Odia Books

Kanhucharan Mohanty was born in 1906. In sheer volume and popularity stands head and shoulder above the other novelists of modern times. He has written more than forty novels and about fifty short stories during the last five decades and is still actively engaged in writing.

His novel Ka (1956) received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1958. This book has been translated into
Hindi. His other masterpiece, Sasti, has also been translated into Hindi. and Bengali. Two of his novels Abhinetri (1947) and Ka have been filmed in Oriya. Many of his novels like Ha anna, (1935), Tunda baida(1944), Shasti (1946), Jhanja (1950), have been dramatized and staged. His most popular and outstanding novels are Ha anna, Baliraja (1931-32) Adekha hata (1943), Tunda baida, Shasti and Jhanja.

Kanhucharan was born at Sonepur, now in the district of Bolangir, where his father served under the
ruling chief. He graduated in 1929 from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, and joined Government service in
1930. After retirement he worked as Secretary of the Orissa Sahitya Akademy for about a year and a half. He now lives at Rajabaicha in Cuttack.

He knows Bengali, Hindi and English. Most of his novels deal with love, the eternal triangle of love, and with devotion and sacrifice. He deals with contemporary issues such as social planning, revolt against feudalism, un-touchability, womanhood, famine, etc. He aims at universal brotherhood and of a classless society imbued with the spirit of secularism and neutrality. His language is simple lucid and full of human touch. He made many experiments with technique. Besides, his novels also depict a few social problems such as the problem of rehabilitation of the refugees. He wrote a monumental novel named as Tamasa tire (1967) based upon his experiences at Baster and Koraput.

FURTHER WORKS: Novels Palataka (1930), Nispati (1932), Swapna na satya (1933), Duniya ra dau
(1934), Olta palata (1937), Parakiya (1938), Udandi (1939), Pratikhya (1938), Bhalapaibara sesakatha
(1944), Managaharana tale (1946), Milanara chanda (1951), Sarbari (1952), Pari (1954), Bajrabahu
(1959), Tathasthu (1963), Dheop dheoka (1964), Baga baguli (1964), Itiha (1967), Chhutile ghata (1968),Managane papa (1969), Manamanthana (1970), Angana (1971), Kahibakulaja (1973), Ajinuhen audine(1973), Maya barta (1978), Satyabati (1980), Taraka (1980), Short Stories: Epari separi (1946), Antaraya(1947), Chora chahani (1947), Mumantra jane (1968), Swapna (1968), Tarangara tale (1969), Mamatara maya (1972). Poem: Manasi (1932).

Odia Books By Kanhucharan Mohanty

Baliraja
Swapna Na Satya
Parakiya
Olta palata
Pratikhya
Adekha Hata
Satyabati
Mumantra Jane
Shasti