Kendrapada: Playwright Jiban Jena, of Jajpur district, passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Sunday night, at the age of 58. Born at Ratnagiri village under Bari block in Jajpur, Jena fell ill last week while writing a play. He was taken to the hospital where he passed away.Jena began as a playwright in the 1990s and wrote around 70 plays which were staged by many jatra troupes in the state. His widely acclaimed plays are “Mana bujhuni Ki Luha Saruni”, “Bina Dosa re Mu Pauchi Fasi”, “Sajani Akhire de Topa luha”, “To Pai Bhulichi SaraDunia”, “Mu Parsuram”, “Mo Pream Mo Bhagyare Nahi”, “Kancha Dahani” and other plays.Dr Basudev Das, who is a former member of Odisha Sahitya Academy, researcher Suvendu Bhuyan, historian Harish Chandra Prusti and other noted personalities expressed deep grief. “Jena was a leading dramatist. His contribution to Odia literature and the Jatra sector is immense,” said Srikant Jena, former union minister.