The album cover of Dipa Jale Dipa Libhe that has songs penned by Akshaya Mohanty. Telegraph picture

Cuttack, Nov. 15: Oriya music lovers are in for a musical treat. For the first time, songs penned by Akshaya Mohanty have been released in a music album called Dipa Jale Dipa Libhe.

City-based Namrata Mohanty, who has sung eight of the songs, was driven by the desire to give a lease of life to the little known lyrics of the late Oriya singing legend and music composer. Mohanty has launched the audio CD produced under her own music label Symphony Digital Audio.

Akshaya Mohanty, who was popularly known as Khoka Bhai, was Orissa’s most popular singer and music composer. He was credited with the lyrics of many all-time hit songs such as Jajabara mana mora, Bayasara krushnachura, Smruti tume srabana ratira, Hey phaguna tume gala pare pare, Kalankita ei nayaka aakhire, Nadira nama alasa kanya, Raja jhia sange karithhili bhaba and others.

But some of the compositions that he had scribbled in his personal diaries and songbooks were never recorded earlier and thus remained unknown.

“I came across few such lyrics (which were never recorded) during my interactions with Prabina Mohanty (wife of Akshaya Mohanty). I expressed my desire to sing them. She agreed,” Namrata Mohanty told The Telegraph.

“It’s an humble attempt to rediscover versatility in the lyrics of Akshaya Mohanty, who is known more as a singing legend and composer,” said Namrata, who plans to sing Oriya translations of eight famous Bengali love songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Music director Om Prakash Mohanty believes the tunes has captured the various moods and emotions of Khoka Bhai’s lyrics meticulously.

“Composing the music was both a challenge and privilege,” Mohanty said.