Jayanta Mahapatra

Jayanta Mahapatra
Born(1928-10-22)22 October 1928
Cuttack, Bihar and Orissa Province, British India
Died27 August 2023(2023-08-27) (aged 94)
Cuttack, Odisha, India
OccupationIndian English poet, Teacher of Physics
Years active1970–2023
Notable worksRelationship (1980)
Notable awardsSahitya Akademi, Padma Shri
ParentsLemuel Mohapatra, Sudhansubala Dash
Signature
Signature of Jayanta Mahapatra in Odia

Jayanta Mahapatra (22 October 1928 – 27 August 2023) was an Indian poet.[1] He is the first Indian poet to win a Sahitya Akademi award for English poetry. He was the author of poems such as "Indian Summer" and "Hunger", which are regarded as classics in modern Indian English literature. He was awarded a Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in India in 2009,[2][3] but he returned the award in 2015 to protest against rising intolerance in India.[4]

  1. ^ "Sahitya Akademi : Who's Who of Indian Writers". Sahitya Akademi. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Jayanta Mahapatra returns Padma Shri protesting 'intolerance'". 23 November 2015.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Noted poet Jayanta Mahapatra returns Padma Shri – The Times of India". The Times of India. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.