Nityananda Mahapatra (17 June 1912 – 17 April 2012)[1] was an Indian Odia politician, poet and journalist.

Nityananda Mahapatra
Portrait of Nityananda Mahapatra
Member: Odisha Legislative Assembly
In office
1957–1971
Preceded byMahamad Hanif
Succeeded byHarekrushna Mahatab
ConstituencyBhadrak
Personal details
Born(1912-06-17)17 June 1912
Bhadrak, Bihar and Orissa Province, British India
Died17 April 2012(2012-04-17) (aged 99)
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Cause of deathRespiratory Failure
Political partyOrissa Jana Congress
OccupationWriter, politician
AwardsSahitya Akademi Award,1987

Political career

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He was imprisoned three times by the British Raj between 1930 and 1942 for nationalist activities.[2] He came to literary prominence as editor of the Odia magazine Dagara,[3] and as a short story writer after independence.[4] In his political career Mohapatra served as a member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 1957 to 1971[5] and as state Minister of Supply and Cultural Affairs from 1967 to 1971.[6]

Death

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He died on 17 April 2012 at around 9:45 am at Kharavelanagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from complications of respiratory failure. He had been in a coma at the Aditya Care Hospital following a breathing problem. He was three months short of his 100th birthday.[7]

Literary works

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Mohapatra has translated the Ramavataram (also known as the Kamba Ramayanam), the Tamil version of the Ramayana, into Odia.[8]: 214  Other works that he translated into Odia include Ramana Maharshee and Swarajya Sanghitaa.[8]

Literary awards

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Mahapatra received the Odisha Sahitya Academy Award in 1974[9] and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1987 for his novel Gharadiha.[10]

References

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  1. ^ according to website of Odisha Legislative Assembly born on 17 June, but possibly born 17 June
  2. ^ "Profile of Shri Nityananda Mahapatra". Odisha Legislative Assembly. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  3. ^ Das, Sisir Kumar (1995). History of Indian Literature: .1911–1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy. Sahitya Akademi. p. 702. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9.
  4. ^ Lal, Mohan (2006). The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Volume 5. Sahitya Akademi. p. 4062. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
  5. ^ "Membership of Shri Nityananda Mahapatra in Odisha Legislative Assembly". Odisha Legislative Assembly. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  6. ^ "Post Held of Shri Nityananda Mahapatra". Odisha Legislative Assembly. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  7. ^ http://www.asianage.com/india/centenarian-litterateur-and-ex-odisha-minister-dead-680 [bare URL]
  8. ^ a b Panda, Aditya Kumar (2015). "Translation in Odia: A Historical Survey" (PDF). Translation Today. 9 (1). National Translation Mission: 202–226. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ^ "List of Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award Winning Books and their Writers". Odisha Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  10. ^ "Recipients of Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for Oriya Literature" (PDF). Kendra Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.