Desha Kala Patra

This is a historical novel, a fictional account of Odisha in the second half of the 19th century. It gives a panoramic picture of the political, social, cultural and literary history of the State of Odisha. The book was chosen for translation into all Indian languages by the National Book Trust under their Aadaan Pradaan scheme, and it has been translated into Hindi, Bengali and English. A film project based on the book is underway. In his translator's note to the English translation A Time Elsewhere, published by Penguin Books, Prof. Jatindra K. Nayak has the following to say about the book: It tells the story of the transformation of a traditional society under the impact of colonial rule....it seeks to construct an alternate narrative in which the colonized is not content to be only written about; he is seen as shaping his own destiny.