In the mid-1950s Chhotray joined All India Radio, Cuttack, as an employee, eventually penning over 200 radio plays that made him popular throughout Orissa. For the first time, he introduced radio serials, like Purapuri paribarika or "Only on Family", Sriharinka samsar i.e. "Srihari's World", and Bibhrata i.e. "Pandemonium", much appreciated by listeners. In 1960, he adapted for the radio Baishnab Pani's old musical Rangasabha, well received as a fresh operatic work. Besides adapting musicals by Pani and Balakrishna Mohanry, Chhotray wrote some himself. Oriya critics credit him with the revival of gitinatya i.e. lyrical drama, through fifteen original musical works in this genre. Chhotray's Srimati samarjani i.e. "Mrs Broomstick", a broadcast dramatization of Fakir Mohan Senapati's short story "Patent Medicine", is still remembered for its masterly craftsmanship. He also dramatized a few classic Oriya novels with superb skill and efficiency. He has been rightly applauded as a juggler of dialogue. His dialogues were always short and meaningful, direct and simple exchanges derived from real life, which enchanted his audiences. His humour has a special, natural flavour. Social problems provoke him and he tries to analyze them dramatically. He has scripted for films and is an accomplished short-story writer, too. This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com |