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Sunday Column: Characters & Colours
Characters & Colours: Betty Mahmoody, Remembering A Mother With Indomitable…
Actress Gilda Susan Radner calls motherhood “an act of infinite optimism”. On this International Mother’s Day, Radner’s saying conjures up in my mind the figure of an ‘exceptionally brave’…
Characters & Colours: Manoj Das’ Darling Ghost Is Unlike Many Of The Same Ilk
A doyen of Odia literature, Manoj Das left millions of his ardent admirers shattered as he left for his heavenly abode on April 27. A writer par excellence, Das, 87, was a winner of several…
Characters & Colours: J P Das’ Suhasini Learns ‘The Mantra’ For Life Lies Within…
On the 85th birth anniversary of well-known writer J.P. Das, I remember his short story ‘The Mantra’ and his carefully-conceived character Suhasini. Apparently, Suhasini might seem to be a…
Characters & Colours: Gopinath Mohanty’s Kamala Represents Victims Of Infidelity
With the 107th birth anniversary of eminent writer Gopinath Mohanty just round the corner (April 20), one of his less-discussed characters Kamala comes to mind. The character appeared in his…
Ashapurna’s Parvati: An Emancipated Woman Or A Product Of Patriarchy?
It was the birth anniversary of Jnanpith award winner Ashapurna Devi a couple of days ago (Jan 8). Also, a Padmi Shri awardee in 1976 and a recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi…
Characters & Colours: Fakir Mohan’s Rebati And Women Education
On the 190th birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, celebrated as National Women’s Day, exemplary Odia writer Fakir Mohan Senapati’s Rebati comes to mind. Born on January 3, 1831, Savitribai…
Characters & Colours: Lolita, Seductress Or Victim Of Child Sexual Abuse?
Today is December 6 – the day on which Vladimir Nabakov finished writing his famous novel ‘Lolita’ in 1953. Little did he imagine his book would become so controversial and his character…
Characters & Colours: A Benign Beast That Rules Beauty’s Heart
Feasting on fairy tales in my childhood, the one story that amazed me was the famous tale of the Beauty and the Beast. I remember an illustrated book which had the picture of a lion-head…
Characters & Colours: Adichie’s Statement On Patriarchy Through Duality In…
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been voted as the 2020 ‘Winner of Winners’ (Women’s prize for Fiction) a couple of days ago for her novel ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’. This took my imagination to one…
Characters & Colours: Dracula, The Unforgettable Vampire
Some literary characters gain much more prominence than their creator. One such creation is Count Dracula (popularly referred to as ‘Dracula’) who was more influential than Irish author Bram…