Manoranjan Das

Manoranjan Das
Born	1921 Cuttack district, Orissa
Occupation	playwright
Nationality	Indian
Literary movement	modernism, experimentalism

Manoranjan Das (born 1921) is an influential Indian dramatist, and pioneer of modernism in Oriya Literature. He is known for his experimentalism and deep socio-political awareness, who became most known in the 1960s with his experimental theatre.^[1][2]

Amongst his most known work are, Kathagodha (The Wooden Horse) and Aranya Fasal (The Wild Harvest), which won the won him the Sahitya Akademi Award (1971). In a career spanning over four decades, his plays include Janmamati (Land of Birth) written in 1943 and his latest Nandika Kesari which appeared in 1985.^[3][4]

Early life and education

Born in 1921 in a village near Cuttack, he did his schooling in Kunjang near Paradip, completing his intermediate in 1942. Thereafter he joined Ravenshaw College in Cuttack.^[1]

Career

He joined All India Radio where he rose to the level of Producer Emeritus. During his literary career, he has written 14 other plays, including Aranya Fasal (The Wild Harvest), which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award given Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in 1971,^[5] and the Padma Shri by Government of India in 2004.^[6]

His other plays are Jauban (Youth), August Na (The Ninth August 1947), Baxi Jagabandhu (The Sacrifice of Jagabandhu), Agami (The Oncoming), Abarodha (The Seize), Kathagodha (The Wooden Horse), and Sabdalipi (The Word-script).

Works

• Smriti samlap (autobiography). Friends Publishers, 1999. ISBN 8174012745.
• Ten essays on poet, poetry and psychology. Future Publications, 2005.
• Aranya Fasil. Sahitya Akademi Publications, 2001. ISBN 8126012137.

Works in translation

• The Wooden Horse: drama. Pub. Bookland International, 1982.
• The Wild harvest. Pub. Sahitya Akademi, 1993. ISBN 8172014368.
• A game of words: a play. tr. by Bibhu Padhi, Guru Charan Behera. Pub. Prachi Prakashan, 1997. ISBN 8185824053.
• A ray's rope. Pub. Ila Das, 1997.
• The ninth of August: a play. Sahitya Akademi. 1998. ISBN 8126004843. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=IXyDZbF-xzUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Manoranjan+Das&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
• Nandika Keshari: (Sarala award winning play). tr by Prabhat Nalini Das. Prachi Prakashan, 2000. ISBN 8185824126.
• Afternoon flurries. Pub. Subarnarekha, 2002. ISBN 8187467142.
• A dialogue with memory (autobiography). tr. by Aruna Kumar Mohanty & J. K. Nayak. National Book Trust, India, 2002. ISBN 8123739389.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Sachidanandan, p. 147-148
2. ^ George, p. 525
3. ^ McGraw-Hill, p. 40
4. ^ "ORIYA: Himansu Mohapatra". The Hindu. Mar 07, 2010. http://www.hindu.com/lr/2010/03/07/stories/2010030750080200.htm. 
5. ^ Sahitya Akademi Awards 1955-2007:Oriya Sahitya Akademi offiical website.
6. ^ Padma Shri Awardees Government of India website.

References

• Sachidanandan (2006). Authors speak. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 812601945X. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=PGWa7v08JikC&pg=PT172&dq=Manoranjan+Das&cd=4#v=onepage&q=Manoranjan%20Das&f=false. 
• George, K. M. (1994). Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 8172017839. 
• McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of world drama (Volume 2). Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG. 1984. ISBN 0070791694. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=zo5os6d0rvMC&pg=PA40&dq=Manoranjan+Das&lr=&cd=35#v=onepage&q=Manoranjan%20Das&f=false. 

Persondata
Name	Das, Manoranjan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1921
Place of birth	Cuttack district, Orissa
Date of death
Place of death