Muse@NLS Library | ‘Rain Incarnations’ | Poetry Reading With Prof. Bishnu Mohapatra

NLSIU’s Library Committee organised a poetry reading by Prof. (Dr.) Bishnu N. Mohapatra, Professor of Politics and Director of Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, KREA University.

About the event

Poet and political scientist, Prof. Bishnu Mohapatra, brought both his worlds together at NLSIU while discussing his recently published poetry collection ‘Rain Incarnations‘ (Speaking Tiger, 2025). The poetry reading session was organised at the NLS Library Basement on Monday, 4 August 2025, at 4 PM by NLS faculty Dr. Rinku Lamba.

Rain, an enduring figure in poetry across languages, finds fresh expression, in the 35 poems of this volume. NLS faculty Keerthana Venkatesh, opened the session with a welcome note, followed by Ammel Sharon who reflected on the many ways Indian traditions evoke the monsoon across musical forms, classical and folk, through recurring motifs like thunder, frogs, and lovers, each shaped by mood and raga.

Prof. Mohapatra recited the traditions he carries: his mother’s poetry, modern Odia verse, the Ramcharitmanas, and Faiz, alongside selections from his wide ranging collection in Odia and in English. The discussion flowed from the idea of a Puranic “Barshavatar” to questions about the relationship between the poetical and the political. In response, he read his rain poem on Socrates and spoke of his own examination of metaphysical ideas. The evening closed on a note of possibility and, as one student put it, “revolutionary optimism.”

About the poet

Prof. Bishnu Mohapatra is a well-known Indian poet who writes his poetry in Odia. Currently, he is a Professor of Politics and the Director of Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences at KREA University, Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, India. He served as the regional anchor of India and South Asia for the World Humanities Report (WHR), published in 2024.

Prof. Mohapatra has authored five volumes of poetry and has translated two volumes of Pablo Neruda’s poetry into Odia. A Fragile World, a book of his poetry in English translation, was published in 2008. He served as the national jury member for the Moortidevi Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith, Delhi, from 2013 to 2015. A volume of his poetry in Hindi translation – Buddha aur Aam – was published by Pralek Prakashan, Mumbai, in 2022. Prof. Mohapatra’s poetry carries not only a theorist’s critical gaze but, more importantly, a seeker’s voice. In terms of great uncertainty and disenchantment, his poetry seeks to re-enchant the world without drowning out contemporary realities.

A volume of his poetry in translation – Rain Incarnations – was published by Speaking Tiger in 2025. He is in the process of completing a volume of Rilke’s poetry in Odia translation.