Jayanta Mahaptra’s Mortal Remains Consigned to Flames at Khannagar Cremation Ground

Cuttack, August 28: The mortal remains of the greatest English poet of India, Jayanta Mahapatra, got mingled with the five eternal elements of the world (pancha bhuta) and the Khannagar cremation ground was lucky enough to have the poet’s body cremated with all State honour, as declared by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, yesterday.

The noted Indo-Anglian poet from Tinikonia Bagicha in Cuttack breathed his last at SCB Medical College and Hospital on Sunday night. Around noon the cremation took place in the presence of all ``Jayanta lovers’’ from every walks of life and the various Social Media platforms were also flooded with thousands of messages, condolences and memoirs of the poet and his fans, who had great memories with the poetry legend.

During the cremation his nephew lit the pyre and his wife and son had left him earlier, while his daughter-in-law and grand children are now staying in Singapore. The Padma Shri awarded world-renowned bilingual poet was cremated and not buried as per his will titled ‘My last wishes’. He even  wanted the cremation to be carried out as early as possible following his death.

Many fans and ``Jayanta lovers’’ and admirers also visited his house at Tinikonia Bagicha, where his mortal remains were kept following his demise last night, to pay their last respect.

According to SCBMCH sources, the poet was admitted to the hospital on August 7 due to pneumonia. Mahapatra had recovered and about to be discharged, but suddenly he suffered a stroke and became drowsy and again taken back to the ICU and was with a ventilator. As per his treating doctors, he suffered a heart attack around 9 pm last night and breathed his last.

A friend of the poet once told him that he is, in fact, a king (Raja). "I have received so much of love from people that I thought that this might have helped me live like a king. I do not have any affinity for wealth. Love from my readers and well-wishers is everything for me," said the poet at a book release event in the Temple City last April.

 Indeed, Jayanta Mahapatra was a `Raja’ or even an `Emperor’ who has built a beautiful world of words both in Odia and English literature. His mortal remains might have turned into ashes at Khannagar, but he will be remembered in the hearts of crores of Odias forever as he had created a treasure house of  beautiful poetry centered around common people, common stories of life and anecdotes which relate to every person on this Earth.