Born :- 02-Jun-1932
Died :- 29-Jul-2017
Place of Birth :- Arjunbindha, Tihidi, Bhadrak

 

Dr. Krushnacharan Behera, eminent Odia litterateur – storyteller, essayist and literary critic – was born on June 2, 1932 in the village of Arjunbindha in Tihid Block of Bhadrak district. His father's name was Patitapaban Behera and mother was Pabitra Devi. He did his post-graduation in Odia language and literature from Biswabharati University, Shantiniketan in 1952 and Ph.D. from Utkal University in 1962 for his thesis on ‘Odia Novels’. He started his career in teaching as a professor of Odia language and literature in 1956. After a long span in the profession in various government colleges he retired from Ravenshaw College in 1981. He founded the Odia Research Council in Cuttack in the year 1982 and published a research-oriented journal titled ‘Eshana’ and was actively involved in the editing and compilation of research literature and essays throughout his literary career. As a visiting professor he travelled to the U.K. and Moscow in 1995. He also travelled to Bulgaria in the 1998.

 During his lifetime, Dr. Behera has published works of five poetry books, 11 books of short stories, 20 books of literary criticism, and a one-act play. He has also edited 20 books of classical importance. A collection of his selected writings was published under the title ‘Bithika. The journal ‘Eshana’ reflected his research-oriented creative mind.

Dr. Behera enjoyed a special reputation as an experimentalist and realist in storytelling. Surrealism in the story ‘Bedi’ written in 1962 became a focal point of debate following its publication. He also wrote stories on the basis of scientific concepts like Test Tube Baby and surrogate mother, stories on women's internal conflicts and the revolutionary changes in the oppressed people.

Dr. Behera's poetry reflects the splendour of youth, the amity-song of humanity, and the reflection of society and politics. Also reputed as an essayist, Dr. Behera is credited as leading  a school of thought of his own in the field of literary criticism. ‘54 Bhanubai Lane’, ‘Laghu Panchak’ (Poetry), ‘Bedi’, ‘Srustira Swapna’, ‘Gopan Patra’, ‘Nari Eka Nadira Nama’, ‘Narimedha’, ‘Itar Itar’ (Story), ‘Pragati Sahitya’ (1958), ‘Katha Sahitya’ (1960), ‘Ashlilata Sapakshare’ (1966), ‘Adhyapakara Jantrana’ (1972), Shri Jagannath O Odia Sahitya (1974), Natya Sahitya Parichaya (1978), ‘Madhyastha Bani’ (1980), ‘Prasanga: Dharma O Siksha’, ‘Prasanga : Galpa O Upanyasa’, ‘Prasanga : Nataka O Ekankika’, ‘Oda Upanyasa’, ‘Ekabinsha Shatabdira Odia Sahitya’ (essays and critiques); Mogal Tamsa, Chaiti Tamsa (play), Kabisurya Granthabali and Gopalakrushna Rachanabali (edited works) are some of his most notable works.

Dr. Behera was honoured with the Bishuv Milan Award (1995), the Kedarnath Research Institute Award (1995), the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award (2001) and the Gangadhar Rath Foundation Award (2010), and was felicitated by many literary and cultural organisations.

Biography