Nityananda Patnaik formerly professor of anthropology and Director of the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), was a widely renowned scholar and an established author. In earlier years of his career, he taught anthropology at Utkal University and had also been a fellow of the prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Dr Patnaik was Director of the Social Science and Development Research Institute (SSADRI) which he set up at Bhubaneswar after his retirement from government service.