Founder
Prof. Achyuta Samanta
Senior Functionaries
Mr. Satya S. Tripathi
Chancellor, KISS DU.
Satya S. Tripathi is Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet.
A development economist, lawyer and changemaker with over 40 years of varied experience, Mr. Tripathi is the Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences - the world's largest academic institution dedicated exclusively to indigenous people and cultures. He is also a Senior Distinguished Fellow on Innovative Finance at the World Agroforestry Centre.
He has served with the UN for more than two decades in key positions across the planet and was most recently the UN Assistant Secretary-General, Head of the New York Office at UN Environment and Secretary of the UN Environment Management Group. His other strategic engagements with the UN include Head of Human Rights Investigations for the UN in post-war Bosnia (UNMIBH); Chair of the Committees on Laws, Treaties and Administrative matters for the UN-mediated Cyprus unification talks in 2004; UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias where he facilitated international cooperation and funding of over US$ 7 billion for post-tsunami recovery efforts in support of the government and affected populations; and Executive Head of UNORCID, a UN System Office established by the UN Secretary-General in 2011 to facilitate the implementation of a US$ 1 Billion REDD+ partnership between Indonesia, Norway and other stakeholders.
Mr. Tripathi was instrumental in establishing the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) in Indonesia in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) in 2017 to leverage ‘private finance for public good’ at mega-scale to achieve transformative social and environmental impact for millions of people in developing countries. He previously served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Forests.
Prof. Amareswar Galla
Pro Chancellor, KISS DU.
Prof. Amareswar Galla is an internationally acclaimed expert in inclusivecultural leadership and sustainable heritage development. With a Ph.D.from the Australian National University, Canberra, his career spansseveral continents and a multitude of roles that emphasize culturalinclusivity and heritage preservation.
Prof. Galla has significantly contributed as the Founding ExecutiveDirector of the International Institute for the Inclusive Museum, wherehe championed the integration of cultural diversity and inclusivity inmuseum practices globally. His role as the UNESCO Chair on InclusiveMuseums & Sustainable Heritage Development further highlights hisinfluence in shaping heritage policies and practices worldwide.
Renowned for his publication record, Prof. Galla's works, such as thosecelebrating the 40th Anniversary of the 1972 World HeritageConvention, have been influential in heritage and museum studies. Hisexpertise has been sought in various global forums, including his tenureas a Salzburg Global Fellow, influencing cultural heritageunderstanding and policy-making internationally.
In addition to his work with museums and heritage, Prof. Galla has heldprestigious academic positions, contributing to the discourse oncultural diversity, sustainability, and heritage development. His role as aProfessor and Director at the International Centre for Inclusive CulturalLeadership (ICICL) and his visitorships at institutions like theSmithsonian reflect the breadth of his impact in the field.
Mr. Dwiti Vikramaditya
Vice President, International Relations. Trustee, KISS, KISS-DU and KISS Foundation, India, UK and USA.
Aditya has worked in the social & economic sectors for various UN agencies, corporate houses, global foundations and grassroots organisations within the areas of monitoring & evaluation, displacement issues, tribal education, life skill issues, programme management, networking, institutional building, fundraising etc for over twelve years. He was instrumental in making KISS the world’s first-ever, tribal university and helping it achieve UN recognition and Platinum status for financial transparency. In addition, he has successfully implemented UNFPA-KISS Life Skills project for more than 70 thousand children across Odisha, initiated the New Mind & New Hope program to re-enrol school drop-out students, established a Centre for American Studies with assistance from US Consulate Hyderabad Aditya is an IVLP Fellow for the US Department of State, 2006.
Dr. Prashanta Routray
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – KISS Foundation. Registrar – KISS DU.
Prashanta is a social development specialist, who holds a Master Degree and Ph. D. in Psychology, with a specialization in cognitive development of children. He currently serves as CEO at KISS Foundation and Registrar, KISS Deemed to be University, wherein he oversees institutional development and management of the institute in addition to monitoring numerous projects supported by UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO, US Embassy in India, ORACLE Education Foundation, TISS, Give India, National Mineral Development Corporation, Tata Steel Ltd., BPCL and other corporate foundations. He has also successfully forged collaborations and mobilised projects on different aspects of tribal development and research work. Moreover, he liaises with government and non-government organizations for grant and fund-raising activities.
Dr. Kanhu Charan Mahali, IPS (Retd.)
Director General, KISS DU
Mr. Pramod Kumar Patra
Dy. Chief Executive Officer, KISS
Mr. Pramod holds Master Degrees in History, Odia & Sociology, in addition to professional degrees in B.Ed and Law.
His association with KISS is more than 2 decades. As one of the Core Team Members of KISS, he has developed a good ambiance for teaching-learning transactions & is known for his able administration. Apart from these, he has also developed guidelines/systems for several activities & their smooth implementation at KISS. He is very much competent to monitor the day to day activities that are followed and implemented for the 30, 000 students of KISS.
He is responsible for liaising with the government and other stakeholders on various issues on education & allied programs. Moreover, he coordinates community level Mega Awareness/Sensitization Programs which are organized frequently by KISS for its community engagement initiatives.
Pramod closely looks after the Academic and administrative activities in different KISS satellite centres established in different tribal-dominated districts of Odisha. He is closely associated with the Alumni, Parents/Guardian and other stakeholders of KISS.
In addition to this, he is also the author of several articles and two books. He has a keen interest in editing and writing special case studies of the tribal students who belong to the remote tribal dominated districts of the state.
Pramod has also been confirmed with Best Staff Award and has received numerous State and National Level awards/recognitions for his outstanding contribution in the field of education, literature and social work.
Prof Deepak Kumar Behera
Vice Chancellor, KISS DU
Deepak Kumar Behera hails from Sambalpur district in Odisha and is an internationally acclaimed anthropologist. Presently, he is serving as the Vice Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Deemed to be University. Prior to joining KISS-DU, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University, Berhampur University and Rajendra University, Bolangir. Under the leadership of Professor Behera, Berhampur University secured “A” grade by NAAC (the first state-funded university in Odisha to achieve this distinction). Professor Behera has the distinction of being the only academician from Odisha to become the Vice Chancellor of four different universities.
Professor Behera has many national and international distinctions to his credit. He had been a Fulbright Visiting Professor at California State University, Long Beach, where he taught a course titled, “Childhood in a Changing Context (With Special Reference to South Asia)”. As a recipient of DAAD fellowship, he had been a Visiting Guest Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Karl Ebrard University, Germany. The other prestigious fellowships received by him include: the Carlos Chaga Foundation Fellowship, Brazil; National Research Foundation Fellowship, Republic of South Africa; German Research Council Fellowship, Germany; Indo-French Academic Exchange Fellowship, India/France; Indo-Israel Academic and Cultural Exchange Fellowship, India/Israel.
He has also been a visiting professor in Aarhus University, Denmark; University of Free State and University of Durban-Westville, South Africa; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Maison des Sciences de L"Homme, Paris and CNRS-EHESS, France. He has also delivered invited lectures at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Tel Aviv University, Israel; University of Orange Free State, South Africa; University of Durban West-Ville, South Africa; University of California at Santa Cruz; University of Illinois at Chicago; University of Utah, Logan (famous Brownbag Lecture); University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. Professor Behera also delivered the prestigious Jubilee lecture (Anthropology Section) in the 100th Science Congress held at Calcutta University in January 2013.
Professor Behera has also been a recipient of the prestigious Sarat Chandra Roy Memorial Gold Medal by the Asiatic Society, Kolkata (the oldest educational institution in Asia) for his outstanding contribution in the field of cultural anthropology in India.
He has to his credit more than 120 research publications in reputed journals and edited volumes. He is the author/editor of 22 volumes. His publications have appeared in reputed publishing companies such as Routledge, Springer, Anthem, Elsevier, Pearson, Orient Longman, Kluwer International, Trans-National, Manges, Greenwood Press, Concept, etc. He was the editor of the Journal of Social Sciences (New Delhi) during 1997-2002 and a member of the Editorial Board of many journals in India and abroad. He has successfully completed a dozen major research projects funded by national funding agencies. Professor Behera has visited more than 30 countries in various academic connections.
Professor Behera has also served as a member of the Executive Board of World Anthropology Association (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, IUAES) for two consecutive terms, i.e. for the period 1998-2009. He is the founding Chairman of the IUAES International Commission on Anthropology of Children, Youth and Childhood. He was also a member of the Governing Council of Association of Indian Universities (AIU) continuously for three consecutive terms (from 2013 to 2016) and is the General President of the newly formed Anthropology Association titled, “United Indian Anthropology Forum” (UIAF), the most vibrant, registered anthropological organisation in India. A total number of 26 candidates have received their doctoral degree working under the supervision of Professor Behera.
Mr. W. Easwar
Finance Officer, Head - Human Relations
Easwar is a Chartered Accountant with over 42 years of experience in both public and private sectors.
Mr. Basanta Kumar Behera
Development Officer
Basanta is a seasoned professional responsible for day-to-day monitoring and supervision of infrastructure development work along with general administration of KISS. He also monitors infrastructure and developmental work of various branches of KISS established or being established in different districts of Odisha. Armed with an MBA and a Masters in Political Science, Basanta has rich experience in the development sector. Over the course of his two-decade-long career, as an indispensable Core Team member of KISS Management, he has positively contributed to several mega projects and events of KISS and its sister concern, KIIT. These include Green Initiative, 1st Khelo India University Games (2020), Indian Science Congress (2012); Four Guinness World Records by KISS, among others.
Mr. Rudrakesh Jena
Deputy Director, Sports
Rudra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and NIS in Health and Fitness. He has been pivotal in identifying sports talent at KISS, training our students to perform nationally and internationally since 2006. Under his tutelage, KISS boys won U-14 Rugby World Cup in London in 2007. Rudra’s story has been the inspiration for a Bollywood movie ‘Jungle Cry’ (2021) featuring Abhay Deol, which portrays the success of the tribal boys from KISS. Rudra has also trained Ace Indian sprinter and KIIT student Ms. Dutee Chand to her Gold victory at the 100m event at the World University Games (2019) in Italy. Rudra is also a member of the Indian Delegation Officials and was Manager of the Athletics Team at the event.
Academics
College
Dr Snigdharani Panda
Principal
Dr Yasobanta Das
Vice-Principal
School
Mr. Sushanta Kumar Swain
Dy. Director (Academic & Administration-School)
Mr. Rasmi Ranjan Nayak
Head Master (Secondary)-Cum-Warden(Boys Hostel)
Mr Sanjeeb Kisan
Asst. Headmaster-Cum-Admission In-Charge
Mrs. Pramila Bala Roy
Asst. Head Mistress-Cum-Chief Warden (Girls Hostel)
Ms. Nayanbala Ray
Asst. Head Mistress (Secondary)
Dean of Schools
Dr Snigdharani Panda
Dean & Chairperson, Council of Deans, School of Tribal Resource Management
Dr Manoj Ku. Behera
Dean, School of Tribal Heritage and Tribal Indology
Dr Rashmi Mohapatra
Dean, School of Comparative Indic Studies and Tribal Sciences
Dr Ratnakar Mohapatra
Dean, School of Tribal Culture, Philosophy & Eco-spiritualism
Dr Yasobanta Das
Dean, School of Indigenous Knowledge, Science & Technology
Dr Rasmita Tripathy
Dean, School of Comparative Tribal Languages & Literatures
Dr Pragyan Mohanty
Dean (I/C), School of Tribal Legal Studies and Tribal Rights
Admission and Examination
Dr. Preetinanda Roy
Dy. Director (Admission)
Mr Sanjeeb Kisan
Asst. Headmaster-Cum-Admission In-Charge
Dr Srinibas Panda
Controller of Examinations, KISS-DU
Administrative Functionaries
Mr. Ajaya Kumar Nanda
Asst. Professor & Dy. Finance Officer.
Er Suvendu Panda
Nodal Officer (KISS-DU Green)
Ms. Tripura Mishra
Associate Professor cum Chief Warden
Ms. Mamata Sishu Goswami
Asst.Director (Handicraft)
Mr. Dharmapada Mohapatra
General Manager Production (Chemical)
Mr. Rabin Kumar Khandayatray
Chief.Librarian
Dr. Ramesh Pattnaik
Medical Officer
Dr. Mirabai Das
Medical Officer
Dr. Sushree Sangita Mohanty
Deputy Director (MTB-MLE)
Sushree holds an M.Phil and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Hyderabad, India. Her interests focusing on the impact of both socio-cultural & economic changes on the various indigenous/tribal populations of Odisha / India. As Deputy Director at KISS,
Ms. Sanghamitra Ray
Deputy Director, Projects
Sanghamitra is Deputy Director, Projects, KISS. She holds a Master and M.Phil degrees in Education with a B.Ed in Special Education. She has also completed PG diploma in Educational Administration and Management. She has worked in the social development
Ms. Sadhana Mishra
Social Development Officer, State Coordinator, Nua Maa.
Sadhana is the Social Development Officer, State Coordinator for the new project "Nua Maa" in the Rayagada district. Sadhana belongs to transgender community and has nearly two decades of experience in the development sector, working on HIV/AIDS, gender equality, maternal
KISS DU
Chair Professor
Dr. Jugal Kishore Mishra
Chair Professor (Madhusudan Das Research Chair)
Dr Harischandra Sahoo
Chair Professor ( Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi Research Chair)
Dr. Bijayananda Singh
Chair Professor (Gopabandhu Das Research Chair)
Professor Emeritus
Siba Prasad Adhikary
Professor Emeritus
Raghunath Panda
Professor Emeritus
Prof Smarapriya Mishra
Professor Emeritus
Prof Bijoy Kumar Satapathy
Professor Emeritus
Prof Gopal Krishna Panda
Professor Emeritus
Prof N. Nagaraju
Professor Emeritus
Prof Byomakesh Tripathy
Professor Emeritus
Prof Ranjan Kumar Bal
Professor Emeritus
Prof Jatindra Kumar Nayak
Professor Emeritus
Prof Nirmal Chandra Dash
Professor Emeritus
Prof A.B. Ota
Professor Emeritus
Prof K.K. Misra
Professor Emeritus
Prof Atanu Kumar Pati
Professor Emeritus
Prof Asoka Kumar Das
Professor Emeritus
Prof Aparajita Chowdhury
Professor Emeritus
Prof Padmaja Mishra
Professor Emeritus
Prof Swarnamayee Tripathy
Professor Emeritus
Prof Sarat Chandra Panigrahi
Professor Emeritus
Prof Bana Bihari Mishra
Professor Emeritus
Prof Jagannath Lenka
Professor Emeritus
Prof Kanchan Acharya
Professor Emeritus
Prof Rajkishor Meher
Professor Emeritus
Professor of Practice
Smt Gurubari Sisa
Professor of Practice (Gadaba Dance-Dhemsa)
Smt Laxmi Sabar
Professor of Practice (Saura Painting- Idital and Traditional Healing)
Shri Pabitra Patra
Professor of Practice (Herbal Medicine)
Smt Sindhe Wadaka
Professor of Practice (Shawl Weaving-Kapadagandh)
Shri Laxman Sabar
Professor of Practice (Saura Painting-Idital)
Smt Sambari Sisha
Professor of Practice (Bonda Ethnic Costume)
Smt Dakhina Murmu
Professor of Practice (Santal Dance-Danta)
Shri Limbadhar Majhi
Professor of Practice (Kutia Kandha Music)
Shri Kanda Charan Naik
Professor of Practice (Ho Language-Warang Chiti)
Sardar Shri Hari Juang
Professor of Practice (Juang Dance-Changu)
Shri Masuram Gond
Professor of Practice (Gond Dance-Dandar / RelaRela)
Shri Kuda Naik
Professor of Practice (Bathudi Folk Narrative)
Shri Somme Toppo
Professor of Practice (Oraon Dance-Karma)
Shri Sobharam Padhan
Professor of Practice (Kisan Dance-Naadu Nalna)
Tribal Advisory Committee
Padmashree Dr. Damayanti Besra
Former Associate Professor, Baripada Govt. College, Mayurbhanj, Odisha
Professor S. N. Munda
VC, DSPMU, Ranchi, Jharkhand
Shri. Shyam Sundar Hansdah
Retd., IPS. Govt. of Odisha
Professor Johoni Xaxa
Professor in Political Sciences, Sambalpur University, JyotiVihar , Burla, Sambalpur
Professor Marry G. Bage
Professor in Sociology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar
Dr. Jagannath Ambagudia
Dean, TISS, Guwahati Campus, Guwahati
Dr. Roshni Kujur
Associate Professor, Department of Pol. Sc., Sambalpur University, Jyoti Vihar , Burla, Sambalpur
Dr. Bhubaneswar Sabar
Assistant Professor in Anthropology, GM University, Sambalpur
Dr. Suresh Chandra Murmu
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, Sambalpur University
Shri Niranjan Bisi
Social Worker, Bolangir
Smt Sumani Jhodia
Social Worker, Rayagada
Smt Akankhya Pradhan
Social Worker, Kandhamal
Ms. Sunita Muduli
Social Activist, Koraput
Mr. Nirakar Patra
Social Activist, Kalahandi
Mr. Akshaya Kumar Bhoi
Social Acitivist, Samabalpur
Mr. Kadey Soren
Dy. Director, KISS – Convener
Dr. Kanhu Charan Mahali, IPS (Retd.)
Director General, KISS DU
Centre for American Studies
Mr. Debendra Kumar Samal
Deputy Director - Research & Development. In-Charge, KISS District Offices
Debendra holds an M. Phil in Women’s Studies, an MBA in HR and IT and is currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology. Prior to joining KISS Foundation, Debendra gained over 6 years of work experience at UN agencies in collaboration with the Government of Odisha working on various community mobilisation, livelihood and women empowerment projects. He has wide experience in the field of Disaster Management, Emergency Communication (HAM Radio), Research, Resettlement & Rehabilitation, Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Micro Planning, Communication and Information Management, Community mobilization, PR and Networking, Training, Organizing and planning events. With more than 10 years of work experience at KISS, Debendra oversees community development activities in 20 districts of Odisha, alongside planning & coordination between KISS Bhubaneswar and other upcoming campuses of KISS. He also liaises with the State and Central Government and co-ordinates other research and developmental activities.
Mr. Suraj Roy
Deputy Director - Resource Mobilisation
Suraj brings diverse work experience from managing customers in Telecom sectors across US and UK, operating systems and networking to backend processing in the IT sphere. Follow this, he transitioned into client-based services and Diversity came along when he dabbled with FMCG and Supply chain delivery and logistics. At KISS, Suraj has spent nearly a decade dedicated to the Development Sector, overseeing Project Management and Fundraising. His enthusiasm and dedication towards empowering the deprived society are a direct influence from our Founder.
Mr. Kadey Soren
Deputy Director (Academics)
Kadey is actively involved in initiatives involving the education of tribal children, primarily with issues including enrolment, mother tongue-based multilingual education and arresting drop-outs. He currently oversees the Employability Training Program funded by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), focusing on employability support initiatives among college graduates. Additionally, Kadey leads the Santali Khabar team, benchmarking innovative ways to collaborate with Odisha’s indigenous communities. Besides this, he renders support to KISS’ dynamic district team. Kadey has also authored a book titled "Rethinking on Tribal Education". He has previously worked within the domains of mental health, substance abuse and behavioral modification.
Ms. Nizni Hans
Deputy Director, Project & Research
Nizni holds a Master’s degree from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, specializing in Urban & Rural Community Development. Her professional focus at Kalinga institute of Social Sciences revolves around empowering indigenous communities in governance processes. Her prior experience includes working with the United Nations, where she contributed to the domain of mitigating involuntary displacement and gender-responsive planning & budgeting. Nizni has also served as a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Nizni participated in the Professional Fellows Programme sponsored by the US Department of State and was also awarded with the prestigious Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence, hosted at the University of Oxford.
Nizni is listed as an expert with the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab, contributing her insights and expertise to foster inclusive policies on a global scale.
Mr. Sabyasachi Rout
Sr. Project Manager, Life Skills Education.Project Officer, Mission UDAY
Sabyasachi holds a Master’s degree in psychology. He has over 22 years of experience on project management skills, particularly with respect to professional skills of Project Planning with Monitoring & Evaluation. . In the past, he has worked with different national and international agencies such as Spanish Red Cross on disaster management and disaster preparedness program, American Red cross on Disaster mental health and psychosocial care and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on life skills and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive health, Sabyasachi brings his commitment to his current role as Senior Project Manager at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). He liaises and coordinates the life skills education program in the institute as well as in the State. He successfully advocated introducing life skills education in the Physical education curriculum. To add, he is a trainer on child rights and protection issues, life skills and Adolescent reproductive and sexual health.
Mr. Debendra Swain
Project Officer (Skill Development) – UNV
Debendra is a development professional with knowledge of project management, planning and capacity building in the areas of decentralized planning, livelihoods, Skill Development and Strengthening Community Resilience, etc. He has worked with community-based organizations, INGOs and UN Agencies. He supports planning, execution of development projects and technology-enabled blended skilling initiatives at KISS.
Mr. Apratim Tiwari
Dy. Director (RIS), KISS
Apratim is reviving and re-establishing the School of Leadership to mentor future leaders in the public and private sectors, primarily from the indigenous communities. Since joining KISS in 2019, he has strived to instil a competitive spirit in its students and has helped it enter into multiple partnerships and introduced programmes for employment generation and skill development, as part of the International Relations Office, KISS DU.
An integral part of the SDG Centre, KISS, he designs and manages several programs primarily around Sustainable Development Goals number 4, 5, 8, and 16, thereby building Partnerships for the Goals (SDG #17). Presently, he is managing two projects with UNICEF and the state government of Rajasthan.
An alumnus of IIT Kanpur, he has previously directed teams and led the operations in prominent tech-based ventures in the interior design and food industries in North India and Mumbai-Pune, respectively. Apratim is passionate about securing equitable participation in quality education to achieve a better and sustainable future for all.
Ms. Adiroopa Mukherjee
Project Officer, Social Media Manager
Adiroopa is a Project Officer and Social Media Manager at KISS. Her work primarily covers 2 areas - communications and sustainable development. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Minnesota Morris, and a Double Master’s Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Kent, UK and Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany. At KISS, Adiroopa is primarily responsible for outreach and documentation, while also managing the website and social media handles of KISS & KISS-DU. Additionally, in her capacity as a Project Officer, she brings 3+ years of academic and professional experience working across various domains including Education, Gender Equity, Inclusion, Indigenous Rights and Livelihoods vis-a-vis the Sustainable Development Agenda in India (Agenda 2030).