Bhubaneswar Auto Driver Bipin Harichandan Writes Over 150 Poems, Dreams Of Publishing A Book
Despite financial stress and long working hours, Bipin writes poems whenever he gets time. He has earned recognition but dreams of publishing his poetry book.
Published : March 2, 2026 at 1:25 PM IST
By Satyajit Rout
Bhubaneswar: By day, he negotiates through the traffic-congested streets of the capital driving his auto-rickshaw. By night, he writes poems. Meet Bipin Harichandan, an auto driver in Bhubaneswar, who has built a parallel identity for nearly 25 years, known in literary circles as a committed Odia poet. While his profession keeps him busy on the wheels, his passion keeps his love for poetry alive.
He usually writes in the quiet hours between 11 pm and 3 am. And has been rewarded and recognised as a poet from many quarters.
For the past seven to eight years, Bipin has been driving an auto in the city to support his family. Earlier he worked in a private company but chose self-employment after facing workplace challenges. “I do not know how poetry came to define me, but a line of my own poetry inspired me to live independently. I thought it a better idea to work independently than listening to someone else's command,” he recalls.
Poetry, for Bipin, does not follow a schedule. When something strikes him while he is driving, he pulls over if there are no passengers, takes out a notebook and writes. So far, he has penned more than 150 poems.
Many of his works have been published in reputed Odia literary magazines like Swagatika, Kabi O Kabita, Kathare Kathare, Saptpheni and Manaswini, earning him recognition among readers and literary institutions. Despite his busy work timings, he attends literary events in the city on invitation. He has also been felicitated for his work. He was once felicitated by former Odisha Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik in Khordha, along with several other recognitions from senior literary personalities.
Bipin attributes his writing ability to divine intervention. “My pen started running with the blessings of our village goddess Maa Bhagabati,” he says.
Belonging to Anjira village in Kanas block of Puri district, Bipin grew up with five siblings. His mother, Bhobani Harichandan, passed away in 2004, and his father, Mrityunjaya Harichandan, died a little later, within months. Bipin lives with his wife Archana in Khandagiribari area of Bhubaneswar.
After completing schooling at Grameshwar Bishwanath High School in Olhan he pursued his junior college and graduation in arts from Jayadeb College in Bhubaneswar. Nearly a decade ago, he married Archana Pradhan, who, he says, has been a constant source of encouragement.
Once during Kali Puja, he dreamt that the goddess called him to her temple. “After I went to the temple, I felt a change. As if the Goddess is asking me to hold the pen and write. Since then, my pen has not stopped,” he says, describing the experience as transformative.
While he continues to drive his auto-rickshaw with pride, Bipin admits that rising competition from city buses and declining passenger numbers have reduced earnings. “It is becoming difficult to sustain only by driving. I am happy because it gives me a chance to move around places and observe people. But financially it is getting difficult,” he says.
His larger dream, however, lies in publishing his own poetry collection, and eventually writing a book on the history of his village. Financial constraints and time remain hurdles. "I am sure someday I will do that," he asserts.
For Bipin Harichandan, poetry is not a hobby, it is his way of expressing unsaid thoughts. Between the noise of traffic and the stillness of midnight, he continues to prove that literature does not need wealth and prosperity, it can bloom even in the most ordinary of lives.
ଏଇତ ଜୀବନ ମୁଠାଏ ଜୀବନ, ଯେଉଁଠି ହୁଏ ସପନ । ଆଶା ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣିମାରେ ଦୁଃଖର ବାଦଲ, ଢାଙ୍କେ ସୁଧାଂଶୁ ବଦନ ।।
ଦିଗ ହରା ହୋଇ ଉଡଇ ଯେଉଁଠି, ଭୁଲି ନିଜ ବାସସ୍ଥାନ । କିଏ ସେ ନିଜର କିଏ ସାତ ପର, ନୋହେ ଆଉ ତିଳେ ଜ୍ଞାନ ।।
These lines in Odia, meaning: This life is a handful, where dreams are made. In the full moon of hope, clouds of sadness, partially cover the identity. Where the sky is lost and flies away, forgetting its own home. Who is your own and who is not, is beyond our realm of knowledge... sums up Bipin's life's motto. "I will keep writing because I believe, I have been divinely graced to write," he concludes, as he picks up a passenger and drives away.
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