Bhubaneswar: Renowned Odia litterateur, art historian, and former IAS officer Jagannath Prasad (JP) Das passed away at his Bhubaneswar residence on Wednesday night at the age of 90.
He is survived by a profound cultural legacy that bridged the worlds of public service, literature, and art history.
Born on April 26, 1936, in Puri district, Das joined the IAS in 1958. During his distinguished bureaucratic career, he served in several pivotal state and central government roles, most notably as the Collector of Kalahandi during the severe 1965–1966 famine and drought, where his exemplary relief efforts earned widespread recognition.
In 1984, at the peak of his career, h
e chose premature retirement to dedicate himself entirely to his creative passions.
Das was a rare, multifaceted intellectual who excelled as a poet, playwright, painter, actor, novelist, and art historian. A dominant figure in modern Odia literature since the 1960s, he authored iconic poetry collections like ‘Prathama Purusha’, ‘Ahnika’, and ‘Parikrama’, blending modernism, philosophy, and cultural introspection. His literary brilliance earned him the prestigious Saraswati Samman in 2006. Demonstrating his deeply principled nature, he notably declined the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1990.
Beyond poetry, Das revolutionised Odia theatre with experimental, absurdist plays such as ‘Suryasta Purbaru’ and ‘Sundara Das’, and authored the landmark historical novel ‘Desha Kala Patra’. He was also a passionate champion of the literary community, founding the Poetry Society (India) and serving as its president for 14 years.
As a bilingual writer and translator, Das seamlessly connected Odia heritage with global audiences, translating works across Swedish, Urdu, French, and English. His background as a painter deeply informed his definitive scholarly books on Odishan art history, including Puri Paintings (1982) and Palm-Leaf Miniatures (1991), which remain foundational texts in preserving the region’s visual traditions.