Cuttack: Indo-Anglian poet Jayanta Mahapatra breathed his last on Sunday while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital (MCH) in Odisha’s Cuttack city.
The 95-year-old poet was admitted to the hospital on August 4 due old age-related ailments and was later shifted to the ICU as his condition deteriorated.
There was some improvement in his health condition since then but he passed away around 9 pm, SCBMCH emergency officer Bhubanananda Moharana informed.
The bilingual poet from Odisha is known for his collections like Waiting and A Rain of Rites which explore his memories, doubts and life experiences. He is the first Indian writer in English to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981 for his poem Relationship. In May 2019, he also became the first Indian English poet to become a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi.
He was conferred with a Padma Shri in 2009 but returned the award in 2015 as a mark of protest against the “growing intolerance” in the country.
Mahapatra was born on October 22, 1928, into a prominent family in Cuttack. He received his early education from Stewart School here and completed MSc in Physics from Patna, Bihar. His career began as a lecturer in physics in 1949 and served at various government colleges in Odisha, including erstwhile Gangadhar Meher College, Sambalpur, BJB College, Bhubaneswar, Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, and Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. He retired from service as a Reader in Physics in 1986. He started his writing career in the late sixties.
Bhubaneswar: Doubling of railway tracks in a stretch of Gorapur-Darliput section of East Coast Railway…
New Delhi: Amid ongoing hostilities and tension in Middle East, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled…
Bhubaneswar: Odisha's Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik on Monday said the…
Bhubaneswar: A video showing live crabs crawling on the floor of a metro train has…
New Delhi: In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court on Monday used its extraordinary powers…
Berhampur: A POCSO court has sentenced a man to imprisonment for 20 years for rape…
New Delhi: After a prolonged period of hide and seek with police, Rape-accused Malayalam actor…
State Transport Authority, Odisha Allegations of Illegal Collection of Money in the Name of Road…