Tapan Kumar Pradhan

Tapan Kumar Pradhan (born 1972) is an Indian poet, writer and translator from Odisha. He is best known for his poem collection "Kalahandi" which was awarded second place in Sahitya Akademi's Golden Jubilee Indian Literature Translation Prize for Poetry in 2007.[1][2] His other works include "Equation", "I, She and the Sea", "Wind in the Afternoon" and "Dance of Shiva".[3]

Tapan Kumar Pradhan
Pradhan in 2021
Pradhan in 2021
Born(1972-10-22)22 October 1972
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India
OccupationPoet, activist, banker
LanguageOdia, English, Hindi
NationalityIndian
EducationDoctorate
Alma materUtkal University, BJB College
Period21st century
GenrePoetry, essays
SubjectHuman rights
Notable worksKalahandi
Notable awardsSahitya Akademi
SpouseSuvashree H
Children2

Early life and education

Pradhan was born on 22 October 1972 at Shahid Nagar in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and spent his childhood in Kalahandi, Nuapada, Keonjhar and Laxmisagar. He studied at Laxmisagar Highschool, BJB College and Utkal University. He also studied briefly at University of Hyderabad, TISS and IIT Kanpur where he discontinued. His father Arakshit Pradhan was an engineer under Government of Odisha but left job in protest against rampant corruption in Government projects. After Arakshit Pradhan left for Himalayas, the family was brought up by his wife Kumudini Pradhan.[4]

Award-winning works

In 2007, Pradhan received the Indian Express[5] Citizen for Peace[6] prize from Shyam Benegal for his essays on communal harmony.[7] He has also won First Prize in All-India Inter-bank Hindi Essay Competition for 2007–08,[8] a prize he also won in 2006–07[9] for his essays on micro-finance and financial inclusion. He also won First Prize in the RBIA Silver Jubilee essay competition on Future of Central Banking conducted by Reserve Bank of India in 2007–08. He was the First Prize winner in RBI Brand Building Competition, 2007 for his bold satirical essay "Dreaming the RBI Brand", which created shock waves in the Reserve Bank fraternity. During his student days he had won many literary prizes including Upasika Kamaladevi Award for essays on Buddhism, Shatadru prize for short story and Ankur prize for poetry etc. He was Utkal University literary champion during 1993–94. Pradhan's poem "The Buddha Smiled" won commendation first prize in All India Poetry Competition 2013[10] conducted by Poetry Society (India).

Pradhan receiving Inter-Bank Essay First Prize from RBI Governor

Other literary works

Pradhan's works encompass both secular and spiritual literature. His poems, essays, sketches and short stories have been published in the journals Indian Literature, Journal of Poetry Society, The Statesman, Times of India and The Samaja.[11] His book “Kalahandi” has been included in literature syllabus of several colleges and universities.[12][13] He has also co-authored, edited and commented on the spiritual works of German Christian poet Antony Theodore and mystic Kashmiri poet Lalitha Iyer showing the underlying unity of all world religions.

Human rights and crusade against corruption

In 2009, Pradhan petitioned Central Information Commission of India to increase transparency in the Performance Appraisal System in RBI.[14] Pradhan was first person in RBI and public sector employee to obtain his PAR report through RTI Act. As against CIC's view that PAR was "confidential personal information", Pradhan contended that PAR is the appraisal committee's impersonal evaluation of the public service rendered by public servants in their impersonal capacity in a public organisation; and hence there was nothing "personal" about PAR.[15] Following his petition, RBI began disclosing PAR reports to all employees[16] before moving over to a more objective method of appraisal called Performance Management System. In the words of Smt Usha Thorat, the ex-Deputy Governor of RBI, Pradhan makes "ingenious use of the RTI Act" to redress individual grievances.[17]

Professional career

Under UGC Fellowship, Pradhan was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 2001 for his dissertation on Structural and Economic Dimensions of Communal Conflict.[18] He has researched the Kandh-Pana conflict in Kandhamal district, Hindu-Muslim relations in Bhadrak and Harijan-Savarna caste dynamics at Brahmabarada in Jajpur district of Odisha. He taught Sociology at Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, before joining Reserve Bank of India in 1999 as a Grade-B officer. In 2014, Pradhan left RBI to join Government of Odisha as Director and Additional Secretary in Finance Department. He established transparent score-based ranking of banks on Financial Inclusion parameters for awarding of Government business.[19]

Personal life

In 2001 Pradhan married Suvashree, a trained Odishi dancer.[20] The couple have a son and a daughter.[21]

Hemangi Sharma fraud case

Hemangi Sharma, a woman officer of NIRDPR Hyderabad lodged complaint with Cyberabad Police that Pradhan had harassed her while delivering a guest lecture at her institute.[22] Pradhan lodged counter complaint against Hemangi for cybercrime, stalking, impersonation and online frauds. Investigation showed that Hemangi Sharma had lodged false case.[23]

Bibliography
  • Kalahandi - The Untold Story (2020)
  • I, She and the Sea (2019)
  • Wind in the Afternoon (2017)
  • Kandhamal Riots - Origin & the Aftermath (2015)
  • Structural & Economic Dimensions of Communal Conflict in India (2002)

Edited works
  • Psalms of Love (2021)
  • I Am Your Baby, Mother (2020)
  • Songs of Lust and Love (2020)
  • Jesus Christ in Love (2019)
  • Songs of Sadness (2019)

Translations
  • Kalahandi (2007)

Journal articles
  • Tayade, Dr S. A. (2021). "Gender Subaltern in Tapan Kumar Pradhan's "Kalahandi" & "Khap's Diktat"". Lang Lit. 3: 119–125. ISSN 2349-5189.
  • Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (2007). "Kalahandi". Indian Literature. 51 (6): 47–48. JSTOR 23347624.
  • Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (2007). "Equation". Indian Literature. 51 (6): 45–46. JSTOR 23347623.
  • Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (2007). "Hour of Coming". Indian Literature. 51 (6): 49–51. JSTOR 23347625.
  • Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (2022). "Remembering Father". Creative Flights. 3 (1): 74–75. ISSN 2582-6158.

Books on the author
  • Surhone, Lambert M.; Tennoe, Mariam T. (2011). Tapan Kumar Pradhan. Beau Basin: International Books. ISBN 978-61-360172-4-2.

See also

Notes
  1. Staff (November–December 2007). "Indian Literature Golden Jubilee Literary Translation Prize Winners". Indian Literature (Golden Jubilee Issue ed.). Sahitya Akademi. 51 (6): 39–65. JSTOR 23347623.
  2. "Sahitya Akademi Indian Literature Translation Award".
  3. "Tapan Kumar Pradhan - Poet".
  4. Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (12 July 2020). Kalahandi - The Untold Story. Kohinoor Books. pp. 7–14. ISBN 9788194579717. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. "Indian Express Citizen for Peace Short List". 20 December 2007.
  6. "Citizens for Peace Essays on Secularism". Archived 29 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Living with Differences : Dr Tapan Kumar Pradhan on Communal Harmony in Bhadrak". Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "RBI Rajbhasha Shield Awards 2007–08" (PDF).
  9. "Inter Bank Hindi Essay Competition".
  10. "Award Winners – All India Poetry Competition 2013".
  11. Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (12 July 2020). Kalahandi - The Untold Story. Kohinoor Books. pp. 3–19. ISBN 9788194579717. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  12. "Madurai University- English Literature". Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  13. "Sikkim University - Indian English Literature" (PDF). Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  14. "Central Information Commission Award dated August 9, 2010".
  15. Appeal No. 34/ 2009-10/RIA 2831/ 2008–09 against Reserve Bank of India
  16. "CIC Decision on Performance Appraisal Disclosure" (PDF). Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Appeal No 77/ 2009-10/ RIA 3284/ 08-09 of Reserve Bank of India (Order dated 13 September 2009)
  18. "Dimensions of Integration and Conflict in a Cross-cultural Cross-communal Setting : A Comparative Analysis", Utkal University, 2001.
  19. Dash, Jayajit (31 May 2016). "Odisha Selects 15 Banks for Govt Business (Business Standard, 31 May 2016". Business Standard India.
  20. "Tapan Kumar Pradhan Marriage Information". Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  21. "Poet Profile - Tapan kumar Pradhan". Veethi.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  22. "Tapan Kumar Pradhan vs Telengana State" (PDF). Telangana Information Commission. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  23. Vanaja Sarna (7 January 2021). "Dr Tapan Kumar Pradhan vs Hemangi Sharma". India Kanoon. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
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