Check back every Tuesday for a new set of five! This week we have Das, Mohanty, Satpathy, Ray and Naik.
Amruta Phala by Manoj Das
Winner of the prestigious Saraswati Samman in 2001, the novel is based on a tale that perfectly blends history, legend, mystery, magic and realism. It sees two parallel stories in motion: one contextualizing existential suffering faced by King Bhartruhari of Ujjain after finding an "Amruta Phala" (a divine magical fruit) in ancient times, and the second story takes place in the current age, where a suave & successful businessman goes through similar existential dilemma (from Goodreads).
Nilashaila by Surendra Mohanty
Set in the years 1727-1736, the novel gives an honest account of Ramachandradev, the king of Khurda, who converts to Islam to marry the daughter of the Muslim ruler of Cuttack, but later, battles the Muslim ruler when he tries to destroy the idol of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of the Oriya race. It is an intense portrayal of the religious and cultural tradition of Orissa that is an integral part of Oriya racial consciousness.
Prapti by Paramita Satpathy
Translated as A Boundless Moment by Snehprava Das
Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Prapti is a collection of ten novellas in Odia and a wonderful discovery in Satpathy's canvas of fiction writing. Women, in different facts and faucet, in many hues are protagonists of the novellas. Novelty in choice of themes, sharpness of expression, artistry in structure, character befitting language, sparks of imagery and symbols, together imbibe a kind of uniqueness and specialty to the novellas. The magic of imagination and the starkness of reality infuse with each other to mesmerize the readers (from the author’s official website).
Barsha Basanta Baishakha by Pratibha Ray
The author’s debut novel in Odia went on to become a best-seller.
Bheda by Akhila Naik
Translated as Bheda by Raj Kumar
Set mainly in Kalahandi, a district in western Odisha, this polyphonic novel — regarded as the first novel written by a Dalit in Odia — deals with issues of caste-based inequality and violence in contemporary society. Through his novel, Naik challenges the hegemony of the dominant castes and questions the failure of the nation-state to protect vulnerable members of its society, themes that relate directly to the multiple meanings of the title of the novel: the word ‘bheda’ refers variously to ‘a sense of difference’ and ‘the target’.
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