Prologue: A Symphony of Soil and Spirit
Ars longa, vita brevis (Art is long, life is short) - yet some souls have reversed this ancient maxim to capture transient moments in a few immortal lines that live longer than civilizations. Ink and insight have an alchemistic effect on the ancient art to preserve culture into song-a shining heritage of Sangram Keshari Mohanty.
An unusual inversion of the narrative, placing Baripada in the foreground, backlit by the golden dhoop of an afternoon sun, with terracotta tiles of ancient temples, and feet laden with ghungroos rapture the dust for stories of Chhau. The year 1947 was a landmark year with the unfurling of tempests of a new revolution in the land of Mayurbhanj: birth of Sangram Keshari Mohanty. His life was to be an opus magnum (great work) that was sung into being, each song being a sankha (conch shell) heralding the arrival of Odisha's lyrical incarnation.
The very atmosphere seemed drunk with mantras, heavy with the musk of sal forests, heavy with the almost metallic clang of temple bells and the rasa (essence) of innumerable folk tales whispered beneath saal trees. In this nursery of nuance, where even monsoon rains would pulsate their tala (rhythm) on palm-leaf manuscripts, the young Sangram learnt that poetry was never made; it was intoxication extracted from black soil through the maturing of tradition, along with much heart, to finally be winnowed out as song.
Thus was the alchemy made: a boy capable of rendering mortal anything which goes by-die-hard like monsoon puddles, village fairs, even the flicker of diya flames. The transforming power was nothing more than an almost inaudible murmur, of lyrical whispers which would cling to the soul akin to jasmine in a bride's hair.
Early Life: The Seed of a Poet
In the early days, a small but rich in culture Baripada was the place where the prominent figure was born. Born in Isinis Aprilis (April 18) in the year 1947, Shri Sangram Keshri Mohanty was born into a time where the growing independence of India can be seen through developments of city and the culture of art in Mayurbhanj. His childhood humus (fertile ground), Jail road, was more than a home to him; it was fertile ground for his artistry.. This was due to the presence of his esteemable Parents. The father, Shri Harihar Mohanty loved politics and posed as a figure of authority in his time. On the other hand, the mother, Smt. Sitala Kumari Mohanty was filled with care and would guide her child. This led to an even bigger establishment for its very considerable artistic development.
The sight of the young Sangram possessed such a pronounced talent in the art of poetry, that from the little and thin descendants of the beginning emerge Poetry Leah strong ab ovo (from the birth). While the other kids were at play, he was sitting listening to the rhythmic chants of Chhau performes and the melodious Aloga (traction in rhyming) jhumur songsthat used to float in the carve (spray) streets of Baripadalike sweet fragrant flatus (winds). The very little time that he spent at the local schools was just the preparation for a curriculum that was far more serious – the oral expression of Odisha – a region where all festivals, all religious performances and even every seasonal change were composed in verse.
All the more so his degree pursuits of a B.A. and LL.B., were nothing but puncta (points) on a timeline almost entirely dominated by his passion for writing. The formal and harsh methods such that one would find in the circle of the court did not appeal to the soft caresses of his mother tongue poems. These of his were not the first ones to be put down on published pages, but found their place in the penumbra (half-light) of the local theatre. That was the golden age when Baripada basked in the glory of its grand 'Natak Anusthana' -a theaterical stage where poets wove their verses into the very soul of the drama, each song a whispered echo of the play’s essence. Here the adolescent Sangram put his compositions into actions unseen but a nodding of the elderly heads while the cheeks of the not old burst with noise.
By 1971, when even All India Radio was compelled to recognize its stature, it was revealed that this demure and introverted creation of Mayurbhanj bore existed with an evolution which world propounded that he was indeed natus-ad-hoc (born for this very purpose): in order to let the very unsung "Geetimana" (the song-essence, carrying both musical and spiritual resonance) of the Odisha soul literally slide between this world and the next - in the form of words. It was obvious that the seeds sown in those days, in terms of creative expressions would be assiduously watered and soon a garden full of some of the most beautiful flores (flowers) of Odia literature appeared.
The Lyricist’s Odyssey: Where Words Became Melody
One of Shri Mohanty’s variations was his journey itself that transformed from writing scribbling verses quietly to the size of anthems that would go down in history. He had passed to the blessed state of something that was tender enough to redden when somebody heard it; the words went as "Kahana E Phula Kahana" from Phula Chandan. He truly, and his name-, title-, and unique embodiment, immortalized himself with "Jhuma Jhuma Golapi Belare" (Abhilasha, music by Saroj Pattnayak). This song would define an era during which every idea of love got tuned in the lovable melody that needed to be heard. Such a discourse of sweetness was like that of most songs in the way that it had caught the minds of the people, became the modern-day carpe diem (seize the day) ideology of Odisha and gave everybody encouraging heartfelt of love to bloom like a crimson morning.
As for collaboration, they were actually nothing but symbiosis. Each and every word that this great called maestros like Saroj Pattnayak, Bachu Mukherjee, and Abhijit Majumdar put into heavenly hymns:
- "Mo Mana Khali Tori Pain" (a lament so profound that it ached like a lacrima [tear] on a lover’s cheek)
- "Tume Hi Sathi Mora" (a pledge of companionship, in perpetuum [forever])
His words gave echo beyond cinema in cassette albums: Rasia Thakur, Amari Ambika Maa, Tulasi Karpur Chandan, where devotion meets artistry. Ars gratia artis (like, art, for art itself) would pen to a literary work-and three top beneath mention three more diamond works:
- Meher Sahitya ra Ketoti Diga (1969, critical exegesis [interpretation] of literature)
- Jhuma Jhuma Golapi Belare (2012, poetry that danced like nymphae [nymphs] in moonlit groves)
- Sapana Bika Gaan (2015, verses where dreams and reality waltzed in situ [in their origin place])
Awards & Honors: The Crowns of a Cultural Titan
Per aspera ad astra (Through hardships to the stars), so was the life of Sangram Keshari Mohanty - each and every honor was more than just an award; it was an alchemic testamentum (testament) to his lyricism. The year 1985would forever be remembered as his initium (beginning) into the ranks of the great, for it was then that the Barta Pratishthan of Balasore anointed him Best Lyricist, a crown that almost felt light on his head because his words had already begun their perpetuum mobile (endless motion) journey into the collective consciousness of Odisha. The year also witnessed the Pratishruti Pratishthan of Baripada echoing similar sentiments by taking him under its wing with the Lyricist Honor, a double coronation that put him in the realm of dominion over rustic sentiment and fine artistry.
Fifteen years later,in 2010, Baripada Natya Sanstha would drape him in yet another garland of recognition, which was Lyricist Award to honor his command on perfectly balancing the marriage of words and melody. Though, it was Pujyapuja of Baripada conferred upon him the Saraswataa Sammana to in the year 2008, that the world glimpsed the full spectrum of his genius -not merely a songwriter, but a litterateur whose verses carried the weight of sapientia (wisdom).
The years that followed were a crescendo of homage. It was 2012 when Sulekha Sahitya Sansada of Puri crowned him with the Lyricist Award and a trophy in the form of a Shridhar Smruti Sammana. His memento was thus handed to him printed in permanent ink -and thereby commemorated. The year following, that is, 2013, became his annus mirabilis (miracle year); a triple apotheosis. Fakir Mohan Sahitya Parishad of Balasore hailed with the Gitishree Award; Palli Bharata Saraswata Sanskrutika Parishada Adarsapur dedicates him with Pallishree Sammana for the selfless service; and Odia Gitikabi Samaj salutes with their collective Sammana -a trifecta of tributes that left no doubt: here was a man who had not merely written songs, but scripted the soul of a people.
It was 2017, when his legend had transcended the ephemeral. The Dramatic Society of Simanta Mahavidyalaya of Jhadapokharia conferred an honor on him, while Shriram Chandra Bhanj Sahitya Sansada of Baripada conferred the Bhumiputra Sammana on him, a title that could echo the very earth he used to celebrate in his verses. That similar year, the Utkal Sahitya Samaj proclaimed him Giti Kabi Ta Sammana , and the Matira Gaurav Sammana was awarded that year in posthumous respect for his peer Jitendra Pattnayak at Rairangpur; however, it was Mohanty’s absentia (absence) that was noticeable the most because people were feeling his vox populi (voice of the people) after his death.
These were not simply memorials kept dusty upon the shelves, but *totems" -each one a stanza in a magnus (great) poem of life, a life that is indeed in toto (in whole) art founded upon the firm character of veritas (truth) and amor (love), immortalis (immortal).
Epilogue: The Immortal Echo
Tempus fugit (time flies) but Mohanty's legacy is aeternum (eternal). On the 4th of February, 2025, the great artist took a final bow. His very best work became popular and is still heard in the home shrines of every Odia house, at weddings and at every Odia festival. His precious temple, Harihar Kala Mandir (1975) remains as a monumentum aere perennius (a monument more lasting than bronze), nurturing fresh seeds of art.
When AIR Odisha played off retrospectively, when disciples like Mona Biswarupa whispered a mystic "guru" out of their timid lips, it was evident - that voice transcended mortalitas (mortality).
As he once said: "A song is not just words -it’s the breath of our soil, the heartbeat of our people."
And so, Sangram Keshari Mohanty remains - not a memory, but a melody. Not a man, but a mythos. Requiescat in arte (May he rest in his art).
Complete Biography & Works Summary
- Full Name:Sangram Keshari Mohanty
- Date of Birth:April 18, 1947
- Place of Birth:Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha
- Date of Passing:February 4, 2025
- Place of Passing:Bhanjapur, Baripada
- Last Rites:Performed at Barunei Ghat
- Parents:Harihar Mohanty (Father, former MLA) and Sitala Kumari Mohanty (Mother)
- Education:B.A., LL.B.
- Residence:Jail Road, Bhanjapur, Baripada-2, Mayurbhanj
- Primary Occupation:Lyricist, Poet, Cultural Preservationist
- Institutional Affiliation:Founder of Harihar Kala Mandir, Bhanjapur (1975)
- Recognized by:All India Radio (AIR), Cuttack (1971)
- Notable Film Lyrics:
- Phula Chandan ("Kahana E Phula Kahana")
- Abhilasha ("Jhuma Jhuma Golapi Belare")
- Gopare Badhuchi Kala Kahnei
- Mo Mana Khali Tori Paain
- Tume Hi Sathi Mor
- Ghaila Bagh
- Audio Cassette Compositions:
- Rasia Thakur
- Amari Ambika Maa
- Tulasi Karpur Chandan
- Rimjhim Barsha
- Mo Priya
- Madala Tale
- Pitala Siti
- Dakini Pase
- Published Works:
- Meher Sahityara Ketoti Diga (Critical Analysis, 1969)
- Jhuma Jhuma Golapi Belare (Lyrical Poetry Collection, 2012)
- Sapana Bika Gaan (Lyrical Poetry Book, 2015)
- Government Recognition:Senior Fellow, Ministry of Culture, Government of India
- Awards & Honors:
- Barta Pratishthan, Balasore - Best Lyricist (1985)
- Pratishruti Pratishthan, Baripada - Lyricist Honor (1985)
- Baripada Natya Sanstha - Lyricist Award (2010)
- Pujyapuja, Baripada - Saraswata Sammana (2008)
- Sulekha Sahitya Sansada, Puri - Lyricist Award & Shridhar Smruti Sammana (2012)
- Fakir Mohan Sahitya Sansada, Balasore - Gitishree Sammana (2013)
- Palli Bharata Saraswata Cultural Parishad, Adaspur - Pallishree Sammana (2013)
- Odia Gitikabi Samaj Sammana (2013)
- Simanta Mahavidyalaya, Jhadapokharia - Honored by Dramatic Society (2017)
- Shriram Chandra Bhanj Sahitya Sansada, Baripada - Bhumiputra Sammana (2017)
- Utkal Sahitya Samaj - Giti Kabi Ta Sammana (2017)
- Matira Gaurav Sammana - Posthumous tribute to Jitendra Pattnayak (Parikrama, Rairangpur, 2017)
- Cultural Affiliations:
- Mayurbhanj Chhau Nrutya Pratishthan
- Baripada Sahitya Sansada
- Utkal Sahitya Samaj