Nilakantha Das

Indian activist (1884–1967) Pandit Nilakantha Das (5 August 1884 – 6 November 1967) was an Odia politician, writer, and educator. He was active during the period when Odia political leaders were seeking a separate Odisha province and recognition for the Odia language. Das served as headmaster of Satyabadi Bana Bidyalaya, a school founded by Gopabandhu Das, and later served as a member of the legislature. He participated in the Indian independence movement and was a contemporary of Mohandas Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, and Rajendra Prasad.[citation needed] Odisha Province was established in 1936, the first province in India to be formed on a linguistic basis. Das was among those who advocated for its creation in the central legislature.[citation needed] He also conducted research on the history of the Odia language. Odia was later granted classical language status in India, becoming the sixth language to receive this designation and the only Indo-Aryan language other than Sanskrit to hold it as of 2024.[citation needed] He is referred to by some as Utkala Guru.[citation needed] Life history Early life and education (1884–1911) Nilakantha Das was born in the village of Sri Ramachandr