Pratibha Ray

Last updated

Pratibha Ray
Pratibha Ray at World Odia Language Conference.jpg
Born (1944-01-21) 21 January 1944 (age 80)
Alabol, Balikuda, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha, India
Language Odia
EducationM.A. (Education), PhD (Educational Psychology) [1]
Alma mater Ravenshaw College
Notable worksYajnaseni, Shilapadma
Notable awards Jnanpith Award
Moortidevi Award
Website
pratibharay.org

Pratibha Ray (born 21 January 1944) is an Indian academic and writer of Odia-language novels and stories. For her contribution to the Indian literature, Ray received the Jnanpith Award in 2011. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2022. [2]

Contents

Life and career

She was born on 21 January 1944, at Alabol, a remote village in the Balikuda area of Jagatsinghpur district formerly part of Cuttack district of Odisha state. [3] She was the first woman to win the Moortidevi Award in 1991. [4] Her first novel Barsha Basanta Baishakha (1974) [5] was a best seller.

Her search for a "social order based on equality, love, peace and integration", continues, since she first penned at the age of nine. When she wrote for a social order, based on equality without class, caste, religion or sex discriminations, some of her critics branded her as a communist, and some as feminist. [6] But she says: "I am a humanist. Men and women have been created differently for the healthy functioning of society. The specialities women have been endowed with should be nurtured further. As a human being, however, woman is equal to man."

She continued her writing career even after her marriage and raising a family of three children and husband Akshay Ray who is an engineer. Her post-doctoral research was on Tribalism and Criminology of Bondo Highlander, [7] [8] [9] tribes of Odisha, India.

She started her professional career as a school teacher, and later she taught in various government colleges in Odisha for thirty years. She has guided doctoral research and has published many research articles. She took voluntary retirement as a Professor of Education from State Government Service and joined as Member, Public Service Commission of Odisha. [10]

She has active interest in social reform [11] and has fought against social injustice on many occasions. One important incident in her life is protesting against colour (caste/religion) discrimination by the high priests of Jagannath Temple at Puri. She is currently fighting a defamation case lodged by the priests against her for her newspaper article in which she wrote against the undesirable behaviour of the priests, titled "The Colour of Religion is Black" (Dharmara Ranga Kala). [12] She works in the cyclone-affected areas after the Odisha's Super Cyclone of October 1999 and she is working for rehabilitation of the orphans and widows of Cyclone affected areas. [13]

Travel

Ray has travelled extensively inside India to participate in various national literary and educational conferences. She visited five republics of the erstwhile USSR in 1986 in a cultural exchange programme sponsored by ISCUS. She represented India as an Indian writer in the India Fair in Australia, "India Today 94". sponsored by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, in 1994. She gave readings and talks on Indian literature and languages in several universities of Australia. She has also visited the US, UK and France on speaking tours, represented India as an Indian writer in the India Festival in Bangladesh in 1996, and attended the 7th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women in the University of Tromsø, Norway, in June 1999 as an Indian delegate. She visited Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark on a speaking tour in 1999. Visited Zurich, Switzerland, in 2000 to present a paper in the Third European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education.

Memberships

She is a member of a number of learned societies. She is connected with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Central Board of Film Certification, Indian Red Cross Society, India International Centre, National Book Trust of India, Central Academy of Letters etc. She has travelled extensively in India and abroad to participate in various literary and educational conferences. She has won a number of national and state awards for her creative writing.

Selected works

Novels

Travelogue
Short Stories

Adaptations

Awards and recognition

See also

Related Research Articles

Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Ancient Meitei, Modern Meitei, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi and Urdu among other prominent languages. Poetry in foreign languages such as English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jnanpith Award</span> Indian literary award

The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India and English, with no posthumous conferral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amrita Pritam</span> Indian writer

Amrita Pritam was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. A prominent figure in Punjabi literature, she is the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award. Her body of work comprised over 100 books of poetry, fiction, biographies, essays, a collection of Punjabi folk songs and an autobiography that were all translated into several Indian and foreign languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qurratulain Hyder</span> Indian Urdu writer (1928-2007)

Qurratulain Hyder was an Indian Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding and influential literary names in Urdu literature, she is best known for her magnum opus, Aag Ka Darya, a novel first published in Urdu in 1959, from Lahore, Pakistan, that stretches from the fourth century BC to post partition of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay</span> Indian novelist (1898–1971)

Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was an Indian novelist who wrote in the Bengali language. He wrote 65 novels, 53-story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies, 2 travel stories and composed several songs. He was awarded Rabindra Puraskar, Sahitya Akademi Award, Jnanpith Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. He was nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971 and posthumously nominated in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabaneeta Dev Sen</span> Indian writer and academic (1938–2019)

Nabaneeta Dev Sen was an Indian writer and academic. After studying arts and comparative literature, she moved to the US where she studied further. She returned to India and taught at several universities and institutes as well as serving in various positions in literary institutes. She published more than 80 books in Bengali: poetry, novels, short stories, plays, literary criticism, personal essays, travelogues, humour writing, translations and children's literature. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2000 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoj Das</span> Indian author (1934–2021)

Manoj Das was an Indian author who wrote in Odia and English. In 2000, Manoj Das was awarded the Saraswati Samman. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2001, the fourth-highest Civilian Award in India, and Padma Bhusan in 2020, the third-highest Civilian Award in India for his contribution to the field of Literature & Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar</span> Indian writer

Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. He was the first Marathi author to win the prestigious Jnanpith Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalindi Charan Panigrahi</span> Indian (Odia) writer (1901-1991)

Kalindi Charan Panigrahi was a noted Odia poet, novelist, story writer, dramatist, and essayist. He is famous for his magnum opus Matira Manisha. He has been awarded Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Akademi award for contribution to Odia literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopinath Mohanty</span> Indian (Odia) writer

Gopinath Mohanty (1914–1991), winner of the Jnanpith award, and the first winner of the National Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955 – for his novel, Amrutara Santana – was a prolific Odia writer of the mid-twentieth century. Satya Prakash Mohanty, professor of English, Cornell University says: "In my opinion, Gopinath Mohanty is the most important Indian novelist in the second half of the twentieth century."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishna Sobti</span> Indian Hindi-language writer and essayist (1925–2019)

Krishna Sobti was an Indian Hindi-language fiction writer and essayist. She won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1980 for her novel Zindaginama and in 1996, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest award of the Akademi. In 2017, she received the Jnanpith Award for her contribution to Indian literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitakant Mahapatra</span> Indian poet and literary critic

Sitakant Mahapatra is an Indian poet and literary critic in Odia as well as English. He served in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from 1961 until he retired in 1995, and has held ex officio posts such as the Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrilal Shukla</span> Hindi writer

Shrilal Shukla was a Hindi writer, notable for his satire. He worked as a PCS officer for the state government of Uttar Pradesh, later inducted into the IAS. He has written over 25 books, including Raag Darbari, Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj, Pehla Padaav and Bisrampur Ka Sant.

The Moortidevi Award is an Indian literary award annually presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a literary and research organisation. The award is given only to Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, and in English, with no posthumous conferral or self nomination.

Yajnaseni: the story of Draupadi is a 1984 Odia language novel by Pratibha Ray. The story revolves around Draupadi from the famous epic Mahabharatha. The word Yajnaseni means a woman born out of fire. The book has been translated into various languages, including English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Assamese, Bengali, Nepali and Hungarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalpanakumari Devi</span> Indian novelist and poet

Kalpanakumari Devi was an Indian novelist and poet in the Odia language. She won the 2011 Sahitya Akademi Award for Odia literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damayanti Beshra</span> Writer and poet

Damayanti Beshra is a Santali author and Adivasi researcher. She is known for literature of Santali language. In 2020, she was honoured by Padma Shri for her remarkable contribution to Santhali literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binapani Mohanty</span> Indian writer (1936–2022)

Binapani Mohanty was an Indian Odia language writer and academician. She was well known for her works such as Patadei and Kasturi Mriga. She was a professor in economics before retiring. She had been awarded Padmashree by the Government of India and Atibadi Jagannatha Das Sammana by Odisha Sahitya Akademi. She had earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Award and Sarala Award. She had served as chairperson of Odisha Lekhika Sansad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyamamani Devi</span> Musical artist

Shyamamani Devi is a Odissi classical music vocalist composer. A disciple of Gurus Singhari Shyamsundar Kar and Balakrushna Dash, she is known for her popular renditions of classical Odissi music, such as Odissi, Chhanda, Champu, etc. authored by medieval Odia musician-poets such as Upendra Bhanja, Kabisurjya Baladeba Ratha, Banamali Dasa, Gopalakrusna and others. She is also known for her renditions of light music such as traditional Odia folk music ,Odia film music and adhunika songs. In 2022, she was awarded the Padma Shri for he contributions to Odissi music.

References

  1. ↑ Gulati, Varun (2009). "Language in India". languageinindia.com. Retrieved 28 December 2012. an M.A. in Education and PhD in Educational Psychology.
  2. ↑ "Odisha: Noted writer Pratibha Ray nominated for Padma Bhushan, six others from state to get Padma Shri". Minati Singha. The Times of India. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Odia writer Pratibha Ray named for Jnanpith Award : East, News". India Today. 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012. She was born to a Gandhian teacher on January 21, 1943, at Alabol village.
  4. ↑ Balakrishnan, Hariharan (2007). "Literary Review / Personality : 'The sky is not the limit'". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 30 April 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2012. first woman to win the Jnanpith Moorti Devi Award.
  5. ↑ "Odisha: Eminent fiction writer Dr Pratibha Ray to receive coveted Jnanpith Award, Oriya Orbit". orissadiary.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012. her first novel as a novice, titled "Barsha-Basanta-Baishakha" (The Rain, Spring and Summer, 1974) which immediately captured the hearts of Odia readers.
  6. ↑ Panda Mishra, Anita (May 2013). "A literary crusader". atelierdiva.in.
  7. ↑ Ranjan Sahu, Priya (May 2014). "Bondas, a primitive tribe in Odisha hills, get their first MLA". Hindustan Times.
  8. ↑ "Primitive Bonda Tribes of Odisha & Andhra Pradesh". sillyfox.in. November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri, Sucheta Sen Chaudhuri (2005). Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography, Volumen 1 Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography. Mittal Publications. p. 320. ISBN   9788183240260.
  10. ↑ Parida, Saumya (2012). "Odisha: Eminent fiction writer Dr Pratibha Ray to receive coveted Jnanpith Award". indiaeducationdiary.in. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2012. She took voluntary retirement as a Professor of Education from State Government Service in 1998 and joined as Member, Public Service Commission of Odisha State
  11. ↑ Express News Service (24 February 2020). "Women are Devis and not abala, says writer Pratibha Ray at TNIE Devi Awards". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  12. ↑ Agencies (28 December 2012). "Writers shaped me, my understanding of situations: Pratibha Ray - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Novelist and story writer Padmashri Pratibha Ray selected for the Jnanpith Award". www.eastyawest.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "Assam gets a taste of governor's literary skills". The Times of India . 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012. Roy's Sahitya Akademi winning novel ' Sheela Padma'
  15. ↑ "Oriya writer Pratibha Roy to receive Amrita Keerti Award – Oneindia News". news.oneindia.in. 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2012. It has been translated into seven languages so far and won for the authoress Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust's Moorti Devi Award and Sarala Award of Orissa in 1990.
  16. ↑ "Pratibha Ray". samanvayindianlanguagesfestival.org. Retrieved 28 December 2012. Her story "Moksha" has been made into a film and won the best film award from President of India.
  17. ↑ "Manorama Online | Odia writer Pratibha Ray selected for Jnanpith award". english.manoramaonline.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012. Yjnaseni (1985), which won Jnanpith Trust's Moorti Devi Award in 1991
  18. ↑ "Prathiba Ray to receive Amrita Keerthi – Amma, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi". amritapuri.org. 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2012. Smt. Pratibha Ray will be awarded the Ashram's Amrita Keerti Puraskar for her meritorious contributions to the field of Indian literature.
  19. ↑ "Oriya novelist and academician Pratibha Ray wins 2011 Jnanpith Award". ibnlive.in.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012. it was decided that Ray, 69, will be the winner of the 2011 Jnanapith Award.
  20. ↑ Nayak, Anuja. "OdishaDiary Conferred prestigious Living Legend, Odisha Inc and Youth Inspiration Awards". OdishaSamachar. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  21. ↑ Minati Singha (26 January 2022). "Padma Bhushan For Pratibha Ray | Bhubaneswar News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  22. ↑ "Padma Awards 2022: Complete list of recipients". mint. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.