World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Gopal Chhotray

ゴーパル・チョートレイ

Gopal Chhotray

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1916-04-20 （Puranagarh village, Jagatsinghpur district, Bihar and Orissa Province, India）
Died
2003-01-22 （Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India） age 86
Nationality
Indian
Languages
Odia
Residence History
Lived in Cuttack, Odisha for most of his life

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, radio scriptwriter, short story writer, broadcast producer
Active Years
1942-2003
Affiliations
All India Radio (AIR), Cuttack, Odisha Doordarshan (state TV) - contributor
Influenced By
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Henrik Ibsen, A. A. Milne, Henry Fielding
Influenced
Subsequent generations of modern Odia theatre practitioners, Devdas Chhotray

Awards

Padma Shri
2002
Organization: Government of India
Result: 受賞
Sahitya Akademi Award
1982
Organization: Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
1987
Organization: Sangeet Natak Akademi
Result: 受賞
Sarala Award
2000
Organization: Sarala Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Bisuba Award
1992
Organization: Bisuba
Result: 受賞
Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award
1976
Organization: Odisha Sahitya Akademi
Result: 受賞
Governor's Plaque of Honour
1991
Organization: Governor of Odisha
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Pheria (Come Back)

1946 stage play

An early notable play that became widely staged in professional theatre.

familysocial conflict

Purapuri Paribarika (Entirely A Family Matter)

1964 radio serial

A monthly radio serial that ran uninterrupted for three years; a pioneering chain-play for radio.

domestic dramaeveryday human relationships

Hasyarasara Nataka

1981 comedy (stage)

Known as one of his notable stage comedies emphasizing humor.

humorsocial satire

Shree Jagannatha

1950 film (mythological/epic)

He wrote the screenplay for this 1950 grand mythological film, which established his reputation as a screenwriter.

mythologyreligious motifs

Bibliography

  • Sahadharmini (1942)
  • Pheria (1946)
  • Bharasa (1954)
  • Parakalama (1955)
  • Nasta Urvashi (1955)
  • Shankha Sindura (1956)
  • Pathikabandhu (1958)
  • Jhanja (1958)
  • Janashatru (1958)
  • Ardhangini (1959)
  • Amadabata (1959)
  • Ghataka (1960)
  • Malajanha (1961)
  • Abhaginira Swarga (1961)
  • Pratibha (1962)
  • Sadhana (1962)
  • Purapuri Paribarika (1964)
  • Dalabehera (1966)
  • Padmalaya (1972)
  • Shriharinka Sangsara (1974)
  • Shakha Prashakha (1977)
  • Nua Bou (1980)
  • Hasyarasara Nataka (1981)
  • Shataranji (1983)
  • Babaji (1984)
  • Shobha (1987)
  • Emiti Hue Nahin (1990)
  • Natakhata Nataka (1991)
  • Srestha Ekankika (1991)
  • Pahacha O Anya Nataka (1991)
  • Gajapati Heera O Anyanya (1991)
  • Babu Chandramani (1992)
  • Patent Medicine (1992)
  • Panchanatika (1993)
  • Short stories: Sei Phula (1989)
  • Short stories: Chandramukhi (1993)

Adaptations

  • Many plays adapted into films, radio productions and television dramas
  • Shree Jagannatha (1950, film)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
dialogue-driven, stage-focused linesrhythmic scripts suited for radio/broadcastclear, popular appeal in narration
Recurring Motifs
family conflictsocial reform and ethicsrural and regional culturereworking of mythological motifs

Legacy

Considered one of the chief architects of modern Odia theatre, he significantly influenced the form and themes of Odia plays through stage, radio and television. He left a strong mark on popular culture by popularizing radio drama and reviving rural opera.

In Popular Culture

  • Radio plays and recorded works (LPs, cassettes) became widely popular
  • Contributed to the foundational development of state television drama in Odisha

Trivia

  • He is credited with writing over 500 radio plays and scripts.
  • Purapuri Paribarika ran uninterrupted for three years as a prominent chain-play.
  • Works like 'Shrimati Samarjani' were widely circulated on LPs and cassettes.
  • He is credited with rescuing Odia theatre from the hold of opera and melodrama, introducing modern structures and themes.