Sitakant Mahapatra is an Indian poet and literary critic. He was in the Indian Administrative Service from 1961 until retiring in 1995, and has held ex officio posts such as the Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi since then. He completed his B.A. in History from Ravenshaw College, in 1957, followed by master’s degree in Political Science from Allahabad University in 1959. His notable works are, Sabdar Akash (1971) (The Sky of Words), Samudra (1977) and Anek Sharat (1981). He was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award in Odia (1974) , Jnanpith Award (2002) and Padma Vibhushan (2011).