Bhubaneswar, June 29: These days the tradition of handwritten letters seems to have got lost.

But ‘Priya J.P.’ (Dear JP), a collection of letters addressed to eminent Oriya poet and novelist, Jagannath Prasad Das, has come as a refreshing change.

The book, edited by Sumanyu Satpathy, was released on Tuesday evening at Pantha Niwas. It contains several official memos, anonymous letters from his readers, a few mischievous and hostile messages, and some interesting ones written by women to Das.

“The book aims to bring out the various shades of J.P. Das who is a multi-faceted personality,” said Satpathy.

Besides being a poet and novelist, Das is also a well-known dramatist, actor, short-story writer, critic of art literature and cinema, painter and translator. The letters, written between the 1960s and 90s, are in Oriya and English. Some of the senders include eminent Oriya personalities such as Sachi Routray, Surendra Mohanty and legendary playwright, Gopal Chhotray.

“The letters would give us an idea about the situation prevailing then in Orissa and other parts of the globe. I would like to suggest all readers to read between the lines so that they can get the implicit meaning in those messages,” said Satpathy. J.P. Das himself was present on the occasion.