M For Manoj Das

Manoj Das the name, first happened to see it on a library book when I was studying my degree and the book he authored was a sketch of Aravinda Maha yogi. After having some pages flipped through, the essence appealed to me in a lighter vein and there was a poetic expression in his writing flow. A profound tapestry of spirituality and yogic experiences unfolded throughout the book. I have no idea who the writer was what state he belonged to and all the concerned details. I searched about them in the book which was published by Kendriya Sahitya Academy. It all happened during 1984-87.

But I wanted to meet him once in my lifetime. Have never expressed my inner thoughts to anybody and forgotten as we have no source of the internet to search further in those days. Life made me busier with my travels and profession. My passion for blogging played a crucial role in making friends from many states. Unimaginable, One Samir Ranjan Das arrived into my digital life that way. He was, then, working in Hyderabad for the Overseas Bank of India. His native place was Bhubaneswar. Once he told me about the legendary writer Manoj Das as his favorite one and I connected with him instantly.

We met each other when he arrived at Kothagudem for the branch inspection and visited the temple at Bhadrachalam. We discussed a lot about various kinds of happenings in literature and other realms. I understood that he was running a website on the works of Manoj Das. His bondage and devotion toward the writer was unparalleled. Over time, I grabbed the books of Manoj Das and went through them with myriad hues. I found that he was a great bilingual author. He displayed the same ease and deft in both Oriya and English. Samir Ranjan Das used to cite examples regarding his versions from both languages.

I at last visited the home of Manoj Das at Pondicherry on 27 September 2019. After almost three decades, my wish was fulfilled through Samir Ranjan Das for which he must have been sent in my life. Manoj Das was not only a legendary writer but also an exceptional spiritual person. He presented me with his book  "The Bridge in the Moonlit Night and Other Stories". Our meeting surpassed the appointment time that I made with him. It was purely behest of his deeply moving words. Padma Vibhushan Dr. Manoj Das passed away on 27 Apr 2021. This is my small tribute to the noble soul. 

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