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IN MEMORY |
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LITERATTEUR MOHAPATRA RAJENDRA PRASAD NO MORE |
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Mohapatra Rajendra Prasad, an eminent writer and journalist, passed away in the S.S.B. Medical College Hospital here on 10th last. He was 65. Mr. Mohapatra was the managing editor for about 18 years of "Asantakali", a popular literary Oriya monthly, published form Calcutta. He has contributed many articles and novels to the world of Oriya literature. His novels like "Anadi", "Priyatamesu", "Beimaan" and a serial story "Narangi", were very popular. He has written dialogues and stories for two Oriya films. Bhakta Dhruba and Mahasindhu Tire. Mr. Mohapatra was an artiste with the All India Radio station of Calcutta. He also acted in an Oriya film, Naree . These apart he was also the editor of the Shramika and "The Cinema" two other oriya journals, and closely associated with many Oriya, Bengali and Hindi cultural organisations. Mr. Mohapatra, as an artistic was the recepient of pension, awarded both by the state government and the union government. He is survived by three sons. He was a follower of Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab and was the Calcutta based correspondent of "The Swarajya" and the Ganatantra two Oriya dailies and Hindustan Samachar, a language news agency. Mr. Mohapatra had also played roles in record dramas like Sri Lokanath, Sri Sri Chandi, Sita Bibaha and some comic dramas including Madananandra Modak. He was also the proprietor of "The Kalinga Gramphone Company", the only Oriya concern in the field on the approved list of the Orissa government. He had done a lot for providing gramophone sets to secondary schools all over the state. :The Eastern Time 18-24, December 1994 |
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MOHAPATRA RAJENDRA PRSAD REMEMBERED |
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Late Mohapatra Rajendra Prasad albeit having been a simple and unassuming
gentleman was sans any shadow of doubt, indeed one of the leading and pioneering
litteratures [in the Oriya Vernacular] of the early and mid twentieth century.
His whole hearted and single minded dedication for enriching the literary and
socio-cultural & socio-economic scenario of the common intelligentsia of Orissa
has left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of lakhs of Oriya leaders not
only during his lifetime but even well into the 21st century. Financially though
he was poor since his birth, yet he gave unquantiable wealth of his literary
works beginning from his contribution to journalism, short-story writing, novels
& dramas. He was a versatile literary genius who, more or less, has gone unsung.
Having had no worldly possessions to speak of, his irrepressible enthusiasm and
endeavour was solely to bequeath all his in-depth, humane and brilliant
literature to the multiples of lakhs of his Oriya brethren, not in Orissa &
India alone, but in every conceivable corner of the globe. Writing was his
passion and he never ever, during his lifetime, thought of cornering or lobbying
for any converted awards or/and felicitations. If Late Mohapatra Rajendra Prasad
was alive today he would simply have scoffed at the idea of writing only in
order to receive the so-called prestigious literary awards and felicitations.
His selflessness and magnanimity can be seen through his writings. Further it is pertinent to metion at this juncture, that Late Mohapatra Rajendra Prasad's innumerable qualitative literary works did have the desired variety and punch that quite naturally attracted his wide readership to most eagerly relish his inimitable style and range of writing. His readership was not confined to the Oriya intelligent via alone but were simply unputdownable for the entire Oriya reading populace, beginning from the youths, the middle-aged rural folk as well as the urban elite. In fact his natural style and flair for writing in Oriya targeted all the segments of Oriya readers-- purely for his lucid and simple style of Oriya writing which could make each of his readers, with effortless ease, vividly picturise what Late Mohapatra Rajendra Prasad had written. :Tommy Wright, Novel Written in 1954, November 21st, 2002, Cuttack. |
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