Jharsuguda is home to Veer Surendra Sai Airport named after the legendary freedom fighter who single handedly took on the mighty British emperor.
This city in the western part of Odisha hosts a large number of thermal power plants and is aptly called as the powerhouse of Odisha. It also serves as a prominent industrial center for the metal and cement industries.
Srutakirti Tripathy was born in this city of historical significance in the year 1983. Her father was a medical professional. She studied there till 4th grade before her father got transferred to Sambalpur.
She excelled in academics. During annual sports day, she enjoyed participating in various events like running, high jump, long jump and potato race. She completed the remaining years of her schooling from Aurobindo integrated school.
She chose to pursue PCMB in her 11th grade at Gangadhar Meher College, followed by graduation in Statistics. During this time, she frequented the college library to indulge in reading stories and novels.
While pursuing her postgraduate studies, she was deeply immersed in literature. In just two years, she borrowed 54 books from the library, particularly enjoying works by Pratibha Ray, Manoj Das, and other authors who sparked her imagination.
She went on to complete B.Ed.
She has two sisters and a brother. Staying in a joint family since childhood, she learnt the value of staying together and nurturing relationships that could stand the test of time.
In 2006, at the age of 23, she got married and moved to Bhubaneswar. Couple of years later, she started preparing for civil services but had to stop midway due to the birth of her son.
Between 2010-12, she completed her M.Ed when her son was only 2.5 years of age. She aimed to pursue a Ph.D. degree.
She got a couple of job offers, but she didn’t accept owing to family responsibilities.
In 2017, she came across the “Sahitya Madhurya” Facebook group. It’s a platform for Odia writers to showcase their creativity. She started to believe that she would be able to write stories and publish on this platform.
Writing came as a big revelation for her as people in the Facebook group started appreciating her work. She continued writing with a lot of interest..
By Dec 2017, she started sending her articles to various publishing houses. Her stories got published in Nitidina and Pragatibadi, two of the prominent newspapers in Odisha.
She began receiving calls from individuals all over Odisha who admired her efforts. Some even provided feedback that inspired her to enhance her writing further.
Although she began writing in 2017, she has made impressive strides in the past 6.5 years. Over 400 of her articles have been featured in top newspapers in Odisha.
She wrote a book named “Rang Tulira Jibana” which was inaugurated by the former Governor of Odisha Prof. Ganeshi Lal in 2021.
She has authored multiple children’s storybooks and excels in translating between Hindi, English, and Odia. Additionally, she frequently appears as a panelist on television shows.
She has participated in Odia Sahitya Academy events, where she had the chance to read her stories.
Despite having home responsibilities, she carves out time to write on a range of subjects. Typically, she writes from 3.30pm to 5.30pm and from 11pm onwards daily. Sometimes, she even wakes up in the middle of the night to write.
Drawing from her personal experience of living in a joint family and nurturing her son, coupled with her compelling storytelling, she has emerged as one of the notable Odia authors in contemporary times.
The Gold Dust
- Advice to upcoming writers:
Concentrate on writing without the pressure of getting your stories published. Expand your knowledge by reading extensively. Remember, for every piece of writing produced, aim to consume five times as much through reading.
- Dealing with difficult people
Some people even advised her to reduce her writing so that she would be able to maintain the quality. However she remains undeterred by the remarks of naysayers. The years of groundwork she laid before embarking on writing has established a strong base. She is looking forward to achieving greater heights with steadfast confidence.
- Legacy:
Although she started writing in 2017, she has been able to make a lasting impression on the readers in this short time. She is confident that her writings will continue to inspire people long after she’s gone.
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