Radhanath Ray

Radhanath Ray (1848-1908) is considered as one of the pioneers of modern Oriya literature. In his early life, he composed in both Bengali and Oriya languages.

Radhanath Ray’s first major work was ‘Kabitabali’, a collection of poems in Bengali written at the age of 18. It featured in most of the major newspapers and journals in Kolkatta during that time. His other Bengali poem was ‘Lekhabali.’ He later switched over to Oriya language and wrote famous works like ‘Meghadoota,’ ‘Nandikeshwari,’ ‘Chillika,’ ‘Urbashi’ and ‘Kedargauri.’ Apart from his original works, he is also known for his translations and adaptations from the Latin literature. They include ‘Usha', 'Chandrabhaga' and 'Parbati.'