Mayadhar Mansingh (13 November 1905 – 11 October 1973) was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

. He received the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 1967.

Personal life

Mansingh was born in Nandala village, Krushnaprasad Tahasil of Puri district, Odisha, India. He was married to Hemalata and had 5 children. From oldest to youngest, "Lalatendu, Lalitendu, Labanyendu (deceased) and Nivedita and the youngest daughter, Sanghamitra(deceased)." His second son was a former diplomat,

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

of India, a former High Commissioner of India to the UK, and a former Ambassador of India to the United States,

Lalit Mansingh Lalit Mansingh (born 29 April 1941) is a former Indian diplomat. He was the Foreign Secretary of India from 1999 to 2000, and Indian Ambassador to the United States from 2001 to 2004. Prior to this, he was Indian High Commissioner to the Unite ...

Career

Mansingh's literary contributions include essays, poetic plays and long narrative poems. He also authored several research articles on the

History of Odisha Human history in Odisha begins in the Lower Paleolithic era, as Acheulian tools dating to the period have been discovered in various places in the region. The early history of Odisha can be traced back to the mentions found in ancient texts l ...

.He also worked as Head of the Jnankosh Project of

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a Public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in Odisha, the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The pre ...

. His poetic style is profuse with the use of romantic and erotic metaphor, for which he has earned the appellation "Prēmika kabi" (Lover poet) in

Odia literature Odia literature is literature written in the Odia language, mostly from the Indian state of Odisha. The modern Odia language is mostly formed from Tadbhava words with significant Sanskrit (Tatsama) influences, along with loanwoards from Desaj ...

. He wrote books like The Saga of the Land of Jagannatha (English) which portrays vividly the ancient history of Odisha. He also wrote books in Odia like Mahatabani, Geeta Mahatmya and Sarbajanina Geeta, which were published by J. Mohapatra & co (Now Mass Media Pvt Ltd), Cuttack. The Saga of the Land of Jagannatha is published by Mass Media Pvt Ltd. Some of his notable works include poems ''Krushna'', ''Kamalayana'', ''Kōṇārka'' and ''Ēi sahakāra taḷē''. Mansingh authored several research articles on the history of Odia literature, a subject in which he had abiding interest. He also authored a history of the

language, documenting the general use of the language, as also the development of

. The treatise, ''Ōḍiā Sāhitẏara Itihāsa'' (History of Odia language), was published in 1962. Mansingh has also introduced some works of William Shakespeare into Odia literature. He has translated Shakespeare's '' Hamlet'' and ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' into Odia.Changing the Terms, Translating in the Postcolonial Era
''Sherry Simon and Paul St-Pierre''. 272 pages . 6 × 9 (November 2000). pp. 77

Literary contribution

Poetry

* Dhũpa * Sadhaba bohu * Jema * Malayana * Konark * Pujajemi * Rūpadēbatā * Dūrē raha * Hemasasya * Hemasaspa * Palīsandhẏā * Mahānadīrē jẏōtsnā bihāra *

Essay

* ''Ōḍiā Sāhitẏara Itihāsa'' ("History of Odia language") (1962)Mansingha, Mayadhar (1962) ''History of Oriya literature'' Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi Saraswati Fakiramohan (Biography of Fakirmohan Senapati) Sikshabitra Gatha ("Story of an Educationist")

Translation

He translated famous '' Shakespeare'' tragedy '' Hamlet'' and ''

'' in Odia.

Dr Mayadhar Mansingh Memorial High School

Dr Mayadhar Mansingh Memorial High School is established in the year 1982 in Nandala Village of Krushnaprasad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansingh, Mayadhar 1905 births 1973 deaths People from Odisha Odia-language writers Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education