Bhubaneswar: Noted academic of Odisha Prof (Dr) Jitendra Narayan Patnaik has succumbed to COVID-19.
He was undergoing treatment in a private hospital for the past few days and breathed his last on April 10 at the age of 78, family sources said.
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In his teaching career spanning 37 years, Patnaik taught as a lecturer, reader, and professor of English at Khallikote College Berhampur, SCS College Puri, Ravenshaw (autonomous) College, Talcher College, Utkal University, Arunachal University, and Sana’a University, Yemen.
He supervised 17 scholars of Utkal University to attain their PhDs under his guidance during this tenure.
He also held various positions in deputation in the Odisha government – Editor, Orissa Review (1986-1992), Director, English Language Teaching Institute (1995-1998), and Member & President, State Selection Board (1999-2000).
Patnaik was awarded Senior Fellow from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, (2007-09), and UGC’s Emeritus Fellow (2009-11).
He authored many books, translated works (Odia-English-Odia) of repute for National Book Trust and State and Central Sahitya Akademi and published several research papers in credible publications that won him appreciation and recognition.
His project on the life and works of Leo Tolstoy won him the Soviet Land Nehru award in 1987. Some of his notable publications include Postmodern Indian English Fiction (2002), the Aesthetics of New Criticism, Growth of the Oriya Novel (2009), Leo Tolstoy (1979), Sampratika Paschatya Samalochana Tatva (2006), and Fakir Mohan Senapati: Paragon of Odia Identity (Odisha Sahitya Academy, 2012).
Till his last days, Patnaik was actively involved in teaching as a guest faculty at Udayanath Autonomous College of Science and Technology, Adaspur.
