Reading stories of successful people can leave an indelible impression on the people and their lives. From their struggles to their passion and achieving great reputation, there is an endless number of things that you can actually learn from such personalities. Keeping that in mind, we have formulated a list of twenty one great personalities from Odisha who not only excelled in their careers but also gave the power to dream to million of others.

A Major Activity Of The Sahitya Akademi Is The Preparation Of An Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature. The Venture, Covering Twenty-Two Languages Of India, Is The First Of Its Kind. Written In English, The Encyclopaedia Gives A Comprehensive Idea Of The Growth And Development Of Indian Literature. The Entries On Authors, Books And General Topics Have Been Tabulated By The Concerned Advisory Boards And Finalised By A Steering Committee. Hundreds Of Writers All Over The Country Contributed Articles On Various Topics. The Encyclopaedia, Planned As A Six-Volume Project, Has Been Brought Out. The Sahitya Akademi Embarked Upon This Project In Right Earnest In 1984. The Efforts Of The Highly Skilled And Professional Editorial Staff Started Showing Results And The First Volume Was Brought Out In 1987. The Second Volume Was Brought Out In 1988, The Third In 1989, The Fourth In 1991, The Fifth In 1992, And The Sixth Volume In 1994. All The Six Volumes Together Include Approximately 7500 Entries On Various Topics, Literary Trends And Movements, Eminent Authors And Significant Works. The First Three Volume Were Edited By Prof. Amaresh Datta, Fourth And Fifth Volume By Mohan Lal And Sixth Volume By Shri K.C.Dutt.

Odisha of my times is a faithful rendition in English of Mo Samayara Odisha, published in Odia in 1978 by the eminent historian and archaeologist, Dr. Krishna Chandra Panigrahi. It is more than an autobiography. In it is mirrored not only the author’s story of growing up amid adversity and his struggle up the academic echelon, it also is the pen-picture of the prevalent socio-cultural and academic world of Odisha of fifty years (1920s to late-1970s). Honest, candid, forthright, even at times unsparing, it is a no-holds-barred portrayal of the shenanigans and nepotism that the author experienced and of the contemporary times. The frank and guileless views expressed in the Odia book endeared the readers to the book that ran into multiple editions, apart from receiving the Odisha Sahitya Academy award in 1978. The author was conferred the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri from the Republic of India in 1976 for his contribution in the field of literature and education.

This Volume, The First To Appear In The Ten Volume Series Published By The Sahitya Akademi, Deals With A Fascinating Period, Conspicuous By The Growing Complexities Of Multilingualism, Changes In The Modes Of Literary Transmission And In The Readership And Also By The Dominance Of The English Language As An Instrument Of Power In Indian Society.