An evening with Sri Samir Ranjan Das.

An evening with Sri Samir Ranjan Das.

He is an ordinary man like me or any other reader of Odia literature. Like many of you who will love to read this piece, I also know him as the most dedicated fan of the legendary Sri Manoj Das and the point of our affection to the person is what we feel about his ability to remain in constant inspiration to continue any work in relation to sir. Literally we feel him as a Kuni Hanuman.

That makes a sense that he may be an eccentric pro Manoj Das feeler that is typical to the behavior of a fan of any celebrity. I also had a small similar feeling till yesterday when he spent a wonderful evening with our family.

I was wrong so also you all if you feel so.

He now stays at Hyderabad and has come with his family for limited number of days to his native place and that of in-law. In addition of enjoying the festival he is busy to utilize his time in relation to literature.

He is a banker not a professional in a literature related field.

He attended a big seminar of the Odia Wikipedia ongoing work on E-book making of Odia literature at BBSR. Spent some good time with Mr Saroj Bal of timepass Prakasan with some positive discussion with the enthusiastic publisher.

The time we spent was very interesting that he brought the topics of his association with Sri Radhanath Rath (psychologist), personal experience with Sri Chandrasekhar Ratha, topics related to Sri Mohapatra Nilamani Sahoo, the script writer of Odia serial Duhita, late SrI Gopinath Mohanty, Late Sri Manmathnath Das, our Sarala Das, Jagannath Das, Swami Ram, ex editor of Sachitra Vijaya, Dr Bani Samant, Sreema, Sri Aurovinda, Dr Sanyal, The Samaj, The Sambad, Sri Bibhuti Patnaik, Sri Sitakant Mohapatra, Madam Prativa Ray, late Sri Biju Patnaik, Sri Harekrishna Mohatab, and sure I am forgetting so many names.

He was telling his unfruitful yesterday’s venture when he with Sri Dattatreya Dash went to meet Sri Hrishikesh Panda in his village and several other things at Balasore. Young Dattatrya should accept that time sometimes deceives you so that your time becomes more intense with some desired persons that it was.

In a nutshell this man Samir is not all about our link to sir he can be a very beautiful link to the huge encyclopedia of Odia literature.

My wife Dr Sarita Behera joined in the discussion a little later, after finishing her work and enjoyed.  

Some years back in a small meeting in presence of Madam Professor Sarojini Sadangi I questioned whether Odia is heading towards the similar fate of Sanskrit and should you or anyone else write in Odia if there is no reader.

I know the success of Pustak Melas gives an opposite and positive feeling.

The same odd feeling came when I saw a book on the footpath that was brand new, with the autograph of the author obviously gifted to a person as if praying the customer to bail it out which I did and it was not badly written either.

But I am wrong.

Till a single reader like Samir is there the writers ( he himself is one) are morally bound to write something to carry on the legacy of Upendra Bhanja, Sarala Das, Fakir Mohan and Surendra Mohanty. Proud to be an Odia, a reader and proud to be a small Odia writer. Very proud to know a friend like Samirbabu.

(His philanthropic activity and desire not to make our present work commercial is intentionally not discussed)

God bless you Samirbabu and your family. Thanks from my parents, Sarita and me to make an evening we shall remember forever.