Key personalities — titles and Odisha icons
| Personality | Title / known for |
|---|---|
| Madhusudan Das | "Utkal Gourab", "Kulabruddha"; Utkal Sammilani 1903; first Odia graduate and advocate |
| Gopabandhu Das | "Utkalmani"; Satyabadi school (1909); 'The Samaja' newspaper (1919) |
| Fakir Mohan Senapati | "Father of modern Odia literature" (Chha Mana Atha Guntha) |
| Radhanath Ray | "Kabibar" |
| Gangadhar Meher | "Swabhaba Kabi" — Tapaswini |
| Krushna Chandra Gajapati | Maharaja of Paralakhemundi; first Premier of Odisha (1937) |
| Harekrushna Mahatab | "Utkal Keshari"; first CM after independence |
| Biju Patnaik | Pilot, Kalinga Prize founder; Odisha CM |
| Rama Devi | "Maa"; Gandhian, Inchudi salt satyagraha |
| Sarala Devi | First Odia woman in the freedom movement and in the Assembly |
| Nabakrushna Choudhury | Odisha CM; Gandhian |
National titles
| Person | Title | Person | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gandhi | Mahatma, Bapu, Father of the Nation | Sardar Patel | Iron Man of India |
| Tilak | Lokmanya; "Father of Indian unrest" (Chirol) | Lala Lajpat Rai | Punjab Kesari |
| C. R. Das | Deshbandhu | Rajagopalachari | Rajaji, last Governor-General |
| Dadabhai Naoroji | Grand Old Man of India | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | Frontier Gandhi |
| Sarojini Naidu | Nightingale of India | Raja Ram Mohan Roy | Father of Indian Renaissance |