BHUBANESWAR: Renowned poet and former bureaucrat Ramakanta Rath passed away, leaving behind a rich legacy in Odia literature.
Born on December 30, 1934, in the Puri district, he studied English literature at Ravenshaw College in Cuttack, where he began writing. After completing his MA in 1956, he joined the Indian Administrative Service and held key positions in both the Central and State governments.
Rath’s first poetry collection, Kete Dinara (Of Many Bygone Days), was published in 1962. Filled with soft romantic emotions and reflective meditative tones, this collection marked the beginning of a new poetry movement in Odia literature, introducing a fresh diction and structure. However, he soon moved away from romantic themes and began exploring deeper aspects of human destiny through poetry.
He later published several collections, including Aneka Kothari (Several Rooms), Sandigha Mrigaya (Deer Hunt in a Mood of Indecision), Saptama Ritu (The Seventh Season), and Sachitra Andhara (Illustrated Darkness). These works uniquely blended prose and lyricism. His 1977 collection Saptama Ritu is considered a classic in Odia literature and won him the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978.
His most celebrated work, Sri Radha, was published in 1985. This long-form poem used Radha and Krishna as metaphors for love and human consciousness. The work earned him the Saraswati Samman and cemented his reputation as a leading poet in Indian literature.
Over the years, Rath received numerous prestigious awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Atibadi Jagannath Das Award in 2018, the highest literary honor in Odisha. He was also honored with the State Sahitya Akademi Award, Bishuva Samman, and Kabir Samman. His poetry has been translated into English and other Indian languages, expanding his reach beyond Odisha.
Apart from literature, Rath had a distinguished career as an administrator. He served as secretary to the Government of India and as the chief secretary to the Government of Odisha before retiring in 1992. He later worked as a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Guyana. Additionally, he served as vice-president of the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi and honorary chairman of the Odisha Maritime Academy.
Following his passing, tributes poured in from various quarters. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that Rath’s last rites would be conducted with full state honors. “His efforts to bring Odia literature to national and international recognition remain unparalleled. His demise is an irreparable loss to the literary world,” he said.
The legendary poet’s final rites will be performed at Swargadwara, Puri, on Monday.