Cuttack: Odisha’s renowned writer Padma Shri Binapani Mohanty was conferred with the prestigious Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman for the year 2019 on Saturday by the Odisha Sahitya Akademi for her contribution towards Odia literature.
The top award of Odisha Sahitya Akademi was conferred to the writer at her home in Cuttack. Tourism and Culture Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi handed over a certificate, an ‘Uttariya’ along with a cheque of Rs.1 lakh. On this occasion Akademi secretary Suchismita Mantri read out the appreciation letter.
Accepting the honour Mohanty said that she feels proud for the award. She also urged for some government help for the Utkala Lekhika Sangha. Secretary of the Culture department said that if it would have been normal time, the award would have been given at a dazzling function in Rabindra Mandap. However, due to Covid restrictions she was conferred at home.
Binapani Mohanty has many Odia fictions to her credit. She initiated her career as a professional writer through ‘Gotie Ratira Kahani’ in 1960.
Some of her best known stories are Pata Dei, Khela Ghara, Naiku Rasta, Bastraharana, Andhakarara, Kasturi Murga O Sabuja Aranya and Michhi Michhika.
She got the Sahitya Akademi award in 1990 for her collection of short stories entitled ‘Pata Dei and other Stories’.
Mohanty was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020. Many of her short stories have been translated into different languages such as English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Telegu and Russian. She has also penned three novels: Sitara Sonita, Manaswini and Kunti, Kuntala, Shakuntala and a one-act play entitled Kranti.
Eighty four year old Binapani Mohanty is a retired professor of Economics.
Ms Kalinga