D. N. Rao was born in the village of Bhanjanagar, Ganjam, Odisha in 1949. He went to Government School of Art and Crafts, Khallikote and did his specialisation in Printmaking and received Odisha State Lalit kala Akademi Award. He received Honorary Mentioned Award in Printmaking from Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and became lecturer in B.K.College of Art & Crafts, Bhubaneswar and introduced “Serigraphy” medium first time in art education in the field of Printmaking . In his life he has done many art works juxtaposing a unique technique and style with Indian tribal motifs in painting and printmaking. Retired as Principal in Govt. College of Art & Crafts, Khallikote and died in 2017.