Pragnya Patnaik– From the window of computers to the world of literature

The living style of the software techies looks alluring because they are being highly paid and keep travelling across the planet Earth, yet they are of a genre whose brains are programmed for structural things only. These set of professionals lack creativity in the field of art, literature and cultural activities, because of the monotonous and rigorous nature of the routine job they are engaged with. Yet there are a chosen few who sail against the tides.

While abandoning a high salaried job of Infosys our Sambalpuria girl Pragnya Patnaik ventured out to do things which no one else could even dare to dream. She was working with Infosys Limited as a software consultant. Apart from using the keys of her computer for the job, she opted to use them to compose English literature as well.

Pragnya was born and brought up in Sambalpur. She attended the coveted St. Joseph’s Convent High School. Later, she did her Bachelors in Science from Gangadhar Meher College and Masters in Computer Applications from Sambalpur University.

Pragnya recalls she started writing early when she was as young as seven years old. Then her subjects were like My Father, My Home, My Pet Dog, The Cow, Rainy Day and all those things which her tender eyes were able to capture around her little play world. What started as a hobby in her childhood, gradually turned into a passion? That little girl has now turned into a mother herself and has made her remarkable presence felt in the world of both Oriya and English literature. So far she has got the credit for writing three books. On the other hand she has translated two best-seller English books into Odia, which in fact is a rare phenomena.

She used to be an outstanding student in the school and college. She recalls, a couple of times she occupied back benches in the classroom only to scribble poetry.  Somehow she was never caught by the professors! During her college days itself she went on to publish her first book of poetry titled “My Pen Speaks”. That collection of poems was appreciated by the readers and critics alike. When she sent a copy of it to the PMO, she even received a letter of appreciation from the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. That letter from the Premier of India boosted her morale and she set the clear goal of her life i.e. to dedicate this life of her to the world of literature.

For the next many years, she worked towards building her career. That was when writing took a backseat for her. She worked in the software industry for years while catapulting herself to the Indian software giant Infosys. Infosys is the ninth most valued Indian company in terms of market capitalization that provides business-consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services.

A love story that she wrote was hugely appreciated by her friends and colleagues at office. Many readers got emotionally charged while some even broke down after reading it. It motivated her to publish an anthology of love stories. And it was then that she realized that she is born to write stories instead of working in the software industry. Her priorities in personal life as well changed when she got blessed with her first child (she is blessed with a son and a daughter). She consulted her husband who works at New York City, USA with TCS as a delivery manager for Morgan Stanley. With his consent she took the bold decision to quit the job for the sake of her first love i.e. writing.

“Love Is Not Lost” her second book is a compilation of love stories which was released in the Delhi Book Fair of 2016. That book has garnered appreciation from various quarters, both inside and outside the country. It became a part of the National Book Trust's catalogue “Books from India”, and was exhibited at the London Book Fair.

In 2018 her collection of short stories in Sambalpuri language titled “Ranga” was released by lokakabi Padmashri Haladhar Nag and Padmashri Jitendriya Haripal.  This book is the first of its kind due to its contemporary subjects. It gathered great reviews from fellow writers, readers, and critics. Sri Manglu Charan Biswal, the famed writer of the Sambalpuri movie Bhuka, says “Let the name of this writer live on for millions of years”. A critic even wrote that this writer’s name will be jotted in golden letters when the history of Sambalpuri language will be written. Our Lokakabi Padmashri Haladhar Nag has presented Pragnya with one of his most prized possession. It is the Uttariya of Lord Jagannath that he received as a part of the much coveted Srikhetra Sanman.

Pragnya has even translated two bestselling English books of Robin Sharma into Odia. The first one is “Daily Inspiration from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” and the other one is “The Leader Who Had No Title”.  Her poems in Hindi have been loved by readers. Some of her plays in Hindi have been staged as well. 

Pragnya also co-edits a fortnightly in Odia titled “Vaisakhi”. She is actively involved in various social causes and is a women rights activist.  Through Vaisakhi, she conducts breast cancer awareness programs for the rural women of neglected zone of westrn Odisha.

[Pragya could be seen at 

Kabi Bhavan, Barpali]

This lady is worth a watch as she is taking Sambalpuri literature to the higher spheres while spreading it far and wide.

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E.Kiran Mohan (The Writer)

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