EDUCATION :
M.A. from Utkal University, India, and University of East Anglia, England. A recipient of honorary D. Litt. from North Odisha University.
CAREER :
Shri Mishra joined IAS in 1975.Retired as Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha.Recipient of 'Think Odisha Leadership Award', as an outstanding civil servant
Tarun Kanti Mishra is a distinguished literary figure in contemporary Odia literature. So far he has published twenty five collections of short stories, three novels and a novella. Hailed by the critics as a gifted storyteller, Mishra portrays his characters, drawn from different stations of life, with deep empathy and insight; and with a language almost magical. Some stories are surreal, mystic; and some others are poignant, intense, existential. His style is evocative, elegant, haunting. Each story has the imprint of author's extra-ordinary storytelling abilities..
Shri Mishra’s literary talents blossomed at a tender age. He started publishing short stories since his school days. His first anthology of short stories appeared in 1968, while he was an under-graduate student. So far he has published over 300 short stories. He also authored three novels, including one written against the backdrop of Dandakaranya, a vast territory inhabited by immigrants from the erstwhile East Pakistan and a large tribal population
Major Works:
Bhaswati (in Odia, Hindi, Bengali and English), Akash Setu, Bitansa, Komal Gandhar, Bahubrihi, Lubdhakar Raati, Aji Raatir Galpa, Kehi Jane Eka Eka, Janha Raatira Gapa Sari Nanih, Needa, Nadi O Tamal, Sharadah Shatam, Chhayaloka, Aranya Adim (Hindi) and Itni Door (Hindi, published by Bharatiya Jnanpith.)
For his contribution to Odia literature, Shri Mishra has received several awards. Some of them are :
- Sahitya Akademi Award (2019)
- Odisha Sahitya Academy Award (1997)
- Sarala Award (2001)
- Utkal Sahitya Samaj (Fakir Mohan Short Story) Award (1998)
- Jhankar Award (1997)
- Rajdhani Book Fair Award (2002)
- Katha Award (New Delhi) (1998)
- Kadambini Samman (2009)
- Time Pass Bestseller Award (2011)
- Prananath Samman (2020)
- Fakir Mohan Sahitya Parishad (Sahityashree) Samman
- Satyabadi Saraswat Samman (2025)
Shri Mishra’s writings have been translated into several languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Gujarati.
The Writer :
Shri Mishra is a writer with poetic elegance and poise. His work is characterized by a mobility of style, a deep human empathy, grace and vigour. The central theme of many of his stories is human predicament. His canvas is wide embracing a large spectrum of life. He wrote about hunger, deprivation, opulence and hypocrisy of modern times. Some of his stories are tinged with mystic romanticism. His stories profile a few moments of eternity, a milky way of hope, though on the surface, there is a shadow of despair or touch of pathos.
