Sanskrit. This is revealed from many of his writings. Many things are told about the occult power of Yasovanta Dasa. Once a king, having been greatly pleased with his extra ordinary power, married his daughter Anjana with Yasovanta. His two famous disciples were Sudarshana Dasa and the Yavana Salabega.

Odia Books By Yasovanta Das

Malika
Gobinda Chandra
Prema Bhakti Brahma Gita
Siba Swarodaya

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Upendrakishore Das

Upendrakishore Das was born in 1901 at Cuttack in a cultured aristocratic family. His father, grandfather and great grandfather served under the British as Deputy Collectors in the early period of their rule in odisha. While he was a student of B.A. degree Class in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, he plunged into the non-cooperation movement. As a devoted political worker he engaged himself in the socio-political activities in rural areas for ten years from 1921 to 1931. But Upendrakishore by temperament was an artist since his childhood, and as such was inclined to art and poetry.

Gradually the artist in him gained the upper hand and he became apathetic to social activities in the villages. He forsook the social services and returned He spent the rest of his life at Cuttack like a real artist, completely engaged in clay modelling, painting, writing poems, songs and stories. Besides these, he took great interest in gardening and had a small aviary at home. In pursuit of his artistic tastes and inclination he sacrificed his vast property unhesitatingly.

His first composition, a poem, was published in the Paricharika edited by his mother. Afterwards he got interested in writing short stories. Some of his short stories appeared in the famous journal Baruni in 1926, edited and published by his family members. In this journal his notable work Mala Janha (The fading Moon) also appeared serially. Soon after these articles were published Upendrakishore created a stir among the reading public as an able story writer.

In later years Upendrakishore wrote stories for the children and this contributed to the growth of
children’s literature. Alibaba, Kaunri Deshare Gouri may be mentioned in connection with these writings for children. The last named book was written in imitation of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

The last part of his life was spent in research activities and in translating Sanskrit works such as
Meghaduta, Gitagovinda and Bhagvata Gita. He sought to establish a research institute named Prachya
Vidya Samiti for the publication of ancient works of literature. In pursuit of this he made prose rendering of Vishnu Purana and Shrimad Bhagvata. These works were of literary value, but have not unfortunately seen the light of the day.

Odia Books By Upendrakishore Das

Meghaduta
Gitagovinda
Alibaba
Kaunri Deshare Gouri
Mala Janha

Magazine

Paricharika
Baruni

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