CORAPUT: If everything goes according to plan, then people will soon be able to peek at the lives and works of the famous writer Gopinath Mohanty, the first recipient of the National Aakademi Sahitya award to write in odiah.
The Coraput government recently sent a proposal to the Ministry of Culture to change the house, located in the city of the coraput district headquarters and where he had written several famous novels, to the interpretation center.
Officials said Mohanty, an Odisha administration officer (OAS), has lived at home, a quarter of the government, during his post in the district in the 1940s.
At present, the house is in a dilapidated condition and is used as a warehouse by the BSNL authority.
“We have taken stock of houses which are the official residence of famous writers.
A proposal has been sent to the government to turn the house to be the center of interpretation.
One time, the proposal is accepted, the renovation work will begin on the war footing,” said Archana Das, Deputy Collector-Cum -District Culture Officer, Craft.
According to officers, it has been planned to renovate the house to accommodate the auditorium, library and interaction center.
“Photos related to the author, his works and disputes in the district dominated by the tribe will be on display at the center,” he said.
Born in Cuttack in 1914, Mohanty, during his post in Coraput, has written a novel like ‘Dadi Buddha,’ Paraja ‘and’ Amrutara Santana ‘, all based on the tribes of Paraja and Kondh in the district.
A Jnanpith Awardee, Mohanty won the National Sahitya Award in 1955 for his novel ‘Amrutara Santana’.