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. Amreswar Galla
Pro Chancellor, KISS DU
Prof. Amreswar 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.
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.
Dr. Prashanta Kumar Routray
Registrar – KISS DU
Dr. Prashanta Kumar Routray has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), since April 2005. For the last five years, he has been holding charge as the Registrar of KISS Deemed to be University. KISS is the largest Integrated Residential Academic Institution for the indigenous communities. Thirty thousand tribal students, from kindergarten to the university level, receive free education, healthcare, vocational and athletic training at KISS. There are ten thousand more in ten satellite centres across Odisha.
In a thirty-eight-year-long working career, Dr. Routray has served three institutions in various capacities. He began his professional career at the Advanced Study Centre in Psychology at Utkal University, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1992. He joined the Centre for Youth and Social Development, (CYSD) a Bhubaneswar-based NGO specializing in capacity building, research, and advocacy for the tribal, rural, and urban poor in Odisha, in 1992. By 1994, he shifted from research to practice, taking over as a Programme Officer and Trainer. He rose fast and was heading the Panchayati Raj division at CYSD in 1996. Routray was promoted again in 1998 to the rank of a Programme Manager, leading entire divisions and major projects, coordinating with state and union governments and hundreds of professionals and volunteers on the ground. As a Program Officer, he was with LEPRA India, a NGO which works for mainstream rehabilitation of patients of Leprosy and other debilitating diseases, for a year between 2004 and 2005.
Routray specializes in academic and vocational training of students and the youth. He is the topper in the Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. As a practitioner of Organizational Psychology and Management, he has excelled in large-scale education delivery, strategic organizational planning and turnkey project management, training of trainers, and information and communication management.
Several national and international courses and workshops on these have subsequently strengthened his domain expertise. In 1998, for instance, he was in the Netherlands, attending a UNESCO certified training course on early child development at the AVERROES European Training Centre, Amsterdam.
At KISS, Dr. Routray is responsible for the overall institutional growth and development for both academic and non-academic activities. It primarily involves presiding over a contingent of over two thousand teaching and support staff and coordinating with various donor and collaborators such as the state and the union governments, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO, The US Embassy, ORACLE Education Foundation, TISS, Give India, National Mineral Development Corporation, Tata Steel, BPCL and tens of other corporate bodies. He also looks after the research and advocacy at KISS, supervising the development project proposal for various issues relating to tribal development and research projects on aspects of tribal education and livelihood. A major part of his remit is to lead the engagement with government and non-government organizations about prospects of grant and fund mobilization.
Dr. Routray is a workaholic, typically spending 12 hours on an average in office, and believes in the hands-on style of leadership. In his spare time, which is a rarity, Routray loves to read and write. He continues to review papers for various journals on psychology, education, and development. Travel and music are two of his other favourites.
Mr. Dwiti Chandragupta Vikramaditya
Vice President, International Relations. Trustee, KISS, KISS-DU and KISS Foundation, India, UK and USA.
Mr Vikramaditya is the Vice President of KIIT University and KISS University - an ecosystem of its kind that includes the world's largest indigenous organisation. For over two decades, he has campaigned and worked in grassroots for poverty reduction, human rights and involuntary displacement. Concomitantly, he administered public relations, networking, fundraising and governance assistance to all the organisations with which he has been associated. He has also been involved in policymaking in association with state governments and other stakeholders in pivotal domains of Resettlement and Rehabilitation and State Youth Policy. His diverse portfolio includes work with UNDP, UN Women and Tata Steel in different capacities. He is also an IVLP Fellow and a Fullbright Scholar.
He has been working with the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences since 2006. He has been instrumental in helping the institute secure innovative needs-based development projects while forging successful partnerships with various departments of the Government of Odisha, Government of India, UN Agencies, Foundations, and Corporates. This has led to the creation of diversity in the talent pool from the platform of KISS & KIIT for a globalized world. He was one of the founder members of institutionalizing the Kalinga Fellowship – a campaign and creating leadership to deal with the pressing issue of violence against women. He spearheaded the evacuation of stranded international citizens and migrant labourers during the Covid pandemic. He is a strong supporter of indigenous rights, and through his years of experience, he has helped KISS maintain a culturally sensitive and welcoming space for tribal youth of Odisha.
He has recently been selected to join the prestigious UN Executive Leadership Programme for Sustainable Development
Mr. W. Easwar
Chief Finance Officer, Head - Human Relations
Mr Easwar is a Chartered Accountant with over 42 years of experience in both the public and private sectors.
Mr Tejinder Singh Sandhu
Chairman, Advisory Committee - UN Affairs
Mr Tejinder Singh Sandhu has over 37 years of varied multi-sector experience in very challenging environments in six Nigerian states and in eleven Indian States: Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra and the seven North-Eastern states. He has 17 years of work experience in the Indian Administrative Service and twenty-seven years of experience in UNICEF which has given him a unique perspective on development issues, collaboration and partnership development for children and vulnerable groups.
He has a sound understanding of how governments work at federal and state levels, public policy, budgeting and international developments and perspectives enabling him to challenge existing ways of doing business and change existing paradigms, explore new ways of doing business and fostering innovation and partnerships to respond to the challenges in the well-being of children and women. His experience in developing large scale social sector partnerships is an asset for any CSR activity.
He has directed the team responsible for the successful eradication of guinea worm in Rajasthan, the last state to eradicate guinea worm in India. This was a multi-stakeholder partnership cutting across 7 departments of government including Health, Education, Water and Sanitation, Drilling and others.
He has extensive experience in urban development including as Director National Capital Region for Rajasthan and as City Administrator of Jaipur with responsibility for urban development and maintenance.
Other than that, he has Initiated UNICEF India Social Policy work in the India Country Office in 2004 and established a UNICEF office in Nigeria for upstream policy work and for strengthening the investments at the subnational level for social protection and human development.
Dr. Suraj Kumar
Senior Advisor, KISS
Dr Suraj Kumar has worked in the development sector since 1993 at progressively senior levels (nearly 17 years with the UN) in the design and implementation of programmes on mainstreaming human development into public policy, governance and UN coordination. He has been associated as an SDG Advisor with various state governments of India and his portfolio covers programme evaluation, national planning, policy advocacy and coordination with UN agencies, bilateral donors and governments.
Dr. Srinibas Panda
Associate Professor, Physics, School of Indigenous Knowledge, Science and Technology & Controller of Examinations
Ph. D.
Mr. Pramod Kumar Patra
Additional Registrar
Mr Pramod Patra 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 ambience 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/guardians 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.
Mr. Basanta Kumar Behera
Development Officer
Mr Behera is a seasoned professional responsible for day-to-day monitoring and supervision of infrastructure development work along with the 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
Mr. Jena 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.
Er. Suvendu Panda
Nodal Officer (KISS-DU Green)
Mr Panda has a BSc. Engineering (Electrical), MBA and Certified Energy Manager of Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Govt. Of India. Er. Panda has more than 25 years of expertise in the design and implementation of efficient mass cooking systems, Renewable energy projects such as solar power, solar heating and cooling, Biogas from Organic waste etc. Planning and implementation of many livelihood projects, field training.