Berhampur boy Yadam Ram Kumar: A writer with a humane touch

By Sisir Panigrahy

A young writer from Berhampur, Yadam Ram Kumar, is making waves across the globe through his writings.

Born into a poor family, journey to the top has been a daunting one for this young writer.

Yadam Ram Kumar from Berhampur city

Much of his works address the downtrodden and it is probably his humble beginnings that go on to influence his writings. The 26-year-old novelist, playwright and poet published his first novel ‘A Lonely Lady’ at the age 19 and there was looking back since then. He now has 10 books including novels, short stories, children’s books and a poetry published in the USA, the UK and across India.

Having a huge following world-wide for his unique style of writing, Yadam calls his writings an eclectic mixture of reality and fiction which represent the society, its people and their affairs.

Honoured with a Doctor of Philosophy by Intercultural Open University (IOU) at the Hague in the Netherlands, for research on dynamics of human rights in the Indian and world context, Yadam aims to promote human rights education in Orissa apart from encouraging the young writers. An international human rights researcher, he has worked in African and European countries.

After schooling and pre-college in Berhampur, Yadam did his PG and Ph.D at Delhi, a phase which changed his perspective towards life. The incidents in Delhi during his stay left an indelible mark and he opted for writing as a profession.

His writings deal with the travails of the downtrodden man, a result of his observations during his long walks on the Capital’s streets.

Expressing concern over falling standards of Oriya literature, he feels it is high time the charm of Oriya literature was restored.

Yadam whose latest book is about to be released, is now trying to document the living standards of people in remote rural areas of Orissa.

Source: The New Indian Express