The legendary poet and writer, Jayanta Mahapatra, who gained worldwide recognition, passed away on Sunday evening at age 95.
He was undergoing treatment at Srirama Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, India.
According to the doctors, Mahapatra was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and had been undergoing treatment for pneumonia and other old age-related ailments since August 4.
After bracing from the first cardiac arrest, Mahapatra succumbed to a heart stroke on Sunday.
State Funeral Today
Deeply saddened by the loss of the renowned poet and litterateur, the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, expressed profound grief and announced that Mahapatra's funeral would be held on Monday with full state honors.
The literary world has suffered an irreplaceable loss with the passing of Mahapatra, a brilliant writer in both English and Odia literature, according to Patnaik.
Even after his passing, the mellifluous words of Mahapatra will keep him alive, and will continue to weave their magic and the power of human expression, he added.
Life & Journey
Jayanta Mahapatra was born into a distinguished Odia Christian family on October 22, 1928; he later embarked on his professional journey as a physics lecturer and taught in several government colleges in Odisha.
It was in the late 1960s when Mahapatra took a leap in his career by becoming a writer and poet.
He started off by penning short stories and poems but faced many rejections by several Indian publishing houses.
The biggest turning point came when his poems were published in international literary journals.
Since then, there was no looking back for Mahapatra who shot to fame for the poems ‘Indian Summer’ and ‘Hunger’ which are deemed “classics” in Modern Indian English Literature.
His other collections of poems include ''A Rain of Rites', 'Life Signs' and ''A Whiteness of Bone''.
Mahapatra authored 20 books of poems in English and seven in the Odia language.
In 2009, Mahapatra was conferred the fourth-highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, for his contribution to literature.
However, in 2015, Mahapatra returned the award as an act of protest against the rising intolerance in India, fueled by countless distressing incidents that took place during that period.
Condolences & Tribute
Messages of condolences are flooding in on social media as netizens honor the poet by sharing Mahapatra's pictures and excerpts from their favorite poem.
Netizens mourn the demise of internationally acclaimed poet and litterateur Jayanta Mahapatra at 95.
© Photo : Twitter