A poet at heart, ace bureaucrat Bishnupada Sethi has been bestowed with this year’s State Level Santha Bhimaprabha Samman. The 1995-batch IAS officer, who holds multiple responsibilities as Principal Secretary School & Mass Education, Commerce & Transport, Information & Public Relations departments as well as Chairman of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation, was honoured at a ceremony organised by the Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi Sahitya Parishad at Sarala Bhawan in Cuttack.
An engineering graduate, Sethi is not only among the most efficient but also one of the busiest bureaucrats of Odisha. That is amply evident from the tasks assigned to him by the government. But the boy from Bhograi, who has left his imprint in almost everything that he has done in life, still manages to find time to pursue his passion: writing poems. For him poetry is a way to express his creative and tender side.
He has published several well-received poetry collections, including Where Shall I Go, My World of Words, Beyond Feelings, and Beyond Here and Other Poems. The first one Where Shall I Go, published in 2005, was also translated into Urdu and Odia. Beyond Here and Other Poems was released last year by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who has himself authored some well-known books.
Sethi is a great admirer of the works of saint poet Bhima Bhoi and the philosophy he preached. His contribution to the development of Bhima Bhoi Samadhipitha Khaliapali in the Sonepur district is still remembered. He was honoured with the Bhima Bhoi Sruti Samman in 2018.
A 19th Century poet, Bhima Bhoi was born in abject poverty – but his poetry and the faith he preached remain an inspiration till date. Sethi’s contributions towards highlighting the works of this great poet and his philosophy are widely acknowledged. The poems of the bureaucrat also reflect his humane side and the sensitivities that have shaped his poetic landscape.
While Sethi’s prowess as an administrator is touching new heights, his passion for poetry precedes it. He started writing poems as a student and was an active participant in literary activities during his school and college days. Since he always had a flair for writing, his love for poetry remained with him even during his busy days at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie where he was trained to be a civil servant.
Even now, when thoughts come to him in moments of solitude, he is quick to put them down on paper. But few people know that Sethi has also contributed significantly to prose writing. While anything related to Bhima Bhoi inspires him, he has also authored two books on the demography of Odisha and co-authored a number of monograms, including one on the special animal breeds of Odisha. Here’s wishing more power to his pen.
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