Jayanta Mahapatra was an Indian poet. He is the first Indian poet to win a Sahitya Akademi award for English poetry. He was the author of poems such as "Indian Summer" and "Hunger", which are regarded as classics in modern Indian English literature. He was awarded a Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in India in 2009, but he returned the award in 2015 to protest against rising intolerance in India.
Raghunath Murmu was an Indian Santali writer and educator. He developed the Ol Chiki script for Santali language. Until the nineteenth century, Santali people had no written language and knowledge was transmitted orally from one generation to other. Later European researchers and Christian missionaries started to use Bengali, Odia, and Roman scripts to document the Santali language. However, Santalis did not have their own script. His development of the Ol Chiki script enriched the cultural identity of the Santali society. He wrote many songs, plays and school text books in the Ol Chiki script.
Pratibha Ray is an Indian academic and writer of Odia-language novels and stories. For her contribution to the Indian literature, Ray received the Jnanpith Award in 2011. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2022.
Manoj Das was an Indian author who wrote in Odia and English. In 2000, Manoj Das was awarded the Saraswati Samman. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2001, the fourth-highest Civilian Award in India, and Padma Bhusan in 2020, the third-highest Civilian Award in India for his contribution to the field of Literature & Education.
Sitakant Mahapatra is an Indian poet and literary critic in Odia as well as English. He served in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from 1961 until he retired in 1995, and has held ex officio posts such as the Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi since then.
Nityananda Mahapatra was an Indian Odia politician, poet and journalist.
Sarojini Hembram is an Indian politician from the Odisha state. She belongs to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party. She was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Bangriposi in 2009 and became the minister for textile, handlooms and handicrafts in the Odisha Government. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha the Upper house of Indian Parliament in 2014 from Odisha.
padmasri Satyanarayana Rajguru (1903-1997) was an Indian litterateur, epigraphist and historian. He was a curator and epigraphist at the Odisha State Museum and was a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Bharati Bhushan award, Ganjam Sahitya Sammilani award, Odisha Sahitya Academy Award and Sarala Sanman. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri in 1974.
Radha Mohan Gadanayak-ରାଧାମୋହନ ଗଡ଼ନାୟକ(Odia) (1911–2000) was an Indian poet of Odia literature, known for his ballads and poetic creations. The poet, considered by many as one of the major Odia poets of this century, was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, which he received, in 1975, for his poem anthology, Surya O Andhakar. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1990.
Digamber Hansda was an Indian academic and tribal activist who worked for the social and economic advancement of the underprivileged communities in West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha. He was a founding member of the Santhal Sahitya Akademi and was considered a pioneer of Santhali language literature.
Kali Charan Hembram is an Indian writer of Santali language and civil servant from Odisha. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Santali in 2019.
Binapani Mohanty was an Indian Odia language writer and academician. She was well known for her works such as Patadei and Kasturi Mriga. She was a professor in economics before retiring. She had been awarded Padmashree by the Government of India and Atibadi Jagannatha Das Sammana by Odisha Sahitya Akademi. She had earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Award and Sarala Award. She had served as chairperson of Odisha Lekhika Sansad.
Mamata Dash is an Odia poet, writer and translator. She was awarded the Odisha Sahitya Academy Award for her poetry collection Ekatra Chandrasurya.
Joba Murmu is an Indian writer and litterateur who is known for her works in Santali literature. She received the Sahitya Akademi's Children's Literature Award on November 14, 2017 due to her language contribution to Santali literature.
Kherwal Soren or Kalipada Soren is a Santhali playwright, author and editor.
Purnamasi Jani also known as Tadisaru Bai is a poet, social activist from Odisha. She has composed over 50,000 devotional songs in Kui, Odia and Sanskrit. In 2021, she was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian Government.
Utsav Charan Das is an Indian dancer. He is also a lyricist, music composer and play writer. In 2020, he was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian government for his contribution in Arts.
Chandrasekhar Rath was an Indian Odia litterateur. In 2018, he was nominated for Padma Shri but could not receive it due to death.
Salge Hansdah is an Indian writer who writes in Santali. She won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2022 for her novel Janam Dishom Ujarog Kana.
