ହୃଦୟରୁ ଝରୁଥିବା ରକ୍ତରେ ଲେଖାଯାଇଛି ଶରଶଯ୍ୟା, ଜୀବନ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣାର ଭୟଙ୍କର ଅନୁଭବ । ପଢ଼ିଲା ବେଳେ ଆଖିରୁ ଝରିଆସୁଥିବା ଲୁହକୁ ଅଟକାଇ ପାରିଲିନି । ଆଉ ଏ ବହିର ‘ମାଷ୍ଟର ପିସ୍]’ ତ୍ରୟୋଦଶ ଅଧ୍ୟାୟ ‘ଭଗବାନଙ୍କୁ ଗୋଟେ ଖୋଲାଚିଠି’ ମୋ ଅନ୍ତରକୁ ଦୋହଲାଇ ଦେଇଥିଲା । କଷ୍ଟ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣା ସମୁଦ୍ରରେ ବୁଡ଼ି ବୁଡ଼ି ଜଣେ ଏତେ ସକାରାତ୍ମକ ଭାବରେ ଭଗବାନଙ୍କୁ ନିଜର କରିବାରେ କାର୍ପଣ୍ୟ କରିନାହାଁନ୍ତି । “ଆପଣ ଏହି ଲୁଚକାଳି ଖେଳ ଛାଡନ୍ତୁ ଏବଂ ମୋ ସାମନାକୁ ଆସନ୍ତୁ । ମୁଁ ମୋ ବାଳ ଧୋଇଦେବି ଏବଂ ସେଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ଏକାଠି କରି ବାନ୍ଧି ଦେବି । ମୁଁ ମୋର ଅତିପ୍ରିୟ ମୟୁରକଣ୍ଠୀ ନୀଳ ଶାଢ଼ୀରେ ସଜେଇ ହେବି । ଆପଣ ମୋର ଟର୍କିସ୍ କାନଫୁଲ ଏବଂ କଙ୍କଣ ଦେଖି ମୋତେ ଚହ୍ନିପାରିବେ । ମୁଁ ମୋ ବାରଣ୍ଡାରେ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ସହିତ ବସିବି କାଡ଼ାମନ ବାସ୍ନାର କଫି ସହିତ । ମୁଁ କିଛି ବି ପ୍ରଶ୍ନ ପଚାରିବି ନାହିଁ । ଆମେ ଉଭୟେ ଉଭୟଙ୍କର ସୌହାର୍ଦ୍ଦ୍ୟ ଅନୁଭବ କରିବା ମୋ ବାରଣ୍ଡାରେ ଲାଗିଥିବା ଦୋଳି ଉପରେ ବସି । ମୁଁ ଆପଣଙ୍କ କାନ୍ଧ ଉପରେ ମୁଣ୍ଡ ରଖିବି । ମୁଁ ଚାହେଁ ଆପଣ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ରୁମାଲରେ ମୋ ଲୁହ ପୋଛି ଦିଅନ୍ତୁ । ମୁଁ ବହୁତ ଥକି ଯାଇଛି କିନ୍ତୁ ହାରି ଯାଇନି ।”

ପୁସ୍ତକଟିରେ ଅନେକ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ପୁନଃ କଥନ ଓ ଅତିକଥନ ବେଳେବେଳେ ଅପ୍ରୀତିକର ଲାଗିପାରେ କିନ୍ତୁ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣାର ଅନୁଭବ, ଆକସିଡେଣ୍ଟାଲ, ଡାକ୍ତରଖାନାର ୧୧ ମାସର କଷ୍ଟ, ୧୬ରୁ ଅଧିକ ଅପରେସନ ବିରଳ ବ୍ୟାକ୍ଟୋରିଆ ଇନ୍]ଫେକ୍ସନ, ଆତ୍ମୀୟ, ପୁଅ, ଝିଅ, ସ୍ୱାମୀ, ସାଙ୍ଗସାଥୀ ମାନଙ୍କର ଭୂମିକା ଡାକ୍ତର ଓ ଥେରାପିଷ୍ଟ ମାନଙ୍କର ସାହାଯ୍ୟ ୧୪ଟି ଅଧ୍ୟାୟରେ ଲିପିବଦ୍ଧ ହୋଇଛି । ଶେଷ ଅଧ୍ୟାୟ ଜୀବନକୁ ଏସବୁ ପରେ ବି ସେ ଅତିମାତ୍ରାରେ ଭଲ ପାଆନ୍ତି ।

ସର୍ବଶେଷ ଉପଲବ୍]ଧି ହେଲା, “ତୁମେ ଯେତେବେଳେ ହସୁଛ, ପୃଥିବୀ ତୁମ ସହିତ ହସେ, କିନ୍ତୁ ତୁମେ ଯେତେବେଳେ କାନ୍ଦୁଛ, ତୁମକୁ ଏକାହିଁ ସବୁ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣା ପିଇ କାନ୍ଦିବାକୁ ପଡ଼େ ।”

Binod is a young theatre artist who works for Dasabhuja Theatrical Company. He is well educated and had an ardent desire to become a lecturer in a college but fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don’t always like. On his visit to Puri, he looks at Lord Jagannath, Sudarshan Chakra, and the flag on it and envisages staging the play ‘Neela Saila’ for Bali Yatra Play competition based on Surendra Mohanty’s novel ‘NeelaSaila’ on history, myth, and legends. It was difficult to find a playwright who can dramatize the novel. An old playwright Dhira babu gives his consent to write but he falls sick. Finally, Binod takes the responsibility to write the play and to give the direction. He overcomes the hurdles in staging the play ‘NeelaSaila’ and it wins the first prize in the competition. The agony of a theatre artist and a playwright is well outlined in the story.

Ramshankar Ray’s Bibasini (1891), believed to be the second full length novel in Odia, the first being Umesh Chandra Sarkar’s Padmamali (1888), is a novel with an intricately woven plot structure written in style that is at once descriptive, informative, and lyrical. Viewed mostly as a work of fiction delicately poised between a historical romance and a socio-political narrative, Bibasini relates to the period of Maratha hegemony over Odisha spanning from 1751 till the British occupation of the province in 1803. It holds out a panoramic view of Odisha reeling under the tyranny of the Maratha ruler Shambhuji Ganesh Rao during 1769 to 1771, and of the native resistance offered in terms of sporadic but organised assaults launched on the oppressors and collaborators by the Bhuyan dacoits acting at the instances and with the support of the king of Kujanga, Paradip.

The plot that seemingly centres round a tragic love story is actually a complex one, knitting many strands of random episodes into an attractive and coherent tale of unmerited suffering, of crime and vengeance, of sin and retribution. The novel is thronged with characters from different socio-cultural backgrounds, portraying multiple contours of Odisha, the social, cultural, economic and religious ones being the most pronounced amongst them. The novel chronicles the agrarian crisis in Odisha during the Maratha rule and the debacle of the famine that threatened to bring the peasantry of Odisha down to a state of collapse. It narrates the hardship and the misery of the common man especially those who earned their living through farming, had to pass through under the repressive measures of a tyrannous governance and the selfishness and all-devouring avarice of the moneyed local landowners or zamindars.

It is also a gripping tale of a band of burglars, motivated by a romanticised ideal of plundering the rich to sustain the poor, assuming the role of the vindicators of socio-economic equality. They declare themselves as the god’s chosen moral agents for delivering violent justice to the wrongdoers. At the same time the novel camouflages a satire on the hollow morals of a socio-cultural system that compels a Hindu widow to practice religious austerity and denies her the right of living the life of a normal woman.

The novel also details the spread of a new religious cult, Vaishnavism, in Odisha that advocated the worship of Lord Hari( Vishnu) and pleaded against a discriminatory caste system that deprived the people of the lesser caste and poor economic status of their legitimate rights. The preachings of the Vaishnava monks Hanuman Dasa and Giridhari Dasa, appears to reflect a semblance of the mystique.