Gurukrushna Goswami perhaps the only lyricist from the state to have composed as much as 1,600 songs across genres, with many iconic Odia songs credited to his pen. ‘Ei Chuna Chuna Tara Phula’, Muje janena kaha bata, Rahichi chahin, E banara chhai, Abhimani bandhure, Antare kande bahare hase mu, and Tumaku ta paruni bhuli are just a few of the timeless melodies he penned.

Goswami was born on May 6, 1934, at Nuagaon in Baripada town of Mayurbhanj. He debuted with the Odia movie Maa in 1958. His lyrics to Bedana sagara tire, sung by Pranab Patnaik and composed by Bhubaneswar Mishra, won him instant fame.

A career high point for Goswami came in 1962 when the legend Lata Mangeshkar, sang his written the song ‘Ei Chuna Chuna Tara Phoola’ for the movie Suryamukhi. The song, which was composed by Shantanu Mohapatra, quickly became popular among almost everyone. Goswami anchored his songs to the folk roots of their music by writing lyrics that flowed freely and reflected the writer’s straight forward viewpoint.

Goswami authored the story that would eventually become the well-known Odia film Arundhati in 1968. Additionally, he would write screenplays for more than 30 Odia movies. In 1996, Goswami received the State Best Lyricist Award. In 2000, he received the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Bhaktakabi Salabeg Award. He was All India Radio (AIR) approved music director.