She is a lawyer by profession but has created her place in the field of literature by penning more than 300 poems. Meet Sarbani Das, who accomplishments are not limited to the courtroom or writing, for she is also an accomplished singer and stage actor.
Born to Pushpanjali and Harekrushna Das of Puri, Sarbani started writing poems as a child. Motivated by the devotional songs aired on Doordarshan, she started to compose her own lines when she was in Class V. She was a good singer, having inherited her mother’s musical talent. But neither her parents nor her elder siblings could spot her talent and they asked her to focus on studies.
“When I was a kid, I used to see my mother reading magazines like Sucharita and Urjjana. At that time, I loved to read the poems of Radhanath Ray and could recite them without fumbling,” says Sarbani. “However, my siblings and my parents always wanted me to concentrate on studies rather than writing or singing. But I used to participate in singing competitions and other extracurricular activities. I loved to read books and that motivated me to express my feelings on paper. Gradually, my writing skill was appreciated by my family members. While pursuing my degree course, I got the opportunity to take part in an inter-college poetry recitation programme. The principal of my college encouraged me a lot to write and recite poems, and then there was no looking back.”
She still recalls the day when one of her poems appeared for the first time in Sulekha, a popular Odia magazine published from Puri. Most of her poems are devotional in nature as she belongs to a religious Brahmin family. However, she has written some poems on nature, relationships and social issues. She is now happy that many of her poems are being regularly published by various Odia magazines.
“I received hundreds of phone calls and messages from the readers after Samarpan, a poem on Lord Jagannath, was published in an Odia magazine. The lines were soaked with so much devotion that they made Jagannath devotees emotional,” says Sarbani.
She adds, “I get inspiration from nature or sometimes from things like the sound of church bells. Besides, being part of a devout family, I can write poems that are full of devotion. We still have morning and evening prayers at home before going out for other work. Not only do I recite poems in various gatherings, often the organisers request me to anchor the programmes.”
Recognising her talent, Sarbani has been felicitated by many organisations. She was conferred with Srikhetra Shree Samman in 2014 and the Odisha Naree Prativa Samman. She was also awarded by Srichandan Sahitya Academy and awarded the Bibidha Prativa Samman by One Time One Goal Organisation. She was felicitated as an anchor by Odishi Sangeeta Mahotsav. Pen in Books, a Bhubaneswar-based literature organisation, recently gave her an award after one of her poems appeared in Sahe Swara, an Odia magazine.
Sarbani has also polished her singing skills by joining a class and completing Visharad in classical singing. She has performed on several stages of Odisha. Sarbani also loves classical dance. However, following an accident in which her back and leg were injured, she had to quit dance. However, she is still confident of taking up dance once again after she recovers fully.
Apart from poetry and singing, Sarbani is also involved in theatre. She has acted in a few plays that were staged at Rabindra Mandap, a prominent auditorium of the state capital. The plays that gave her creative satisfaction include Ebe Nuhen Ta Kebe Nuhen by Harihar Das and Ajati, directed by eminent actor Bijay Mohanty. Her character named Banaja in Ajati was greatly appreciated by theatre lovers.
Sarbani has a few words of advice for young writers: “They need to read more books. You have to be a voracious reader to hone your writing skills. Reading novels and story books exposes you to different worlds and helps you to unearth your feelings effectively.”
BRATATI BARAL, OP