Prologue: A Blossoming Genius in Odia Arts
In the vibrant tapestry of cultural resurgence in Odisha, Sasmal Manas appears as a shabda shilpi (word-artisan). This lyricist takes emotions and creates verses that straddle the gap between sacred and profane. Before his poetry was rendered into music, he was a kavi; much like transient and yet deeply meaningful alpona (ritual floor art), his first writings hinted at the lyric assemblage he would later actually weave.At just 40-43, this prodigy from Khuranta Tutha has come to represent Odisha's poet of the people. His pen:
- For Bhajans: Compose devotional songs where each pada (line) is offered like a mala (garland) to Bhagaban (God)
- For Films: Writing lyrics expressing love in sweet essence (mishti ras) or the bitter-spicy contrasts of life (teja-tikta)
- For Jatra: aving folk idioms, so they still breathe the air of life in modern times
His greatness does not lie in the notes but in shabda-yojana (word-orchestration) — forge colloquial Odia into lyrical gold. Like a painting artist of patachitra outlines the myths before filling with colors, Manas prepares the outline of poetry, which composers and singers give life to.
The Lyricist: A Conduit of Divine and Earthly Melodies
The pen of Manas oscillates between madhurya of romantic ballads and bhakti-rasa of devotional hymns. "Hasiba Puni Mo Suna Sansara" was a beautiful epiphany for him-an old-time film song that shot Manas into the public eye, yet his true competence is realized in bhajans: modern but grounded in Odia dharmika parampara. Aging cannot restrain the dynamism of the youthful Manas in imparting a fresh aadhunikta to the devotional songs, thereby creating a sort of whispering gallery, with deities murmuring in new age cadences.
The long years of obscurity and unrecognized toil after the producers praised but refused in 2002, carved out his resilience, transforming rejection into tapasya for his art. He had his breakthrough with "Hasiba Puni Mo Suna Sansara", but his real mastery is in bhajans-whispering revolutions born with his young age, building devotionals that trend as reels but feel like offerings in puja.
"For the devout, his bhajans are sankirtana reimagined—where synthesizers meet mrudanga, and millennials find God."
The Polymath: Stage, Screen, and Sacred Scripts
Beyond lyrics, Manas is a rangamancha ratna (stage gem), anchoring live telecasts of Puri’s Rath Yatra with eloquence. His TV scripts—"Sadhaba Bohu", "Jhum Odisha Jhum" - reveal a katha-kara (storyteller) who thrives in brevity and mass appeal.
Off-stage, his microphone commands audiences with the ease of a katha-vachak (storyteller), turning events into utsava (festivals). Beyond Rath Yatra telecasts, his TV scripts (Sadhaba Bohu, Jhum Odisha Jhum) reveal a narrator who thrives in brevity and mass appeal.
Legacy in the Making
Sasmal Manas is scripting Odisha’s cultural future, one verse at a time. His lyrics, much like the poetry version of chitau pitha, infuse everyday Odia with deep meaning and rank on sweetness that remains coursing through one's veins long after a song eventually fades away. Singhis's bhajans became digital prasad for a reel generation- devotion wrapped in beat shareability. While others prance after the latest trends, Manas is busy constructing shabda-mandirs, timeless structures where language is worshipped as deity and worshipped. Young lyricists already imitate his dhumketu-style- trails blazed across Odia's literary sky, somehow disappearing into creative space to come back brighter.
Epilogue: The Ascendant Star
Saying that Sasmal is simply a lyricist is like calling Mahanadi "just" a stream—true but incomplete. He is a shabda-sadhak or a word mystic for whom poetry is upasana-worship; every song is a prasada-offering. In an age of transient times, his creation is like a pillar of memory, a testament to the life force of Odisha, transient and yet eternal.
His bhajans don’t just praise the divine—they make the divine feel present.
Complete Biography & Works Summary
- Full Name:Sasmal Manas
- Date of Birth:8th May 1990
- Birthplace:Khurant Tutha village, Erasama, Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha
- Specializations:
- Modern Odia bhajans
- Contemporary film lyrics
- Folk-theater adaptations
- Number of Songs written: 1000+
- Number of Film Songs: 20+
- Professional Journey:
- Began as poet before transitioning to songwriting
- 1998: First song for Akashvani's Yuvavani program
- 2002: Moved to Cuttack to pursue music career
- Breakthrough with Odia film "Hasiba Puni Mo Suna Sansara"
- Artistic Roles:
- Lyricist (Films & Bhajans)
- TV Scriptwriter
- Stage Presenter
- Rath Yatra Commentator
- Notable Works:
- Written songs for Movies:
- Hasiba Puni Mo Suna Sansara
- Tu Mor Sapana Rani
- Tu Au Mu
- Badmasha Toka
- Maya
- Kartavya
- Tike Khara Tike Chhai
- Counting.....
- Jatra Lyrics:
- Mati Aganara Bohu (Trinath Gananatya)
- Aakhi Abujhaku Luhua Abujha (Konark Gananatya)
- Gupta Samparka (Biswa Darabar)
- To Name Mo Na Deiichi Jodi (Bagha Jatin Loka Natya)
- Kahani Kanduchi Aakhi Luchei (Bagha Jatin Loka Natya)
- Premaru Aarambha Prathama Papa (Eastern Opera)
- Counting.....
- TV Scripts:
- "Sadhaba Bohu" (Taranga TV)
- "Gyanaguru" (Prarthana TV)
- "Naivedya", "Kaivalya"
- "Aparajita" (Kanak News)
- "Maa" (Manjari TV)
- "Kusumanjali" (Kalinga TV)
- "Gaon Tira Naam Puri" (Zee Kalinga)
- "Jhum Odisha Jhum" (Taranga TV)
- "Kie Haba Heroine"
- Counting.....
- Lyrics Written for samNsan Music Productions
- Written songs for Movies:
- Contact:
- Phone/WhatsApp: 9937795977