Though a native of Odisha, Das had made Puducherry his home since 1963 as he was drawn by the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. In 2004, he wrote his memoir Chasing the Rainbow: Growing up in an Indian Village. Some of his best known works in English include A Tiger at Twilight, The Submerged Valley, The Bridge in the Moonlit Night, Cyclones, Mystery of the Missing Cap and Myths, Legends, Concepts and Literary Antiquities of India. Well known for his significant contribution to post-Independence Odia literature with outstanding works such as Tandralokara Prahari, Aakashra Isara, and Amruta Phala, Das began writing in English in 1968. He launched a literary magazine Diganta in 1950.Īlso read: There Exist 23 Indian-Language Wikipedias. He started writing early and his first collection of poems Satavdira Artanada was published in 1949 when he was in high school. Apart from novels and short stories he also wrote poems and essays. Often layered with fantasy and satire they left a deep impression on the minds of his readers. Honoured with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan and bestowed with several awards including the Saraswati Samman and Sahitya Academy Award fellowship for his literary achievements, Das’s writings were marked by lucid style that captivated his readers.īorn in 1934 in the small coastal village of Shankari in Balasore district, Das’s writings focused mainly on human sufferings but they also offered enlightenment and joy. “I imagine Odisha is far from Malgudi, but there is the same quality in his stories with perhaps an added mystery,” remarked the great English novelist in a tribute to both Das and R.K.
No wonder his work impressed writers like Graham Greene who once said that Das’s books would certainly find a place on his bookshelves besides those by R.K.
His large body of work comprising short stories and novels reflect his deep humanism and blend human emotions with spiritual and psychic elements with dexterity. Bhubaneswar: Manoj Das, who breathed his last at a nursing home in Puducherry on Tuesday at the age of 87, was one of the best storytellers of our time.Īmong the few bilingual writers of the country Das, who was predeceased by his wife Pratigyan Devi, also an author, had equal command over English and Odia.
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