OBBA Observes Language Week: Reassessment of Literary History Discussed on Day Three

Balasore, 30/4 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): On the third day of Language Week observed by the 'Odia Bhasa Vikash Andolan' (OBBA), a thought-provoking panel discussion was held focusing on the history of Odia language and literature.

The session began with the theme "A Creative Quest", centering on the question—Between the Charyagitika compositions and Sarala Das’s Mahabharata, was there truly no other Odia poet or literary creation? If no prior Odia literary works existed, how could Sarala Das create such a monumental poetic edifice? If Sarala Das was the Kalidasa of his previous life, then who was he reborn as in the next?

Dr. Shirish Chandra Jena discussed the two-thousand-year-old legacy of the Odia language, presenting a historical outline and highlighting why Odia rightfully earned its status as a classical language. He noted that between the periods of Charyagitika and Sarala Das, various aspects of folk life may have shaped the literary spirit, but proper documentation of that influence remains lacking.

Professor Debasish Patra emphasized the need to re-evaluate the history of Odia literature. He argued that long before Sarala Das, the poetic expressions of Luipa enriched the Odia literary world and thus, Luipa should be recognized as the Adikabi (first poet). While Sarala Das was indeed a great poet, the title of “first poet” ought to be accorded to Luipa, considering the antiquity of his contribution.

Moderated by fiction writer Nibaran Jena, the discussion saw insightful contributions from Dr. Choudhuri Satyabrata Nanda and actor Niranjan Rout, both of whom reflected on the heritage of Odia literature. Editor Dr. Laxmikanta Tripathy provided the opening remarks, while Joint Secretary Jumaranath Patra handled stage proceedings. Another Joint Secretary, Shantilata Panda, delivered the vote of thanks.

Among others present were Tapan Ray, Sharata Kumar Mahapatra, Aruna Ray, Dr. Kshiteshwar Das, Karunakar Sa, Kamalakanta Dash, Kalyani Nanda, Rajendranath Raut, Ritesh Kumar Das, Manmath Kumar Sahu, Sanjaya Kumar Panda, Narendranath Panigrahi, Arjana Nandi, Shanti Bishi, Mamata Das, Prafulla Kumar Das, Laxmikanta Behera, Prabhakar Sahu, Avanti Pradhan, Truptirani Patra, Debasish Singh, Bidyadhar Sahu, Dr. Ratnakar Singh, Pratima Panda, and Deepak Bose.