Traffic Sanhita - Sricharan Patra

The traffic rules are a necessity for everyone. This book is written for ordinary men and women on road safety in Odia. I recommend it and suggest it be inculcated into children's minds early. It explains the rules and explains the principles behind them, ensuring the understanding is profound. 

Bhahmanada Panda - Bashnab Charan Samal (2004)

 Why an autobiography of a forgotten politician of yesteryear? That is natural to come to some people's minds. I was associated with the Satya Sai Seva Organization Odisha in my early years. In those days, Brahmananda Panda was the Odisha organization chairman and was associated with every aspect of the organization. It's natural for anyone to have curiosity about a person of that stature. I read his spiritual autobiography Ras-o-Baisah and was pleasantly surprised with his closeness to the Godhead. That also led me to find that he is an accomplished writer in Odia and has many literary achievements. A Google search gave me a reference to this book. The book has roughly two chapters. The first summarizes his life and the second one explains his literary achievements. I read the first chapter and skimmed through the second one. The second chapter looked like critical acclaim for people who are in the field of Odia literature. 

The book is short. Just about a hundred pages but has much less substance and is quite repetitive. I will suggest Ras-o-Baisah over this book. 

ଦେହା ତୀ ତ (Dehatita - Beyond the body)- Dr Pratibha Ray (1986)

Fairly an old novel written after the famous book Yagnaseni. The story is of a young man who comes back to his own hometown in pursuit of providing solace to his aging father after he has managed to earn enough in a foreign country. His childhood has been spent at the place of his father's boss who is a strict person with 3 daughters and one son. The young man discovers all the other kids of the boss have been settled in the Americas while the youngest daughter is slowly losing her body over a neurological disease. In short the book is about her life. And she has coped her life around. Building her own ecosystem of fellow unrelated humans to whom she creates a wonderful association. The book also draws how the young woman is able to draw association with a spiritual connection to lord Jagannath. How the young man gets drawn to this family and tries to build a support system but unable to find it. Somewhere it comes to the realisation that the lady is living a life for the soul and beyond body consciousness. The story gets into many twists and turns but in the end the lady and her father leave for the heavenly abode. Not before the lady finds a suitable match for the young man among her many newly developed associations. And finally the mother of the lady finds herself at a loss as she has only learnt to be a service provider and how can she serve when she does not have her husband or the daughter she has taken care for 15 years. She is not comfortable going to her other kids abroad as in some sense she feels she has become a nurse of sorts beyond just a housewife.

Contrasting as here is a man who comes home from abroad for his parents and ends up serving lot more people. A lady who does many things even she is physically handicapped and while able children of the boss are not even able to serve their ailing parents and siblings. For a 1986 period the story is definitely beyond social norms and am sure must have created many critics to wonder. Excellent read but the take off is slow and reader would wonder at places how the story would end. Philosophically makes you believe man is beyond the body - Dehatita 

Bipula Bhujara Chhai - Bipra Acharaya (2013)

A simple story of person who has come from a very simple family and reached to the highest level as a police official. Lived a simple life all through avoiding corruption though has several times struggled with financial discomforts. A successful career, a well settled family and though a short lived life of his loving wife, he has expressed his gratitude to almighty lord Jagannath who has helped him keep to his faith at all testing times.

An autobiography which does not contain stellar successes or failures but a story of a simple government servant. A must read.

ସତ୍ୟର ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟାନେ ବୈଜ୍ଞାନିକ - Satya Ra Sandhane Baigyanika - Swami Virajeshwar Translated by Smt. Saudamini Das

This is the Oriya translation of the book Scientist's Search for Truth by Swami Virajeshwar. The Oriya translation is close to the original work in English as far as practical. As stated by Swamiji himself, representation of Hindu philosophies in a foreign language is always hard and finding the proper expression in a foreign language brings in that complexity. However, the original book has dealt with it really nicely. Reading the book in an Indian language made me feel more closely with the essence than I felt reading the book in English.

The translator has kept the context and essence of the original book in the translation without losing any significant aspects in the process of translation. I think this book will enlighten the readers about life of a great soul who is bestowing his divine grace, leading the life of a mere mortal.

ସଂକୁଚିତ ସଂସ୍କୃତି - Sankuchita Sanskruti - Baishnaba Charan Mohanty (2006)

Excellent black comedy. Splits apart the hypocrisies in the society and at places can be a bit unparliamentary in its commentary but overall a very apt book to with answers to all interesting aspects of society we know of but will not like to talk about. It's the cultural rat race that gets exposed thread bare in this book.

ମହାକାଳର ପ୍ରହେଲିକା ଏବଂ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ ଜିଜ୍ଞାଷା - Mahakalara Prahelika ebam Anyanya Jigyansa - Manoj Das

Manoj Das is known widely for his novels and short stories. Although all his writings exude philosophical ideologies of higher order, pure dialogue of his philosophy is not discussed in as much details as has been done in this work. A collection of essays on various topics of religion, philosophy and culture will definitely provide enough thoughts to someone's quest in these directions.