The 103rd birth anniversary of litterateur George Orwell, was today celebrated at his birth place here.

Orwell, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair and is considered one of the greatest influences in the 20th century, was born in Motihari town on June 25, 1903, and was famous for his novels ‘Nineteen eighty-four’ and ‘Animal Farm’ during an illustrious literary career.

Orwell’s father Richard Walmesley Blair worked in the opium department of the then Indian Civil Service and his mother Ida Mabel took him and his elder sister to England when he was just a year old.

A function was today organised by the George Orwell Commemorative Committee and enthusiastic locals garlanded Orwell’s bust and distributed sweets.

A number of other functions and seminar were organised in Motihari town to coincide with the day.

The house in which Orwell was born was declared as a place of historical importance by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during his visit to the town last year. He had also directed that it be developed as a tourist hub.