Kali Pada Saren
A Santali writer and dramatist known as Kherwal Saren, whose plays toured Santal villages against illiteracy, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
Kali Pada Saren, known among the Santal as Kherwal Saren, is a writer, singer and dramatist who worked to remove illiteracy and prejudice from Santal society. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of literature and education, from West Bengal [1].
A bank clerk who wrote
Saren was born on 9 December 1957 [2]. He took a BA from Kapgari Seva Bharati Mahavidyalaya in 1980 and an MA in political science from Rabindra Bharati University in 1984, and worked for the State Bank of India until he retired [2].
Many pen names
On 30 June 1984 he founded Marshal Gaonta, a group of friends and well-wishers of the community, which launched the monthly Santali literary magazine Rimil, later renamed Aven Sankowa, with him as editor [2]. His writing, published since 1980, covers drama, poetry, novels, short stories, essays and songs, under pen names such as Mister Thungu, Saptarsi Saren and Benja Mara [2]. His books are on school, college and university syllabuses [2].
Theatre for change
In 1990 he founded the Kherwal Dramatic Club in Kolkata, which until 2006 staged his plays in Santal areas of Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bengal, to help spread education and challenge prejudice [2].
He received the Pandit Raghunath Murmu award in 2004, the West Bengal Santali Academy’s award in 2013 and the Sahitya Akademi translation award in 2020 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2022: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2022: citation for Kali Pada Saren — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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