THUS SPOKE PRASANTA : I LOST AN ELDER SISTER

Prasanta Patnaik

I am very much pained at the sad demise of my elder sister-like writer Padmashree Binapani Mohanty today ( 24th April 2022) at Cuttack. My close Ravenshawavian friend Prof. Avedananda Mohanty , who happens to be the younger brother Bina Apa gave me this very sad news. He was feeling helpless as he was not in a situation to go to Cuttack to pay his respect to Bina Apa who was so close to our heart.

Bina Apa was intimately known to me since my days in Ravenshaw College as her younger brother Avedananda Mohanty was a very close friend of mine. Bina Apa was working in Kuntalakumari Sabat Women’s College, Balasore and I use to meet her at the Cuttack Railway station whenever she was traveling to Balasore or returning from Balasore.

Bina Apa was close to my wife Chndraprava who was associated with leftist literary and cultural organizations along with Dr. Nirupama Rath ( Elder sister of Bina Apa ).She was a member of Lekhika Sansadof which Bina Apa was the Chairman. Though some members of the Sansad had disassociated from the Sansad because of alleged arbitrary attitude of Bina Apa, Chadraprava stayed solidly with her till her last,

She was born 11 November 1936 and was a widely known writer, and academician. She was well known for her works such as Patadei and Kasturi Mriga .

She was a professor in Economics before retiring. She had been awarded Padmashree by Govt of India and Atibadi Jagannatha Das Sammana by Odisha Sahitya Akademi. She had earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Award and Sarala Award. She had served as chairperson of Odisha Lekhika Sansad.

Bina Apa was born to Chaturbhuja Mohanty and Kumudini Mohanty. Her family was from a village near Kendrapada called Chandol(Then part of the undivided Cuttack District). However, her father was a government servant and was posted at Berhampore where she was born in the year 1936.She completed her matriculation in 1953 and then went on to study economics. She got her bachelor’s degree in 1957 and post-graduation degree in 1959 from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. She later worked as a lecturer and was posted to various colleges. She retired from Sailabala Women’s College in 1992.

Binapani Mohanty has carved a niche for herself in the field of Odia fiction writing. Her literary career as a storyteller began with the publication of ‘Gotie Ratira Kahani’ in 1960. Some of her best-known stories are Pata Dei, Khela Ghara, Naiku Rasta, Bastraharana, Andhakarara, Kasturi Murga O Sabuja Aranya, and Michhi Michhika. It was the collection of short stories entitled ‘Pata Dei and other Stories’, that won the 1990 Sahitya Akademi. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020.

Her short story Pata Dei was published as Lata in Femina in 1986. In 1987, its Hindi dramatization was telecast in Doordarshan as a series called Kashmakash.

Many short stories of Binapani Mohanty have been translated into different languages such as English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Telegu, and Russian. A film was made on her story ” Andhakarara Chhai” and has been highly appreciated by the audience.

She has also penned three novels: Sitara Sonita, Manaswini and Kunti, Kuntala, Shakuntala and a one-act play entitled Kranti. She has translated Russian folk tales from English to Odia, among other translations.

She has won numerous awards including Padmashree. A few of them are noted below. Because of her illness, she could not go to Delhi to receive the award and it was officially handed over to her father Cuttack residence.

Sunday Prajatantra Award For Poetry (1956)

Jhankar for poetry (1961 )

Orissa Sahitya Academy Award for the short story collection titled Kasruri Mruga O Sabuja Aranya (1968)

Jibanranga Award for short story (1973)

Challapatha Award for short story (1973)

Jhankar Award for short story by Prajatantra Prachar Samiti (1974)

Dharitri Award for short story (1980)

Sahakar Award for short story (1985)

Nilasaila Award for short(1987)

Sucharita Award for short story (1988)

Sahitya Akademi Award (1990)

Sudhanya Award for short story (1992)

Gokarnica Award (1999)

Visuba Puraskar (2000)

Sahitya Bharati Puraskar (2002)

Gruhini Samaj Puraskar (2002)

Bharat Chandra Sahitya Smruti Samman of Sambalpur University (2002)

Pratham Reba Roy Samman (2004)

Kadambini Samman (2009)

Uttar Orissa Sahitya Samman (2010)

She edited ,Odia lekhika : Uttar-madhya parba,

Ama samayara galpa ,Bhumi : kabita sankalana, 98-99 .