Samantas was created out of the sheer passion of Dr Achyuta Samanta for the glorious art and craft that Odisha houses. Dr Samanta is widely renowned for his transformation in the realm of higher education and an institutionalised bottom-top structure for development of the indigenous populace, but what is relatively lesser known is his love for the culture and tradition of Odisha.

 

In his devotion towards his vowed goal of an uniform socio-economic paradigm for the entire class of Odia society, he has focussed also on uplifting those who practice the great arts and crafts in Odisha. Here-in Dr Samanta dons the hat of a patron of Odia arts by building a system that provides artists to practice their craft without being worried about its economic uncertainties and also showcase them to admirers from across the globe. Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is known for institutionalised development of indigenous children and the KISS foundation serves as an vehicle for the numerous philanthropic initiatives that Dr Samanta carries out. At KISS apart from education, Dr Samanta has devoted his entire life to alleviate poverty and provide an dignified equal life to the most marginalised sections, students are provided avenues to pursue their traditional crafts and arts. Under vocational training these students are given workshops and training to practice various crafts like “Patachitra”- is a famous Odia painting on cloth.