SAMBALPUR: In a bid to popularise history, language, art and culture of Western Odisha, the Sambalpur University will soon publish an Odia book, ‘Paschim Odisha ra Parichaya’.
Editor of the book and retired Odia professor of the university, Ashok Kumar Dash said the 300-page book will provide an introduction into the explored and unexplored panorama of Western Odisha.
It will have 20 topics including history and geography of the region, temples, language, folk song and folk tales, the significance of local fairs, festivals, tribal culture, flora fauna and medicinal plants, food and jewellery of the region. He claimed the book will provide information which has not been published in any gazetteer.
In one of the sections, the history of Western Odisha during the British invasion and the link between Western Odisha and Kosala has also been written about.
The university in its last syndicate meeting had sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for publication of the book. While the compilation of the book started a year back, work on it has reached the final stage now. The university had invited a number of scholars and researchers studying on the respective topics to contribute on different topics.
University Vice-Chancellor Deepak Kumar Behera said the book will comprise accounts of eminent researchers and scholars like Dadhibaman Mishra, Jagdish Mishra, Kumud Ranjan Panigrahi, Manoranjan Pradhan, Dwarika Nath Naik, Shyam Sundar Dhara, Nrusingh Guru, Ghasiram Mishra, Nimei Ranjan Panigrahi, along with Dash himself who has written about the distinctive language of the region. The university may also translate the book in English on the basis of its popularity and acceptance by readers, he stated.