Condolences Pour In For Odisha’s Revolutionary Poet Rabi Singh Who Died At 89

Cuttack: Veteran poet Rabi Singh passed away at his residence on Sunday in Khapuria area of Cuttack district. He was 89.

Singh was reportedly suffering from age-related ailments for a long time before breathing his last today morning. Earlier, he was admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for around one-and-a-half month.

Meanwhile, the State Government has declared state funeral for Singh for his immense contribution to the freedom movement and Odia literature.

Following his demise condolences poured in from various corners. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took to Twitter to pay tributes to the departed soul.

“Extremely saddened to hear about the demise of revolutionary poet Rabi Singh. He will be remembered for his immense contributions in enriching Odisha’s literature. I pray to God for peace of his soul and my condolences are with his bereaved family,” tweeted the CM.

Similarly, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote, “His demise is an irreversible loss to Odisha’s literary world. I pray for the peace of his soul and my condolences are with the bereaved family.”

“His death has caused an irreparable damage to Odia literature. He was attracted towards literature from a very young age and contributed immensely in enriching it,” said a poet Amaresh Patnaik.

Expressing grief on Singh’s death, another poet Amiya Mohapatra said, “This is the end of an era in Odia literature and a prominent voice has become silent with Singh’s death.”

Later in the day, Singh was consigned to flames with state honours in Cuttack.

Singh has written books in Odia, English as well as Bengali. He has a huge collection of poetry in his name. Some of them are- ‘Patha Prantara Kabita’, ‘Charama Patra’, ‘Lal Pagoda Ra Preta O Anya Kabita’, ‘Apritikara Kabita’, ‘Bishabani’, ‘Sarbahara’, ‘Bhanga Harara Kabita’, ‘Bisabani’ and ‘Khyata’.

Singh was conferred the Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman in 2017 for his immense contribution towards Odia literature. He had also won Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award in 1961.

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