The Odia Story

We present before you a platter full of delightful and enchanting Odia stories, written by past and present masters, translated into English. We start with the 'Father of Odia nationalism and Odia Short Stories', Fakir Mohan Senapati, who is believed to have laid the foundation of Odia short stories with his 'Rebati' in 1898. Fifteen stories have been included in this anthology. Most of the writers included here were either born in the first half of the twentieth century or shot to prominence during that period. Among the writers Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gopinath Mohanty, Surendra Mohanty, Kishori Charan Das, Achyutananda Pati, Mohapatra Nilamani Sahoo, Akhila Mohan Pattnaik, Chandrasekhar Rath, Manoj Das, Rabi Pattanayak, Binapani Mohanty, Pratibha Ray and Ramachandra Behera were born in the pre-independent India whereas Tarun Kanti Mishra and Gourahari Das were born after India attained independence. Together, these masters have been awarded with twelve Central Sahitya Akademi awards, eleven Odisha Sahitya Akademi awards, seven Sarala Puraskars, five Atibadi Jagannath Das awards, two Jnanapitha awards and one Moortidevi award. Besides, the list includes four Padma Shri and two Padma Bhusan awards. The numerous awards reflect their excellence in the field of Odia literature and their invaluable contribution to it.

Introduction / Manoranjan Mishra 09

Dhulia Baba / Fakir Mohan Senapati 21

Strange Faith / Gopinath Mohanty 32

The Cactus / Surendra Mohanty 53

Shashwatee / Kishori Charan Das 70

The Sulking Mounabati / Achyutananda Pati 86

The Final Offering at Vrindavan / Mahapatra Nilamani Sahu 101

The Flower of the Fig Tree / Akhila Mohan Pattanaik 114

The Neighbour / Chandrasekhar Rath 122

Bhola Grandpa and the Tiger / Manoj Das 136

The Princess / Rabi Pattnaik 141

The Courageous / Binapani Mohanty 153

The Banquet / Pratibha Ray 168

Gopapura / Ramachandra Behera 174

Story of A Moonlit Night / Tarun Kanti Mishra 193

The Decision / Gourahari Das 205

Glossary 220

Writers' Profile 22