Bhubaneswar: Odisha Wednesday paid rich tributes to ‘Vyasa Kabi’ Fakir Mohan Senapati, regarded as the father of modern Odia literature, on his birth anniversary.
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das and others remembered Senapati and hailed his contribution to Odia language and literature.
Born January 14, 1843, Senapati, a writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer, played a pivotal role in establishing the distinct identity of the Odia language. He died June 14, 1918.
In a post on X, the chief minister said that Senapati’s struggle for the protection of the Odia language and identity, along with his timeless literary works, would continue to inspire generations.
Former CM Naveen Patnaik described Senapati as the emperor of Odia prose and credited him with enriching Odia literature by leading the language movement and authoring the first Odia short story ‘Rebati’ and acclaimed novels such as ‘Chha Mana Atha Guntha’.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government’s Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department conferred the Vyasa Kabi Fakir Mohan Odia Bhasha Sammana 2021 on noted scholar and researcher Dr Nrusingha Charan Sarangi in recognition of his contribution to the Odia language and literature.
The award was presented by Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj at a programme organised to mark Senapati’s birth anniversary. Sarangi received a cash award of Rs 5 lakh.
Addressing the gathering, the minister said Fakir Mohan Senapati laid the foundation of modern Odia literature by portraying social realities and lived experiences of the people, and his works remain relevant even today.
Sarangi said Senapati’s writings have been a constant source of inspiration in his academic journey and referred to his comparative research on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables and Senapati’s Chha Mana Atha Guntha.
On the occasion, the Odisha Sahitya Akademi released two publications – Rajakabi Gobindabhanja Granthabali and Sahityika Janaki Ballabha Mohanty (Bharadwaj).