We are saddened by the demise of the acclaimed Jayanta Mahapatra on August 27. He was the first poet to win the Sahitya Akademi award in English (1981). His contributions to Indian literature were also recognized with the Padma Shri (2009), though he felt compelled to return it in 2015 to protest “rising intolerance in India”. Born to Christian parents in Cuttack, Odisha, Mahapatra authored many books, including 27 collections of poetry–seven in Odia and the rest in English, now […]