Odisha writer Manoj Das receives Mystic Kalinga Literary Award

Noted writer Manoj Das, who had recently received Padma Bhushan for his contribution to English and Odia literature, has been honoured with the Mystic Kalinga Literary Award-Indian and Global Languages.

The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, was presented to the 85-year-old litterateur during the fourth edition of the two-day Mystic Kalinga Festival that kicked off here on Saturday, organisers said in a release.

Giving a talk on 'Divine Madness: Knowledge, Ecstasy, and Transformation', the central theme of the festival, Das had discussed aspects of mysticism and explained, narrating tales and citing historical events, that mysticism is not always linked to religion, it said.

During his speech, Das had said he is in the process of translating 'Savitri', the epic poem written by freedom fighter and philosopher Aurobindo Ghose, into Odia.

On the first day of the event, acclaimed poets, translators and scholars including Ramakant Rath, Sitakant Mohapatra, Prativa Ray, Mukund Rao, Purusottam Agarwal, H S Shivprakash, Pradipta Kumar Panda and Rajkishore Mishra discussed verses of some of the greatest mystic poets of the subcontinent, it said.

Over 40 artistes had taken part in the 'Mystic Mic' event, a platform for standup performers, that was held for the first time during the Mystic Kalinga Festival, the release added.