Noted litterateur Chandrasekhar Rath who was nominated for Padma Shri earlier this year passed away on Friday afternoon, 9 February.
He died of old age ailments in a hospital in Bhubaneswar aged 89.
Professor Rath had written several novels, short stories, essays and poems in a career spanning five decades.
According to his Google profile, Chandrashekhar Rath got published when he was past thirty years of age. But there has been no looking back for him.
He started as an essayist and was honoured the same year with the Vishnu Award. Around a hundred and firty of his essays were published in different volumes, and stem from his fairly wide-ranging experiences of life and literature. These include Vision and Views, This Dear Earth, The Unheard Voice, The Quest for Manna etc.
Professor Chandrashekhar Rath was, by profession, an English teacher. He also ventured into fiction writing, publishing his first novel Yantararudha in 1967. He shone in that field just the same.
His contribution to Indian literature is supreme and he will be remembered fondly for time to come.
The Biju Janta Dal (BJD) posted a condolence message on Facebook and Twitter in memory of the legend of Odia literature.
Deeply condole the demise of noted litterateur Chandrasekhar Rath. A writer par excellence, he has leaves an indelible mark in the field of Odia literature. His works will continue to inspire readers and writers of coming generations.BJD, in Facebook post