Ama Samayara Kahani: Piladina

The writer, Gourahari Das, can be called a traveller. His journeys, both figurative and actual, both inward and outward, have made a writer of him. Born in 1960, in a back-of-the -beyond Indian village, Sandhagara near river Mantei he has come a long way. Real-life experiences acquired while growing up in an impoverished monastery sharpened his skills as a writer and endowed him with a sensibility laced with compassion and humour, which gives his creative being its distinctive character. His first book, Juara Bhatta (High Tide, Low tide), a short story collection, was published when he was only 21 years old. He has now as many as 70 books to his credit, which include novels, short-story collections, vignettes, travelogues, plays and essays. Gourahari has visited many countries across continents and leads a life full of activities. Many of his works have been translated into English, which include The Little Monk and Other Stories, The Nail and Other Stories, Koraput and Other Stories and The Shades of Life. He has received several awards such as Sahitya Akademi (India’s national Akademi of letters) Award, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Prize and Sarala Puraskar. He was also Senior Fellow of the Ministry of Culture of India and a Writer in Residency of Sahitya Akademi. Gourahari lives in Bhubaneswar, India.