Odisha, formerly Orissa, is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in Indian Ocean. The region is also known as Utkaḷa and is mentioned by this name in India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The language of Odisha is Odia, which is one of the Classical Languages of India.
Bhubaneswar is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha, located in the Khordha district. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as Chakra Kshetra and Ekamra Kshetra. Bhubaneswar is dubbed the "Temple City", a nickname earned because of the 700 temples which once stood there. In contemporary times, it has emerged as an education hub and an attractive business destination.
Nirad Narayan Mohapatra was an Indian film director. Mohapatra was born in the Indian state of Odisha. He directed the Oriya language film Maya Miriga, television soap operas and documentaries.
Previously a neglected aspect of the Indian Central government, Education in Odisha is witnessing a rapid transformation. Its capital city, Bhubaneswar, is emerging as a knowledge hub in India with several new public and private universities, including the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology after five decades of demand.
Bhubaneswar Behera was an engineer, writer and scholar from the Kalahandi district of Odisha.
Brajanath Ratha was an Indian poet who wrote in Odia. Brajanath Ratha is internationally recognised and is the recipient of many prestigious awards like the Odisha Sahitya Academy Award, Vishuba Award, Gokarnika Award, First Shudramuni Sahitya Award and Honoured by South Korea's Ambassador, from Global Cooperation Society International, Seol, Republic of Korea for Contribution in World welfare, Cooperation and Services.
Kamalakanta Jena is a popular science writer in Odia.
Jagannath Prasad Das is an Indian writer, poet,painter, playwright and novelist who writes in Odia.
Mayadhar Mansingh was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Odia. He received the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 1967.
Binod Kanungo (1912–1990) was an Odia author, freedom fighter, Gandhian, educator, social reformer and compiler of the Gyana Mandala, which is the greatest encyclopaedia in the Odia language. He also won the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award for his travelogue Runa Parishodha (1983). He was also a veteran freedom fighter and notable educationist. He was awarded with India's fourth highest civilian honour "Padmashree". He died on 22 June 1990.
Subrat Kumar Acharya is a gastroenterologist and liver transplant physician, a physician scientist, a prolific writer and a passionate teacher. Acharya is well known for his compassion and patient-centric approaches in treating complex diseases.
Ramesh Chandra Parida is an Indian chemist, academic and writer. He was a professor of chemistry at the College of Basic Science and Humanities. He has authored over 90 Popular science books in Odia and English.
Dr. Nikhilanand Panigrahy is a popular Indian Science writer and columnist from Odisha. He has been contributing regularly to a variety of prominent Oriya news papers and magazines since 1973.
Prafulla Kumar Jena was an Indian metallurgist who served as director of the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Bhubaneshwar. He previously held the TATA Chair for the Distinguished Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 1977.
Md. Sikandar Alam was a playback singer in Odisha film industry. He is sometimes called the Salabega of modern Odisha.
Bibhuprasad Mohapatra is an Odia writer from Odisha, India. He has popularized science in both English and Odia. He began contributing regularly to English and Odia newspapers and magazines in 2012. He is a regular contributor to Press Information Bureau (PIB).
Uma Charan Mohanty is an Indian meteorologist and an emeritus professor at the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar. He is the president of Odisha Bigyan Academy and is known for his researches on the Indian summer monsoon. Besides being an elected fellow of the Indian Geophysical Union, he is also an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences in 1993.
Baidyanath Misra was an Indian economist, educator, author, and administrator from the state of Odisha. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Deputy-Chairman of Odisha State Planning Board, Chairman of Odisha's First State Finance Commission, Secretary of Odisha State Welfare Board, founder Secretary and President of Orissa Economics Association, and the founder Director and Chairman of Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies. He wrote 16 books in English and 20 in Odia. He was also a columnist in several leading Odia journals and newspapers. He organised several camps across Odisha, for helping the cause of the poor and downtrodden.
Puspashree Pattnaik is an Indian educator, popular science author, activist and archivist. She is known for her contribution to the fields of science education, popular science, environmentalism, and archiving. Exploring Nature is one of her notable books. She co-founded nonprofit Srujanika that focuses on research and innovation in science, education, and development with an emphasis on the Odia language, along with her husband Nikhil Mohan Pattnaik. Pattnaik co-founded the children's educational initiative Integral Education Centre at Srujanika and co-edited the organization's magazine Bigyana Tarang. The Odisha Bigyan Academy awarded her the Pranakrushna Parija Popular Science Award for the book, Kahinki Bhai Kahinki in 1997.
