Binod Kanungo Biography 
Binod Kanungo was a well-known Odia writer, freedom fighter, Gandhian, educator and social reformer. He is also known as the compiler of the Gyana Mandala, which is the greatest encyclopaedia in the Odia language. He was a recipient of Padma Shri and many other honours. His travelogue Runa Parishodha (1983) won Odia Sahitya Academy Award. Jnanmandal is widely regarded as his magnum opus. He also authored travelogues, biographies, children's books and over a hundred of educational books in science and technology.
Binod Kanungo was born on 6 June 1912 in Mallipur, Cuttack District, Odisha. After completing his primary school education from his village, he became one of the first students of Ranihat Highschool, Cuttack. He got a scholarship to study at Ravenshaw Collegiate School. However he left his studies and joined freedom struggle movement after getting inspired from Mahatma Gandhi’s words. He also remained a Gandhian during his entire life.
He started his career as a journalist in the year 1934 with the daily, The Samaja. His first assignment was to cover Mahatama Gandhi's Harijan Padayatra from Puri to Bhadrak. He also received training from Gandhi, and groomed into an excellent reporter. Later he joined The Samaja as an Assistant Editor. As a part of freedom struggle movement, he got jailed too. After independence he continued with his writing and journalist career. In 1952 he unsuccessfully contested in first general elections.
He began the compliation work of Oriya encyclopaedia Jnanmandal in the year 1954. The first volume was released in 1960 by Harekrushna Mahatab, the then Chief Minister of Odisha. He created the Jnanmandal Foundation, and the unfinished work was later completed by his son. After his death, the Foundation has created and published different kinds of multi-volume encyclopaedias.
Published: January 05, 2020
Updated: January 05, 2020
