Founder’s Message

“Positivity is the best way to sustainable success”

Prof. Achyuta Samanta is a visionary educationist, social worker, and global humanitarian who has garnered appreciation and accolades from national and international organisations, policymakers, thought leaders, academicians, and celebrities across all spectrums.

The surprise and beauty lie in the fact that this same person had an unimaginably difficult childhood, losing his father at the age of four, and being brought up by a widowed mother with seven siblings in poverty. He shaped himself to become a self-made individual whose contributions to society are unmatched. He started with just Rs. 5,000 ($100) to establish two modest institutions, the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), in 1992, which have become globally acclaimed wonders of the world.

KISS is the world's largest fully free and fully residential tribal institution, offering free food, education, accommodation, healthcare, vocational training, and sports empowerment to 80,000 indigenous children—40,000 current students and 40,000 alumni. KIIT is one of the most promising universities in India offering professional education, spread over 30 lush green campuses, welcoming 40,000 students from all over India and over 70 countries. It has all national affiliations and global accreditations, achieving top rankings in the country and globally. Prof. Samanta has made significant contributions to art, culture, literature, media, health, rural development, women empowerment, social campaigns, spiritualism and sports. His extraordinary work has earned him unprecedented global recognition—75 Honoris Causa doctorates (the highest for any Indian), international fellowships, 2 highest civilian awards from foreign nations (Bahrain and Mongolia), over 50 top international awards, and more than 200 national honors. The City University of New York (CUNY) has established a research center in his name—"The Achyuta Samanta India Initiative of The CUNY CREST Institute" in the USA. Despite all his achievements, success, and accolades, he leads the simplest of lives as a bachelor in a rented apartment with an aim to bring and spread smiles to millions. Prof. Achyuta Samanta—Founder of KIIT, KISS, KIMS, and the Art of Giving movement and former Member of Parliament continues to transform millions of lives, and embodies his guiding philosophy : My Life My Message.