Manoj Das facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manoj Das
Native name	Manoj Kumar Das
Born	(1934-02-27)27 February 1934 Sankhari, Balasore, Odisha, India
Died	27 April 2021(2021-04-27) (aged 87) Puducherry
Occupation	Writer, columnist, editor, professor
Alma mater	Samanta Chandra Shekhar College, Puri Ravenshaw College
Genre	Fiction, mythology, biography
Notable works	Cyclones A Tiger at Twilight Mystery of the Missing Cap Myths, Legends, Concepts and Literary Antiquities of India
Notable awards	Padma Shri Padma Bhusan Sahitya Akademi Fellowship Saraswati Samman
Spouse	Pratijina Devi
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Manoj Das (born February 27, 1934 – died April 27, 2021) was a famous Indian writer. He wrote stories and books in both the Odia language and English.

He received many important awards for his writing. These include the Saraswati Samman in 2000. He also got the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2020. These are two of India's highest awards for civilians.

The Kendra Sahitya Akademi gave him its highest honor, the Sahitya Akademi Award Fellowship. This is India's top literary award.

In 1971, Manoj Das did a lot of research in London and Edinburgh. He found new information about India's fight for freedom in the early 1900s. This fight was led by Sri Aurobindo. For this important work, he won the first Sri Aurobindo Puraskar in Kolkata.

Later, Manoj Das became interested in spiritual ideas. In 1963, he moved to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. There, he taught English Literature and the ideas of Sri Aurobindo at the Sri Aurobindo International University.

Early Life and Education

Manoj Das was born in a small village called Balasore in Odisha. His father, Madhusudan Das, worked for the British government. Manoj Das started writing at a young age.

His first book of poems, Satavdira Artanada, came out in 1949. He was still in high school then. In 1950, he started his own literary magazine called Diganta.

He finished high school in 1951. That same year, his first collection of short stories, Samudrara Kshyudha (which means Hunger of Sea), was published.

While studying at Cuttack College, he was very active in student politics. He was a youth leader with strong ideas and even spent a year in jail for his activities. In 1959, he went to a student conference in Bandung, Indonesia.

He did not finish his degree in Cuttack. He later graduated from Samanta Chandra Shekhar College in Puri in 1955. During his college years, he kept writing. He published a novel, Jeebanara Swada, and more stories and poems.

After getting his degree in English literature, he earned a higher degree from Ravenshaw College. He taught for a short time at Christ College (Cuttack). Then, in 1963, he joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. He became a professor of English Literature there.

He said that famous writers like Fakir Mohan Senapati, Vyasa, and Valmiki influenced his early writing.

As an Editor and Columnist

Manoj Das also worked as an editor. He edited a cultural magazine called The Heritage from 1985 to 1989. This magazine was published from Chennai.

He wrote columns for major Indian newspapers. These included The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, and The Statesman. In these columns, he often wrote about finding deep truths in everyday life.

Creative Writing and Storytelling

Manoj Das is known as a leading writer in both Odia and English. He was a master at telling dramatic stories in his short stories and novels. Many people consider him one of the best storytellers in India today.

Many students have studied Manoj Das's works for their doctoral degrees. P. Raja was the first scholar to do so.

Awards and Honors

Manoj Das received many awards for his contributions to literature:

• Odisha Sahitya Academy Award, 1965 and 1987
• Kendra Sahitya Academy Award, 1972
• Sarala Award, 1981
• Vishuba Award, 1986
• Sahitya Bharati Award, 1995
• Saraswati Samman, 2000
• Orissa State Film Award for Best Story 2001
• Padma Shri, 2001
• Padma Bhushan, 2020
• Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, 2006
• Atibadi Jagannath Das award, 2007
• NTR Literary Award, 2013
• Amrita Keerti Puraskar, 2013
• Veda Vyas Samman
• Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (2020)

Selected Works

See also

• List of Indian writers