Fakir Mohan Senapati (13 January 1843 – 14 June 1918), often referred to as Utkala Byasa Kabi (''Odisha's Vyasa''), was an Indian writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer. He played a leading role in establishing the distinct identity of Odia, a language mainly spoken in the Indian state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. Senapati is regarded as the father of Odia nationalism and modern Odia literature.

Early life and background

Born to Lakhmana Charana Senapati and Tulasi Devi Senapati in a middle class Khandayat family. When he was one and half year old his father died. After fourteen months his mother also died. Since childhood he was taken care of by his grand mother. Senapati's uncle was jealous of young Fakir Mohan and did not allow his education. His weak health also contributed to him being a late learner. He paid towards his educational expenses by working as a child labourer. Senapati dedicated his life to the progress of Odia language in the later 19th and early 20th century. He is called the father of Odia fiction. At his native place, school, colleges and universities are constructed in his memory like Fakir Mohan College and

Fakir Mohan University Fakir Mohan University (FM University) is a state university located at Nuapadhi, Balasore, Odisha, India. It is named after Odia writer Fakir Mohan Senapati. History This university was established by the Government of Odisha, under Section ...

Work

Novels

Mayadhar Mansingh had described Senapati as the

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

of Odisha. Though he translated from Sanskrit, wrote poetry, and attempted many forms of literature, he is now known primarily as the father of modern Odia prose fiction. His four novels, written between 1897 and 1915, reflect the socio-cultural conditions of Odisha during the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. While the three novels, ''

Chha maana Atha Guntha ''Chha Maana Atha Guntha'' (, ) is a 19th-century Indian novel in the Odia language by Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843–1918), published in an English language translation by the University of California Press. Written long before Russia's October ...

'', '' Mamu'' and '' Prayaschita'' explore the realities of social life in its multiple dimensions, ' Lachhama' is a historical romance dealing with the anarchical conditions of Odisha in the wake of Maratha invasions during the eighteenth century.

Chha Maana Atha Guntha ''Chha Maana Atha Guntha'' (, ) is a 19th-century Indian novel in the Odia language by Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843–1918), published in an English language translation by the University of California Press. Written long before Russia's October ...

is the first Indian novel to deal with the exploitations of landless peasants by the feudal Lord. It was written much before the October revolution of Russia or much before the emerging of Marxist ideas in India. Fakir Mohan is also the writer of the first autobiography in Odia, " Atma Jeebana Charita" .

Short stories

His " Rebati" (1898) is widely recognized as the first Odia short story. It is the story of a young innocent girl whose desire for education is placed in the context of a conservative society in a backward Odisha village, which is hit by the killer epidemic cholera. His other stories are "Patent Medicine", "Daka Munshi", "Adharma Bitta" etc. His short stories are complied in books "''galpa swalpa-1 and 2''".

Poem

He wrote a long poem, Utkala Bhramanam, that first appeared in 1892. Literally meaning Tour of Odisha, this poem, in reality, is not a travelogue but a commentary on the state of affairs in the Odisha of that time, written in a satirical manner.

Family members

Senapati married Leelavati Devi in 1856 when he was aged thirteen. She died when he was 29 leaving behind a daughter. In summer 1871, he married Krushna Kumari Dei, who died in 1894 leaving behind a son and a daughter.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Senapati, Fakir Mohan 1843 births 1918 deaths People from Balasore Odia-language poets Odia-language novelists Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers Indian social reformers Novelists from Odisha 19th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers 19th-century Indian short story writers 19th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian male writers Poets from Odisha 19th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian poets