Born :- 01-Mar-1924
Died :- 13-Aug-2004
Place of Birth :- Cuttack

Kishoricharan Das, a leading light of modern Odia literature, was born to parents Bipracharan Das and Devi in Cuttack in the year 1924. He did his BA in 1942 and an M.A. in History from Patna University in1944. In the year 1947 he completed L.L.B. and joined the Indian Audit and Accounts Service in 1950. He travelled to Saigon in 1958, the United States in 1961 and South Africa in 1975 to study their experience in the development of agriculture. He retired in 1982.

Kishoricharan started with poetry as a teenager and later, through poetry and novels, he drew the attention of readers. His story books such as ‘Bhanga Khelana’, ‘Laksha Bihanga’, ‘Gharabahuda’, ‘Manihara’, ‘Thakur Ghara’, ‘Naligulugulu Sadhaba Bohu’, ‘Gamana’, ‘Khelara Nama Ranga’, ‘Bhinna Paunsa’, ‘Shita Lahara’, ‘Trayobinsha Mrutyu’, ‘Leutani’, ‘Nija Sanja’, ‘Dhabala Akash’, ‘Tharutie’, ‘Taranga’, ‘Sesha Galpa’ and ‘Parada Tale O Anyanya Galpa’  manifest his high-profile storytelling style. He has authored novels such as ‘Satadinara Sati’, ‘Sakala Santan’, ‘Neta O Netramani’, ‘Swargasima’, ‘Bideshini’, ‘Tuma Aama Shatabdi’, ‘Sesha anka Prathama Drushya’ and ‘Nian’. His poetry collections are: Faces in the Dark and Mana Kamana.

His original ideas and views on literature are reflected in articles like ‘Lekhakanka Samsar’, ‘Katha Sahityar Kala O Karigari’, ‘Lekhakara Dukha’, ‘Mo Samaya O Mo Sahitya’ and ‘Sahitya Pramara Sesha Katha’. Even of the story books by the author have been published in English.

Kishoricharan represented the Indian writers at the literary conference at Adelaide of Australia and led the Indian delegation at the Bangalore conference. His Odia books and their translations were published by the nationally famous Vikash Publishing House (New Delhi), Kendra Sahitya Academi (New Delhi), Jaico Publishing House (Mumbai) and National Book Trust of India (New Delhi). Similarly his writings found place in the Hindi compilations published by ‘Bharatiya Jnanapeeth’, Puspa Prakashani (N.B.T., New Delhi) and the National Publishing House, New Delhi. He also translated and edited Odia stories as well as stories of other eastern Indian languages for the N.B.T. and the I.C.C.R.

Kishoricharan was one of the exponents of modernism in Odia literature. The characters of his fictions come from urban setting, with disrupted dreams, inner conflict and existential anguish. He considered writing as a commitment. He maintained that writing expresses a writer's relationship with various emotions and no writing can belong to any class or community, but 'it belongs to the whole world.

Kishoricharan was president of the Odisha Sahitya Academi from 1994 to 1997. He was honoured with the  Odisha Sahitya Academy Award in 1976, Sarala Puraskar in 1985 and Bishuva Puraskar in 1992. Utkal Kala Parishad also honoured him with the title ‘Utkal Shri’.

 Kishoricharan breathed his last on 17 August, 2004.

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