Fakir Mohan Senapati (13 January 1843 - 14 June 1918) born on January 13, 1843, at Mallikashpur in Balasore

Balasore

Balasore is a strategically located city in the state of Orissa, about north of the state capital Bhubaneswar, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district. It is best known for Chandipur beach. It is also the site of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defense...

, played a leading role in establishing the distinct identity of Oriya, a language mainly spoken in the Indian state of Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

. Fakirmohan Senapati is regarded as the father of Oriya nationalism and the morden Oriya literaure.
Born to father, Laxman Charan Senapati and mother Tulsi Devi Senapatie, Fakirmohan dedicated his life for the progress of Oriya language in the later 19th and early 20th century.