Odia Bhasha Bikash Andolan (OBBA) Organises Discussion on Short Story Literature
Balasore, 22/9 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): A symposium on modern Odia short story literature was organised by the Odia Bhasha Bikash Andolan (OBBA) under the chairmanship of secretary Dr. Laxmikant Tripathy.
Inaugurating the session, senior short story writer and Sarala Awardee Bhima Prusty’s elder brother, Arjun Prusty, stated that Odia short story literature has been enriched by drawing upon classical works like Brihatkatha of Gunadhya, Kathasaritsagara of Somadeva, and Panchatantra of Vishnusharma. He also highlighted the significance of Fakir Mohan Senapati’s various stories in shaping Odia fiction.
Writer Debjani Das discussed the evolution and stylistic features of Odia short stories, focusing especially on the creative processes that shape contemporary narratives. Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar awardee Sanjay Kumar Panda observed that Odia short stories have developed in step with world literature, enriching the global short story tradition. He also spoke about his own approach to storytelling.
Welcoming the guests, Kalyani Nanda remarked that such discussions strengthen the trend of Odia short story writing. Joint secretary Shantilata Panda and Jumnanath Patra presented a selection of short stories by various authors in their unique style.
The event featured story readings by Prabhakar Sahu, Rajendranath Raut, Bijay Kumar Dasadhikari, Bijay Kumar Mohanty, Dinabandhu Lenka, Sunamani Jena, Archana Kar, Kabita Jena, Subas Swain, and Smruti Das. Among those present were Dr. Shirish Chandra Jena, Sarat Kumar Mahapatra, Benudhar Sahu, Dr. Lakshman Charan Bishwal, Anadi Charan Jena, Prafulla Kumar Das, Karunakar S., Dr. Ramakant Nayak, Madan Mohan Sahu, Trinath Nandi, and Laxmikant Behera.
