Laxmikanta Mohapatra

Laxmikanta Mohapatra (9 December 1888 – 24 February 1953) was an Indian Odia poet, writer, performance artist and freedom fighter. More than ten of his books have been published. He was a leading campaigner of the Odisha State Unification Movement and an eminent member of Utkala Sammilani.

Kantakabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra
Mohapatra on a 2023 stamp of India
Born	Laxmikaanth Mahapatra (1888-12-09)9 December 1888[1] Bakhrabad Talapada,Tihidi Bhadrak, Odisha, India[2]
Died	24 February 1953(1953-02-24) (aged 64)[1] Bhadrak
Education	Bachelor of Arts
Alma mater	PION College, University of Ravenshaw
Notable works	Bande Utkala Janani
Spouse	Labangalata Das
Children	Nityananda Mohapatra , Goura Chandra Mohapatra (Son)[3][4]
Parents	Choudhary Bhagabat Prasad Samantaray Mohapatra and Radhamani Devi

Early life and family

Laxmikanta was born on 9 December 1888, at Talapada, Tihidi Block of Bhadrak District. His father was Zamindar Choudhary Bhagabat Prasad Samantaray Mohapatra and his mother's name was Radhamani Devi. He was native of Talapada village in Bhadrak district which was part of the then Bengal Presidency. His father represented Bihar & Orissa Legislative Council for four times and served as its deputy speaker for twice.

Laxmikanta spent his childhood in his maternal uncle's house and studied in Balasore. He studied at Kolkata's Pion College for higher education after passing Intermediate. He returned to Ravenshaw College in 1913 and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree.^[4]

He was married to Labanga Lata, the daughter of Zamindar Lalmohan Das.

He was afflicted with leprosy at an early stage in his career, and lost his physical movements. However, it did not stop him from being active in the literary scene.

Literary life

Lakshmikanta created literary works in drama, parody, poetry, short-story, novel genres. His literary style had a nationalistic fervour and sharp satire. He was one of the few writers who made significant contributions to Odia literature during the period when its existence was threatened.^[5] As a political critic, his acerbic criticism of politicians and feudal chiefs earned him an adverse reputation. He was also a musician and an actor . He has also contributed enormously to the rich tradition of performing arts in Orissa. He created a dramatic troupe call Gopinath Natya Samaj at his village.^[6] Kantakabi's songs like Bande Utkala Janani, Koti Koti Kanthe Aji, Udaee Nisana Bajai Veri were a battle cry of Odia freedom fighters during freedom struggle and state-hood movement. His composition Bande Utkala Janani was adopted as the welcome song for Balasore Session of Utkal Sammilani, the organization which sphere-headed the separate Orissa state movement. This song was accorded the status of state anthem of Odisha in 2020.

Published works

Mohapatra Statue in Bhubaneswar

Novel

• Kana Mamu

Short story

• Budha Sankhari

Mythology

• Basanta Bilasa
• Baruna Bijaya
• Kaliyadalana
• Brajabarjana
• Besabadala

Plays

• Karna
• Kalapahada
• Chandraahasa

Children's literature

• Chidiakhana
• Dharma Sangeeta
• Balachara
• Sunapua
• Mo Desa

Essays

• Keisora Swapna
• Joubana Pathe
• Nibhruta Nisithe
• Jibanta Maran

Laxmikant edited a journal called Dagara, which published articles in various genres such as satire, children's stories, political and societal criticism.