Bhubaneswar: Veteran Odia litterateur and former Vice-President of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, Giri Dandasena, passed away on Monday. He was 77.
Dandasena breathed his last at around 8 am at a private hospital in Burla, where he was undergoing treatment. He had been bedridden for a prolonged period due to illness and was admitted to the hospital five days ago after his condition deteriorated.
Born on December 29, 1949, Dandasena enriched Odia literature with his diverse writings. He earned wide acclaim for his seminal work ‘Sundargarh Itihasa’, which chronicles the history and cultural heritage of Sundaragada.
His other notable works include ‘Kalasutra’, ‘Bhumigarbha’ and ‘Rastakadare Jibana’, among others.
Dandasena served as Vice-President of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi from May 18, 2011, to February 8, 2015, and was recognised for his lasting contribution to literature and cultural documentation.
His demise has been widely mourned by the literary and cultural fraternity, which described it as an irreparable loss to Odia literature.
