Gopalkrushna Rath (August 3, 1945 - December 30, 2016) was born and raised in Sambalpur, Odisha. He has published six poetry collections - Ekla Manisha (1980), Kete Dura (1990), Kuni Pua O Nispapa Sakala (2000), Bipula Diganta (2010), Bihwala Belabhumi (2013) and Aruna Udbhasa (2016). He was awarded Odisha Sahitya Academy Award in 2003 and Central Sahitya Academy Award in 2014. He started his career as a Judge but shifted to academics later and retired as a Professor in Law from Sambalpur Univer