Debi Prasanna Pattanayak is a noted linguist, educationist and activist who has contributed tremendously to the field of languages in India and abroad. Dr. Pattanayak served as the first Director of the Central Institute for Indian Languages (CIIL) apart from serving as Language Advisor to the NCERT and as committee member for many education related initiatives. He also has many book titles such as Multilingualism and Mother Tongue Education (Oxford University Press) to his credit. Dr. Pattanayak has been decorated with numerous awards over his long-spanning career, including the Padmashree conferred upon him by the Government of India in 1987.