Kanheilal Was the Uncrowned King of the Odia Story World
50th Death Anniversary of Kan-hei-lal Das Observed at Shantikanan
Balasore, 28/7 – (Krushna Kumar Mohanty):
Kan-hei-lal Das was the uncrowned king of Odia short stories. Despite living for only 28 years, he experimented with and redefined storytelling in Odia literature, earning his place as a trendsetter. Grounded in reality rather than imagination, each of his stories reflects a candid confession of his own life.
On the occasion of the 50th death anniversary of this iconic storyteller, a commemorative event was held at Shantikanan. The gathering was graced by the Head of the Odia Department of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, Dr. Santosh Kumar Nayak; eminent story writer Uday Narayan Das; and noted storyteller Smruti Das, who spoke in depth about Kan-hei-lal’s literary legacy.
Presiding over the programme, Dr. Subash Chandra Patra, Chairperson of the Fakirmohan Sahitya Parishad (FMSP), paid homage and said that Kan-hei-lal was deeply committed to living a life of absolute honesty. He had turned his life into an open book—boldly chronicling his pain, struggles, flaws, and vulnerabilities through his stories and diaries.
Rajesh Giri, Joint Secretary of the FMSP, invited the guests to the stage and offered the welcome note. The vote of thanks was delivered by another Joint Secretary, Kalyani Nanda.
Among others present at the event were Dr. Laxmikanta Tripathy, Dinabandhu Lenka, Dr. Prahlad Charan Mohanty, Pradeepta Panda, Dr. Sirish Chandra Jena, Ranjan Bag, Deepak Bose, as well as many intellectuals, literary enthusiasts, and students.
