Things used by Gopinath Mohanty on display at Ekamra Book Fair. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 19: The celebrated author of Paraja, Gopinath Mohanty, attracted a lot of readers at the Ekamra book fair that concluded on Sunday.

The author, who passed away in 1991, came alive through memorabilia exhibited at an exclusive kiosk at the fair that was held at Janata Maidan in the city.

Often considered the greatest Odia author after Fakir Mohan Senapati, Mohanty is best remembered for his novel, Paraja. He was an officer of the Odisha Administrative Services (OAS) from 1938 to 1969 and during his stay in Koraput as an administrator, he came across different people and situations, about whom he wrote.

The kiosk at the fair showcased a collage of photographs depicting Mohanty’s life — right from his teenage, to his student days at Patna University and of later years. The exhibits included his handbag from the OAS tenure, handwritten manuscripts of his novels in diaries and notebooks, spectacles and tribal musical instruments such as wooden trumpets and cymbals that he had collected. Also displayed were his walking stick that has beautiful designs sculpted on it.

Almost all his books were displayed at the kiosk.

“It is a great opportunity for me and his other admirers to find out more about the great author. We could see from the pictures and articles he had preserved from his Koraput days, how much he loved the tribal people,” said Aradhana Kanungo, an Odia literature student.

“The collection of phrases he coined that are displayed on a large flex here was impressive,” said Bijay Nayak, a visitor.

The kiosk aimed to bring the readers close to their loved author, said Bhaskar Jena, secretary of the fair.

“We are grateful to the legendary author’s family for helping us with the souvenirs. The footfall to the kiosk was heartening. We wish to continue the effort for other great authors every year at our book fair,” said Jena.

The third edition of the annual fair began on November 7 and came to an end last Sunday.