Nilakantha Das
Nilakantha Das was an orator, politician and social reformer born in the village Sri Ramchandrapur of Puri district, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was awarded an M. Phil. by the University of Calcutta. He denied a lucrative job under the British Raj and worked as a headmaster of Satyabadi High School. His speeches inspired the youth generation to fight against untouchability and other social evils.
In 1951, Das was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly as a member of a new political party called Swadhin Jana Sangha. In 1955, he joined the Indian National Congress at the request of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was re-elected in 1957 as a member of that party.
Das was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1960. He died on 6 November 1967.
