Eminent writer Manoj Das no more

New Delhi: Eminent litterateur, editor and columnist Manoj Das passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Puducherry on Tuesday evening. He was 87.  He had been suffering from age-related ailments and admitted to the hospital for past few months.

Odisha governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, CM Naveen Patnaik, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Chandra Sarangi among others condoled passing away of Das.

Das was a foremost bilingual Odia writer and a master of dramatic expressions both in his English and Odia short stories and novels.

Das edited The Heritage, published from Chennai in 1985-1989. He wrote columns in several leading English dailies.

In 2000, Das was awarded with the Saraswati Samman. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhusan in 2020 for his contributions in the fields of literature and education. The Kendra Sahitya Akademi awarded him a Sahitya Akademi Award Fellowship. Das had been an inmate of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry since 1963. He was teaching English Literature and Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo at the Sri Aurobindo International University.

Das was born on February 27, 1934 in Shankari village in Baleswar district.