Fakir Mohan Senapati (13 January 1843 – 14 June 1918), often referred to as Utkala Byasa Kabi (Odisha's Vyasa), was an Indian writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer.
He played a leading role in establishing the distinct identity of Odia, a language mainly spoken in the Indian state of Odisha.
[4] Though he translated from Sanskrit, wrote poetry, and attempted many forms of literature, he is now known primarily as the father of modern Odia prose fiction.
While the three novels, Chha maana Atha Guntha, Mamu and Prayaschita explore the realities of social life in its multiple dimensions, 'Lachhama' is a historical romance dealing with the anarchical conditions of Odisha in the wake of Maratha invasions during the eighteenth century.
Chha Maana Atha Guntha is the first Indian novel to deal with the exploitations of landless peasants by the feudal Lord.
It is the story of a young innocent girl whose desire for education is placed in the context of a conservative society in a backward Odisha village, which is hit by the killer epidemic cholera.