Odia Books

which is his pen-name, is a well-known humorist and satirist. Having studied for an L.M.P. diploma first, he obtained his B.A. degree from Utkal University. As a young man he was greatly fond of mechanical gadgets and aspired to become a mechanic.

But he had to give up the idea in favour of literary pursuitswhen he suddenly lost his eyesight.His career as a humorous writer began with the publication of a poem called ‘Kavi ladhei’ (Poets fighting) in the Dagara, a literary monthly with which he has been closely associated for the last forty years.

His first humorous stories were  published continuously in the Dagara after the magazine shifted its office from Bhadrak to Cuttack in 1949. He became famous with the publication of his first book which was a novel called Nakata chitrakara (The noseless painter) in 1953.

It deals with the story of an ugly looking painter, his romantic involvement with a  sophisticated girl and his subseqent frustrations. Though sentimental at places, the narrative is characterised by an almost Dickensian blend of humour and pathos.

Nakata chitrakara was followed by Sahitya chasha (Growing literary crops) and Heresa (The shameless one) in 1959, Bidushaka (The messenger) and Mangalabaria sahityasamsada (The Tuesday literary club) in 1963. Hasakura (The giggling one) in 1972, Brihat bhanda (The great bluffer) and Amrita behia (The shameless) in 1977 and Vote in 1980 – all collections of humorous stories.

Phaturananda directs his humorous and satirical attacks mostly at literary personages, their follies and pretensions and quarrels over petty issues.His poems, Nilatha kavi (The shameless poet, 1954) has the same theme. His stories are thus repetitive in respect of the situations they create, and not entirely free from a crude kind of wit. But he is never bitter or cynical about his victims.

Very often he is self-critical, knows his own limitations, and does not hesitate to laugh at himself.  Broadly speaking, the chief target of his attack is the contemporary youth, wild, undisciplined and frantically looking for an identity in the wrong quarters.

One of the main sources of humour in his works is the typical language he uses – almost a sub-dialect spoken by the original inhabitants of Cuttack. Phaturananda knows Bengali, Hindi and Sanskrit, besides English. He is a cartoonist and has held several exhibitions of his cartoons. He was the founder Secretary of Sarasa Sahitya Samiti, an organisation devoted to creation and popularisation of humorous writing.

Odia Books By Ramchandra Mishra

Kavi Ladhei
Nakata Chitrakara
Nilatha Kavi

Magazines

Dagara
Heresa
Bidushaka
Hasakura
Brihat Bhanda