Bhubaneswar: Noted trade union leader, writer and columnist Souribandhu Kar is no more. Kar, who was suffering from liver-related ailments, breathed his last at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar Monday night. He was 72.
Kar was admitted to the hospital three days ago after his health condition deteriorated at his Gajapati Nagar residence in Bhubaneswar.
He is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter. He was the elder brother of Bauribandhu Kar, former professor of Odia at Berhampur University.
Born at Khanditar village of Jajpur district in 1948, Kar worked at Canara Bank and after his retirement over a decade ago, he devoted his time for Left movement. He was the general secretary of Odisha unit of All India Trade Union Congress. A known CPI leader, he lent his name to several movements, be it bank employees’ issues or issues related to child labour.
He penned several books ranging across several genres. His biography ‘Manabatara Mahatirtha’, published in 2012, got him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award. This apart, he authored two other biographies (Paramahansa Ramakrushna and Rashtranirmata Nehru), two children literature books (Deshapremi Swami Vivekananda and Babasaheb Ambedkar), four short story collections, two novels (Pratidhwani and Echharama Putra) and a prose (Vedantara Swara).
As the news of his demise broke, people from different walks of life thronged his residence to pay their last tributes to the departed soul.
PNN