Basanti: A Critical Analysis

Social Sciences

A group of twelve authors collaborated to write Basanti. It was a brand-new test. The Bengali novel Baroyari, which was co-authored by twelve authors and enjoyed considerable success, served as an inspiration for the Sabuja Sahitya Samiti's decision to co-author an Odia novel. The first chapter of the book Basanti was published in the Utkala Sahitya periodical in May 1924, and the thirtieth chapter was published in November 1926. The Sabuja Sahitya Samiti published it as a novel five years later, in 1931. Before Basanti, a lengthy poem in Odia called "Janha Mamu,” based on the Moon and authored by twelve poets was also successfully published in between 1902–1903. Prior to that, the first attempt in collaborative writing in Odia literature was made in 1894. The book was called Parijata Mala, and it was a lengthy poetry that covered all the six seasons. That poem was written by three poets, each of whom focused on two seasons. "Chandrama Sharire Eha Nuhen Kalanka," another effort in collaborative authorship was attempted in the year 1899–1900. However, that was not published as a book. Basanti then appeared as a unique experiment. At that time, the Bengali novel Baroyari was released. Inspired by Baroyari, the authors of Basanti tried their hand at Odia writing and found it a great success.

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