Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
The two new titles brought out by Associated Media Foundation stir the soul as one goes through Swara Maya of Prof. Chandraprava Pattanayak and Ravana Podi of her husband, Orissa’s eminent journalist, Prasanta Patnaik.
Mrs. Pattanayak is, over and above her academic role, a social activist with left leaning and therefore, naturally, in her letters, oneness with dreams of the downtrodden and the exploited, including women, blossom into poetic petals. But her feelings, in a traditional but unique way, take shape on the collective conscience of society that looks like a mirage, but emits the melody of desirable life. This is how she has coined the title of her first compilation of 78 of her published poems, Swara Maya.
It is a must reading if watching how modern poems capture societal feeling is one’s intention.
And, now as I read between the lines that the compilation of twelve short stories-Ravana Podi-offers, its author Prasanta Patnaik comes live before the mind’s eyes. Clear as always he is in dress and dealings, there is no ambiguity in telling what he feels. Feels or observes? I am inclined to say, he observes.
Mr. Patnaik has observed Orissa in its entirety. Administration in its necked reality has been unveiled umpteen times by his unperturbed pen and lenses in print and electronic media. He writes because the wrong side of individual and collective character must be chiseled out to give way to the finer aspect of life.
If a Ravana or wrongdoer is there, there must be his podi or extermination. No compromise. This is Prasanta Patnaik and this is what his stories are based upon.
Collect the books and enjoy the book fair season.
You can get them from known book stores or from 5R, F-5, Unit-3, Bhubaneswar 751001.