| Sitakant Mahapatra | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1937 Mahanga, Orissa |
| Occupation | poet, literary critic, bureaucrat |
| Notable works | Sabdar Akash (The Sky of Words) (1971) Samudra (1977) |
Sitakant Mahapatra (born September 17, 1937) is a notable Indian poet and literary critic in Oriya as well as English.[1][2] He has also been in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) since 1961 until retiring in 1995, and has since held ex-officio posts such as the Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi.He is the first Oriya to top the IAS exam.
He has published over 15 poetry collection, 5 essay collections, a travelogue, over 30 contemplative works, apart from numerous translations. His poetry collection have been published in several Indian languages. His notable works are, Sabdar Akash (1971) (The Sky of Words), Samudra (1977) and Anek Sharat (1981).[3][4][5]
He was awarded the 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award in Oriya for his poetry collection, Sabdar Akash (The Sky of Words).[6] He was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1993 "for outstanding contribution to Indian literature" and in its citation the Bharatiya Jnanpith noted, "Deeply steeped in western literature his pen has the rare rapturous fragrance of native soil"; he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2002, apart from winning the Soviet Land Nehru Award, Kabeer Samman and several other prestigious awards.[3]
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Born in 1937 in village Mahanga, situated on the banks of Chitrotpala, a tributary of the great Mahanadi,[7] Sitakant Mahapatra grew up reciting a chapter of Oriya version of Bhagwad Gita in a traditional household. After his schooling from a Korua government high school, he was to joined IIT Kharagpur, but instead chose to join Ravenshaw College, Cuttack (then affiliated with Utkal University), where he did his B.A. in History Honours 1957, this was followed by Masters degree in Political Science from Allahabad University in 1959. He even remained editor of the university journal. It was here that he started writing both in English and Oriya, though later he decided to write poetry solely in his native, Oriya realising that "a poet can express himself only in the language in which he dreams", his scholastic works however are in English.[5][8]
In 1969, he did a Dip. Overseas Development Studies at the Cambridge University, under the Colombo Plan Fellowship.[5][9]
He took to teaching for two years at Post-Graduate Department of Utkal University, before siting for Indian Administrative Services (IAS) examination.
He joined the IAS in 1961, and went on to hold several key post, including Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, President, UNESCO's World Decade for Cultural Development (1994–1996); Senior Fellow of Harvard University; and Honorary Fellow of International Academy of Poets, Cambridge University. Presently, he is Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi.[8]
He has held many prestigious positions including those of Secretary, Culture, Government of India, President, UNESCO's World Decade for Cultural Development (1994–1996); Senior Fellow of Harvard University; and Honorary Fellow of International Academy of Poets, Cambridge University. Presently, he is Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi and in the Board of Governors Bhaaratiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhubaneswar. He is the recipient of many awards including the Jnanpith Award, 1993; Sarala Award, 1985; Orissa Sahitya Academy Award, 1971 and 1984; and Sahitya Akademi Award, 1974 and ‘Award of the Highest Honour' by Soka University of Tokyo, 2001.
His first collection of poetry in Oriya, Dipti O Dyuti was published in 1963, his second anthology, Ashtapadi came out in 1967, and won him the Orissa Sahitya Academy award, while his third and most celebrated anthology, Sara Akash (1971), got him the Sahitya Akademi Award, given by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.[7] Since then he has published over 350 poems in Oriya and about 30 publications in English on literary criticism and culture. He spent two years studying tribals of Eastern India on a Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1975–1977).[10] He has also two books on social anthropology published by the Oxford University Press, these books deal with the ambivalent relationship between the old ritual based society and state-sponsored development, and explores the reason behind developmental programmes failing in tribal areas despite state efforts. Close ties with the tribals, and his fluency with the Santal tribal culture and the Santali language has led to the publication of nine anthologies of oral poetry of the tribals, which he not only collected, but also translated.[5]
Among notable works are: Ashtapadi, 1963, Shabdara akasha, 1971, Ara drushya, 1981, Shrestha kavita, 1994, (all poetry); Sabda, Svapna O nirvikata, 1990 (essays), Aneka sarata, 1981 (travelogue); Ushavilasa, 1996 (palm leaf manuscript); In English: The ruined Temple and other poems, 1996 (poetry, translation); and Unending Rhythms (Oral poetry of Indian Tribals in translation).
He is the recipient of many awards including the Jnanpith Award, 1993; Sarala Award, 1985; Orissa Sahitya Academy Award, 1971 and 1984; and Sahitya Akademi Award, 1974 and ‘Award of the Highest Honour' by Soka University of Tokyo, 2001. In 2002, he was honoured by the Government of India with a Padma Bhushan. In 2011, he has been selected for a Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of India.