Radha Mohan Gadanayak-ରାଧାମୋହନ ଗଡ଼ନାୟକ(Odia) (1911–2000) was an Indian poet of

Odia literature Odia literature is literature written in the Odia language, mostly from the Indian state of Odisha. The modern Odia language is mostly formed from Tadbhava words with significant Sanskrit (Tatsama) influences, along with loanwoards from Desaj ...

, known for his

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

and poetic creations. The poet, considered by many as one of the major Odia poets of this century, was a recipient of the

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

, which he received, in 1975, for his poem anthology, ''Surya O Andhakar''. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 1990.

Biography

Gadanayak was born in August 1911 in Kalandapal, a small village in the periphery of Angul town in the Indian state of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, to Mahadeva Gadnayak and Golakamani Devi. He was involved with the

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

from an early age and became associated with the Satyagraha movement of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

at the age of 23. As a poet, he was more inclined to the genre of ballads and composed many ballads on various subjects and people such as Kalidasa and Mohandas Gandhi. His anthology, ''Surjya O Andhakara'' won him the

for Odia literature in 1975. He also translated

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ''Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám'' is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains (') attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia". Altho ...

into Odia language. ''Gopabandhu racanābaḷī'', ''Gaḍanāẏaka granthābaḷī'', ''Kāḷidāsa'', ''Gāndhī gāthā'', ''Kāḷindīcaraṇa parikramā'', ''Hīrākhaṇḍara gāthā'', ''Gopabaṅdhu racanābaḷī'', ''Abācīra tārā'' and ''Paśupakshīra kābya'' are some of his other notable works. Gadanayak died on 21 February 2000, at the age of 88, a decade after he was included by the Government of India in the 1990 Republic Day honours list for the civilian award of the

. His poetry has been subjected to critical review and ''Gaḍanāẏaka abhinandana grantha'', ''Kābyanāẏaka Gaḍanāẏaka'', ''Rādhāmohana sṛshṭi samīkshā'', ''Kabi Rādhāmohana Gaḍanāẏaka : kr̥ti o kr̥titva'' and ''Gaḍanāẏaka parikramā'' are some of the published studies. Seashore Sahitya Academy, a Bhubaneshwar based literary forum has set up a library, ''Radhamohan Gadanayak National Library'', in his honour. His birth centenary was celebrated by Gadanayak Centenary Committee and other organizations. The Committee, in association with ''Sarala Sahitya Sansad'', has instituted an annual literary award, ''Kavi Radhamohan Gadanayak Centenary Award'', in honour of the Odia balladeer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gadanayak, Radha Mohan 1911 births 2000 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Odia Recipients of the Atibadi Jagannath Das Award Indian male poets Poets from Odisha People from Angul district Odia-language poets Indian civil rights activists Indian independence activists from Odisha 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian male writers

Biography

See also

References

External links