J P Das

Jagannath Prasad Das is an eminent litterateur from Odisha who has dominated the Odia literary scene for over forty years. His literary oeuvre comprises poetry, plays, short stories, novel, essays, children’s poems and nonsense verse. He has done translations of literary works from different languages into Odia and English. He has done extensive research into Odishan art and has published three works on the pictorial arts of the state. He has also done paintings, acted on stage and in films, and taken active part in social and cultural movements. His writings have been widely translated into Hindi, English and other Indian languages, bringing him national recognition. He has been honoured with awards for his writings, the important ones being the Central Sahitya Akademi award for his poetry (which he refused), the Nandikar Award for plays, the Sarala Award for short stories and the Saraswati Samman for his poetry. He has been connected with literary, cultural, and charitable organisations and has been member / office holder of these bodies.