Born in 1934 in a small village in the eastern coast of Orissa, Manoj Das grew up in a uniquely charming environment marked by palm grove-studded green meadows with lotus-filled lakes between his house and the Bay of Bengal. At the same time he had the harrowing experience as a small boy of having to witness his region struck by a terrible cyclone and the consequent famine and his affluent house being plundered by gangs of merciless dacoits not once but twice. Manoj Das grew up to be a youth leader with radical views, suffering a term behind bars and taking a leading role in the Afro-Asian Students Conference at Bandung in 1956. But all through this tumultuous phase of his life, he continued his creative writing and his quest for the meaning of life. The numerous accolades he has received include the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Saraswati Samman, the Padma Award and D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) from five universities. Last but not the least, he has been chosen as the Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi, an honour ?reserved for immortals in literature?. Manoj Das is attached to Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Puducherry.