Anita Agnihotri (Bengali: অনিতা অগ্নিহোত্রী; born 24 September 1956) is an Indian Bengali writer and poet. She has been translated into major Indian and foreign languages, including but not limited to English, Swedish and German. She is also a retired civil servant (Indian Administrative Service 1980 batch). She lives in India.[1]
Early life and career
Anita Agnihotri (née Chatterjee) was born and spent her childhood in Kolkata.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics at Presidency College in Kolkata, and graduated with a Masters in Economics from Calcutta University.[2]
She was selected for the IAS in 1980 to the Odisha cadre. She went on to have a 37-year career in the civil service. As an IAS, she was Collector of Sundargarh district of Odisha and was Principal Secretary in departments such as Textiles and Industries. In 1991, she took a sabbatical from IAS and completed Masters in Development Economics from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.[citation needed]
At the centre, she was a joint DG in Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) between 1996 and 2001, and then Development Commissioner of SEEPZ, Mumbai in 2008–2011 at the rank of Joint Secretary. She was also the member secretary of the National Commission for Women. She retired in 2016 as Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
Writing
Anita commenced writing at an early age. The writer Bimal Kar encouraged her to pursue a literary career. As a school student, she used to write for renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray's children's magazine Sandesh, something that gave her confidence and also shaped her literary sensibilities. Her writing has been compared with that of noted Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi.[3]
The Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms. Anita Agnihotri and the MD-NSKFDC
In 1991, on a sabbatical from the IAS to pursue a course on rural development in UK's Anglia Ruskin University, she wrote the novella 'Mahuldiha Days capturing the incidents that she had encountered as an administrator in Odisha's Mahuldiha.[citation needed]
In 2015, Anita's book Mahanadi was published. The eponymous book is written with the river Mahanadi in the first person. It tells the story of a river that flows through some of the least developed (and poorest) regions of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and the profound influence of the river on the regions society, culture and economics.[citation needed]
In 2021, Niyogi Books published the English translation of Mahanadi under the imprint Thornbird.[citation needed]
Khonj Sahitya Puraskar 2022, awarded by Khonj Sahitya Patrika, West Bengal, India.[4]
Pratibha Basu Smriti Puraskar (2016, awarded by Damayanti Basu Singh)
Sailajananda Smarak Sahitya Samman 2014 , awarded by Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi
Economist-Crossword Award, 2011 in the category ‘Indian Language Fiction Translation’ for Anita's collection of stories Seventeen, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha[5]
Gajendra Kumar Mitra Smriti Puraskar (2010, awarded by Mitra and Ghosh Publishers)
Bhuban Mohini Dasi Gold Medal by the University of Calcutta for contribution to Bengali literature, awarded in 2010
Galpamela Puraskar 2007, awarded by Galpamela, Chandannagore
Sarat Puraskar 2004, awarded by Sarat Shatabarshiki Samiti, Bhagalpur
Indu Basu Smriti Puraskar (1998)
Sahitya Setu Puraskar, awarded by Sahitya Setu group, Bansberia
