The K.K. Birla Foundation was established in 1991 by Krishna Kumar Birla in Delhi. Its mission is to promote literature and the arts, as well as education and social work. It regularly gets mentioned in the media for the awards it confers, including:
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.
Jagadish Mohanty was a renowned Odia writer, considered as a trendsetter in modern Odia fiction, has received the prestigious Sarala Award in 2003, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award in 1990 for his novel Kanishka Kanishka, Dharitri Award in 1985, Jhankar Award, Prajatantra Award. Born in Gorumahisani, an iron-ore mines in northern periphery in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, he spent more than 30 years of his life working in the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited(MCL) in western periphery of Odisha. Though he kept himself away from the cultural capital of Odisha, but still his writings highlighted him in the mainstream of Odia literature and culture.
Kanak Majari Sahoo is an Indian short story writer in Oriya language and a translator of Hindi and Bengali stories into Oriya. She currently resides in Bhubaneswar, and is a regular contributor to many Oriya journals and newspapers.
Gourahari Das is a creative writer, journalist and an academician.
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.
Jagannath Prasad Das is an Indian writer, poet,painter, playwright and novelist who writes in Odia.
Santanu Kumar Acharya is a National Sahitya Academy Award-winning Indian writer.
Neelakshi Singh is a contemporary Hindi author. In 2004 she won Sahitya Academy Golden Jubilee Award, Kalinga Book of the year award 2021 & Valley of Words Award 2022.
Bibhuti Pattnaik is an Odia novelist and columnist. Entered as a college lecturer in the Dept.of Odia Language and literature in the year 1970 and retired as a Reader, in the year 1995.
Anita Agnihotri is an Indian Bengali writer and poet. She has been translated into major Indian and foreign languages, including but not limited to English, Swedish and German. She is also a retired civil servant. She lives in India.
Gopal Krushna Rath was an Indian Odia poet. He won Sahitya Akademi award for Odia literature in 2014 for his poetry collection Bipula Diganta.
Tarun Kanti Mishra is an Indian Odia story writer. More than 15 of his books have been published. He got Central Sahitya Akademi Award, Odisha Sahitya Academy award and Sarala Award for his contribution in literature and was an IAS in profession and retired after being head of the administration department of Odisha. Then he also worked as Chief Information Commissioner of Odisha.
Odisha Sahitya Akademi is an institution established in 1957 in Odisha for the active promotion of Odia language and literature. It was created as an autonomous literary organisation. In 1970 it was converted into a society.
Paro Anand is an Indian author of books for children, young adults and adults including novels, short stories and plays. She won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puruskar in 2017 for her anthology Wild Child and Other Stories . She has spoken about and written extensively on children's literature in India. She headed the National Centre for Children's Literature at the National Book Trust India, the apex body for children's literature in India. She also runs a podcast on Hubhopper called Literature in Action, and was an invitee to the India Conference at the Harvard Business School in 2018.
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.
Hussain Rabi Gandhi was an Indian Odia writer of the late-twentieth century, a politician, a public intellectual and a cultural activist hailing from the Indian state of Odisha. Being a founder member of Biju Janata Dal, he served as the general secretary of the party from upon its formation in 1998 till 2005. In 1994 the title of Biplabi Loka Kabi was conferred upon him by the Mayor of Cuttack. He was also awarded with the title of Utkala Jyoti in 1996 by the then Deputy chief minister of Odisha, Basant Kumar Biswal on the behalf of Freedom Fighter's Organisation. Gandhi primarily wrote in Odia language and was bestowed with the Secular India Harmony Award in 1993 by the former President of India, Giani Zail Singh and with the Gangadhar Meher Kabita award in 2015 for his notable contributions to the field of Odia poetry. Hussain served as the President of Odisha Sahitya Akademi (2008–2010). He was famously known as the Gandhi of Korei and was regarded as a bridge between Western Odisha and Costal Odisha. He also served as Lead Member of Smt. Nandini Satpathy Memorial Trust (SNSMT).
