Dear friends and well wishers of Guwahati Press Club. Here is a news item for your information and use. Regards, Nava Thakuria (m) 98640 44917 Manoj Das to attend Guwahati Press Club programme Guwahati: Eminent writer Manoj Das will attend a Meet The Press programme of Guwahati Press Club tomorrow (April 30) at 11 am. All are invited for the programme. Brief profile of Mr Das: Born at Shankari, Balasore, Orissa, Manoj Das is perhaps the foremost bilingual Oriya writer and a master of dramatic expression both in his English and Oriya short stories and novels. He says that characters follow the theme of a story and the words are merely added by author to represent the thoughts of the character. That is the precise reason why Das's persons in fiction are from so many varied backgrounds and display many different dimensions of human nature. He is a philosopher, a thinker-writer whose works can be defined as quest for finding the eternal truth in everyday circumstances. He is settled as an ashramite of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry since 1963, and is an English professor at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry, and is presently concentrating on writing novels.
Among his other important positions are Member, General Council, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi 1998-2002 and Author-consultant, Ministry of Education, Govt. of Singapore, 1983-85. He received recognition in the form of the Sahitya Akademi Award, 1972, in English; Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award, 1965 and 1982; Sarala Award, 1981; Vishuba Award, 1986; and Sahitya Bharati Award, 1995; Saraswati Samman, 2000; Padma Shri, 2001. His major work: Shesha basantara chithi, 1966; Manoj Dasanka katha o kahani, 1971; Dhumabha diganta, 1971; Manojpancabimsati, 1977; (short stories); Tuma gam o anyanya kabita, 1992 (poetry). His notable English works include: The crocodiles lady : a collection of stories, 1975, The submerged valley and other stories, Farewell to a ghost : short stories and a novelette, 1994; Cyclones, 1987, and A tiger at twilight, 1991.
