Writer Manoj Das passes away in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: Writer and Padma Bhushan awardee Manoj Das of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram passed away in Puducherry after prolonged illness on Tuesday. He was 87.
Das taught English literature and philosophy at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre for Education. He was bestowed the country's third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2020 for his contribution in the field of English literature and philosophy.He had been awarded the Padma Shri in 2001.
Born on February 27, 1934, in Odisha’s Balasore district of Orissa, Das wrote both in English and Odia. His literary works include short stories, novelettes, travelogues, recounting of myths and legends, essays and columns and articles discussing current events.
Das had been in and out of hospital for more than a decade for various ailments including cancer. He passed away at 8.15pm on Tuesday at the ashram hospital where he was undergoing treatment for more than one year. The last rites will be performed at 3pm on Wednesday in Puducherry.
The writer felt an inner urge to follow a spiritual life when he was a professor of English literature in Odisha in his mid-twenties. It was then Das was introduced to writings of Sri Aurobindo. He and his wife Pratijna Devi joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry in 1963. Pratijna Devi passed away in 2018.