Bhubaneswar,Feb 1(Odisha.in) To talk to Deepak Mishra is a pleasure. This handsome poet always smiles and loves talking to all sorts of people, young and old, literate or illiterate.
If one doesn’t know him earlier, at the first sight he would feel that Dr. Mishra is the hero of some film. But when he would know about him and gets and opportunity to talk with him, soon he would realise that he is a “real hero in the field of Oriya poetry and literature “.
Mishra was in Chhendipada in the district of Angul to attend a literary meeting days before his death.
During the occasion he granted an interview to Madhvendra Singh Chauhan a student of Indian Institute of Mass communication at Dhenkanal. He replied to the questions in his own hand writing.
Excerpts: First of all, congratulations on getting Kendriya Sahitya Academy Award. How special is this award for you?
Mishra: No, award bears any specialty in my life as I have gathered awards of any type as usual feature.
Q:- What impact, such kind of literary gatherings are having on common masses?
Deepak:-Hope, you will agree with me that such a gathering is of different taste for all of us and makes us to believe the literature as a whole is still relevant in our life.
Q:- What role Sahitya Academy playing in promoting Oriya literature?
Deepak:- Orissa Sahitya Academy is unquestionably an institution meant for all who can find it as his/her institution. They will all contribute their might for upliftment of their academy.
Q:- Are you happy with the writing content of new writers?
Deepak:- No comments now. Let us listen to the dictation of time, perhaps the best judges of all.
Q:- How many books have you already published? Any new work in pipeline?
Deepak:- I have written-18 collection of poems, three volumes of Sabu Kabita, transcreated the Mahabharata and the poems of Jibananda Das, noted Bengali poet.
Besides I have one collection of criticism on different poets and poetry of the world and a collection of English translation of poems. But presently nothing in the pipeline, but readers can hope for in near future…..
We don’t know whether Dr. Mishra was interviewed by any one after this interview. If none have done so then this may be the last interview of the great poet for whom poetry was his life..
Odisha.in