Ajit Keshari Ray (1922-2012) Dharmapada Awardee was born in the village of Sakhigopal, Puri, Odisha in 1922. After completion of senior Cambridge examination from Dehradun Public School in 1938, studied fine art and crafts at Kalabhavan, Santiniketan (1940-45), did specialisation course in stone carving, modelling and graphic art in Anglo French Art Centre, London and returned India in 1951. He joined as lecturer in Indian painting at Govt. School of Art and Crafts, Khallikote and retired as Principal (1967-1980) in 30.11.1980 and died in 2012.