I came to know about Late Dr Rajendra Kishore Panda for the first time towards the year 1980. His younger brother was with us in the college, who talked about his poetry. By that time, though he had already become an administrative officer, his reputation as a poet was gradually picking up. He was born in the western part of Odisha. He had an inclination for writing ever since his childhood days, and till the very end of his life, he was busy writing. The fact is that he could find time for creative writing out of his busy schedule as an administrative officer. There are many administrative officers with talent, creativity and interest in art and literature. But they are not able to find time for such creative art and writing. But Late Dr Panda had speciality in that. Having been an efficient administrator all his life, he has also served literature, created volumes of poetry and taken Odia literature to a great height.
The year was 1991 or 1992. Late Dr Panda had started earning a reputation as a poet. I read his poetry for the first time during this time and realised how beautifully and vividly he had delineated the conflict in man’s mind and the uncertainty of life in some of his poetry. From that time, I became familiar with the poetic talent of Late Dr Panda, who could speak what he wanted to through the right use of words and expression of ideas and feelings.
The poetic career of Late Dr Panda, from about 1954 to 2025, spans longer than his administrative service career, from 1967 to 2004. In addition to his sixteen poetry collections, there are novels and other writings to his credit. His major poetry collections are as follows:
- Gouna Devata
- Anavatar O Anya Anya
- Shatadru Anek
- Nija Pain Nanabaya
- Anya
- Chaukathare Chirakala
- Shailakalpa
- Ishakhela
- Bahubrihi
- Drohavakya
- Dujanari
- Satyottar
- Bairagibhramar
His novels include Chidabhasa and Python.
For his lifelong service to literature, Late Dr Panda has won the following honours and awards:
- Sahitya Academy Award in 1985 for his Shailakalpa poetry collection
- Kuvempu National Award in 2020
- Gangadhar National Award in 2010 for poetry
- D.Litt Honoris Causa in 2004 from Sambalpur University
- Senior Fellowship for Literature
- Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Puraskar
- Jhankar Kavita Purashkar
- Bharat Chandra Nayak Smaraki Sahitya Purashkar
- Bisuba Purashkar
- Sarala Purashkar
- Sahitya Bharati Purashkar and others.
Late Dr Panda was a gifted poet. When once asked as to what he would have been born as had he not been Rajendra Kishore Panda, his answer was, “He would have been born as Rajendra Kishore Panda.” He completed his MA from Allahabad University. His first poetry collection came up in the year 1975. He was very much influenced by the trend of Neo-modernity started by poet Sachidananda Routray in Odia literature.
Late Dr Panda was not in favour of conforming to any poetic style or poetry group. Still, many Odia poets have come under his influence. Creativity, vision, experiment and excellence of language have marked his poetry.
In his poetry, there are imprints of Irony, Surrealism and an anti-establishment stand. He was ready to rewrite history when required. Speaking about the poetry of dissent, he says, “The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude”. He calls himself an agnostic and says that in poetry he has created God to express his conflict and dissent. As a poet of humanism, he loves the whole of mankind, and poetry is his chosen medium.
The poetry of Late Dr Panda stands on a mixture of opposites. Strange feelings, thoughtful emotions and masculine feelings can be found in his poetry. From starting his poetry for a wall magazine when he was in Standard V, he has turned out to be a Siddha Kavi or accomplished poet. He does not want salvation or Moksha. Rather, he wants to suffer all the pangs of life. He says, “Man’s penance to become man is not yet over”. He even created words while writing poetry. There is also love for Nature in his poetry. Both metaphysical and romantic characteristics can be found in his poetry.
Whatever amount of discussion is done on the poetry of Dr Rajendra Kishore Panda will be less. Only by going through his entire collections of poetry can one draw a proper sketch of his work and appreciate his poetic talent. His contribution to Odia poetry and inspiration to the new generation of poets will make him immortal in the annals of the history of Odia literature.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
Email: airprafulla61@gmail.com
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