Eminent Odisha litterateur Ganeswar Mishra passes away

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 10:

Noted academician and litterateur Ganeswar Mishra passed away at a private hospital in Odisha capital in the wee hours today following a prolonged illness.

The 72-year-old retired professor of Utkal University was diagnosed with cancer two years back and was undergoing treatment at a city-based private hospital. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday after his condition deteriorated.

Mishra breathed his last this morning. Eminent academicians, litterateurs and prominent personalities have condoled the death of Mishra.

“He was awarded PhD by London University. Despite being highly educated, he remained associated with his roots. He wrote in a very simple and lucid manner. His loss will be long felt,” Prof Biswaranjan said.

Born in 1942, Mishra was a well-known author, translator and editor. He was also the founding Editor of Odia daily Prameya.

“He had tried to make Odia literature popular till his last. His health condition acted as an obstacle for this. I am deeply saddened by this loss. This is a huge loss for Odia literature,” writer Sauribandhu Kar said.

“His demise has created an irrepairable void in the field of literature and academics,” former minister Sheikh Matloob Ali said.

“With the demise of Prof Mishra, a void has been created in the academic world. He was an able academician, writer and visionary. We have lost him today,” Health & Family Welfare, Information & Public Relations Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said.

Many academicians, poets, writers, litterateurs and journalists reached his home at Gajapati Nagar here to pay last respect to the departed soul.

Mishra has authored many books in Odia and English. He was conferred with Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ‘Bilatare Babu O Papu’ in the Children’s literature category. Besides, he has won many other awards for his contribution to literature and academics.

He is survived by his wife Surangini Mishra, a retired Reader in Economics, three sons– Subrat, Sunand and Sandeep—and four daughters-in-law.

His second son Siddhartha Mishra was the sports editor of The New Indian Express, who passed away in 2012 due to illness.

His third son Sandeep is the Editor of leading Odia news channel Focus TV.