By Our Correspondent
DUBAI/BHUBANESWAR: Rich tributes were paid to Eminent Odia and English litterateur Manoj Das by prominent Non-Resident Odias of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai.Expatriate group GOOD (Global Odias for Odisha’s Development) organized a condolence meeting on Thursday evening.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the meeting was a symbolic affair and strictly adhered to social distancing norms to prevent the spread of Covid-19.At the outset a lamp was lit in front of his photograph and floral tributes were paid. Then the attendees spoke about Shri Manoj Das’ life and times and his literary accomplishments. A special book reading session was also organized.
Prominent attendees were Capt. Soumyaranjan Patnaik, President of a Shipping Company, M Priyadarshee Panigrahi, General Manager of a large Consumer Goods Company, Rajesh Tripathy, General Manager of a leading global business school and Prashant Meher, poet-writer and IT professional.
Speaker after speaker eulogized Manoj’s contribution to Odia and English literature. He was a person who single handedly increased the profile of Odia language and literature. People recalled his simple and down-to-earth demeanor and magnetic personality.
Tributes were led by Capt. Soumyaranjan Patnaik who said that it was important to remember this legend and pay tributes to him, hence despite the pandemic, this small commemoration was organized.
Priyadarshee Panigrahi talked about Shri Manoj Das being a legendary Odia and English writer. He said ‘Shri Das was probably the best loved author in Odia and a significant writer in English who was praised by one of leading British novelists of the 20th Century Graham Greene and India’s much loved author Ruskin Bond’.
Rajesh Tripathy wanted more efforts to be undertaken to spread the magic of his literary genius across the globe. Some foreign universities should be persuaded to make some of his books as part of their curriculum.
One of the highlights of the evening was the recitation of Prashant Meher’s specially composed poem in the memory of Shri Manoj Das. It was a poignant one which talked about Shri Das’ departure and his immortal legacy and body of work.
GOOD was at the forefront of an International Campaign to restore air connectivity to the newly established Veer Surendra Sai Airport at Jharsuguda. GOOD had also undertaken efforts to popularize Nuakhai at a Global level. Last year GOOD had organized the first ever celebrations of Veer Surendra Sai’s birth Anniversary on Foreign Soil.
