RANJAN KUMAR BEHERA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SME, KIIT DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY BHUBANESWAR, ODISHA

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Remembering Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji on his Punyatithi.

A great statesman, leader, poet and former Prime Minister of India, Atal Ji will always be remembered for his simplicity, vision and service to the nation.

My humble tributes to him. Om Shanti.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Highlights from today’s 80th Independence Day celebration at KISS with my 40,000 lovable KISSians.

Seeing all my children together with the Tiranga, celebrating with so much enthusiasm and pride, made me very happy. Their energy, discipline and love for the country made the occasion very special.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Celebrated Har Ghar Tiranga with my 40,000 lovable KISS children at KISS Bhubaneswar.

Seeing so many of my children together with the Tiranga filled me with great happiness and pride. This initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji has brought the National Flag closer to every Indian and especially to our young generation.

May the spirit of the Tiranga always inspire us to work for our country.

Jai Hind! 🇮🇳

#independenceday

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Happy 80th Independence Day to all my fellow Indians.

On this special day, let us resolve to work with honesty, unity and dedication for a stronger and developed India.

Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
#harghartiranga🇮🇳

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Celebrated Har Ghar Tiranga with my lovable KIITians today. I was very happy to see the enthusiasm among our students and the pride with which they carried the Tiranga.

Har Ghar Tiranga, launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, has become a beautiful people’s movement across the country. My gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister for giving us such a wonderful initiative and encouraging every Indian, especially our young generation, to feel even more connected with the Tiranga.

@PMOIndia

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Today I am in Udaipur, Rajasthan, where I delivered the keynote address at 42 Degrees – Ken42’s Annual Higher Education Summit 2026 and shared some thoughts from my journey of building KIIT and KISS and my experience in higher education.

I also had a very meaningful conversation with Dr Anurag Batra Ji, Chairman, BW Businessworld, on higher education and how our universities should prepare themselves for the changing needs of young people and the future.

Many senior academicians, university leaders, policymakers and industry experts came together at the summit to discuss the future of higher education. I shared my experiences and exchanged ideas on how our institutions can do more for young people and for society.

For me, education has always been about creating good human beings and building institutions that can continue to serve society for generations. I was happy to share the KIIT-KISS journey with everyone present.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

On International Youth Day, my greetings and best wishes to all the young people across the world.

I have spent most of my life among young people, and I have always believed that youth are the greatest strength of any nation. They have energy, dreams, new ideas and the power to bring change. If they get good education, values and the right opportunities, there is nothing they cannot achieve.

My simple message to all my young friends is: dream big, work hard, remain a good human being and use your knowledge for the good of society. Your future is also the future of our nation.

Happy International Youth Day!

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

On National Librarians’ Day, my greetings to all the librarians who quietly play such an important role in the education and growth of our students.

I personally value books and libraries very much. That is why, at KIIT, we have always given great importance to libraries across our campuses. All 30 of our campuses have their own libraries and reading rooms, and we also have a very modern Central Library spread over 10,000 sq. metres, with a huge collection of books, journals, e-books and digital resources. Students and researchers can also access many of these resources round the clock. I always want our students to have the best possible facilities to read, learn and gain knowledge.

For me, a library is not only a place where books are kept; it is a place where knowledge grows. Librarians are the people who help our young minds find the right knowledge and develop the habit of reading and learning.

On this day, we also remember Dr S. R. Ranganathan, whose contribution to library sciences in India will always be remembered.

My best wishes to all our librarians at KIIT, KISS and everywhere for the wonderful work they continue to do.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Sharing a glimpse of the experiences of our IndiaTrek participants from the City University of New York after spending over 10 days with us at KIIT and KISS.

The 28 students and 10 faculty members, coming from different parts of the world, closely experienced life at KIIT and KISS, interacted with our students and faculty, and also explored the culture, heritage, food and warmth of Odisha and India.

It gives me great happiness to hear them speak so warmly about our campuses, hospitality and the people they met. This is the real purpose of IndiaTrek — to let young people experience Odisha and India for themselves and carry those memories back to the world.

I hope they will always remain good friends of KIIT, KISS, Odisha and India.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

I felt very happy to interact with the 28 students and 10 faculty members from the City University of New York (CUNY) who are here as part of our IndiaTrek initiative. They come from different parts of the world and are presently studying and teaching at CUNY. Some of them are also associated with the research centre at CUNY named after me.

After spending more than a week at KIIT and KISS, interacting closely with our students, faculty and staff and experiencing life on our campuses, they were very curious to meet and talk with me. I was very happy to hear their feelings. They said that after seeing the entire ambience, environment and infrastructure of KIIT and KISS with their own eyes, they were simply amazed. They also appreciated the love and hospitality they received during their stay.

Through IndiaTrek, every year we are also trying to take Odisha to the world. Our participants experience the culture, heritage, food, traditions and important tourist places of Odisha, along with visits to Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. When they return to their countries, they carry with them not only memories of KIIT and KISS, but also a beautiful experience of Odisha and India.

This is what makes IndiaTrek very special for me. Young people from different countries come here, live together, learn together and understand our culture closely. I hope they will remain friends of KIIT, KISS, Odisha and India throughout their lives.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Today, I celebrated the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with my lovable KISS children, who represent the strength, culture and beautiful traditions of indigenous communities.

For the last 35 years, I have dedicated my life to the education and empowerment of indigenous children. Through KISS, our effort has always been to give them quality education, healthcare, food, opportunities and dignity, while ensuring that they remain proud of their language, culture and roots.

What gives me the greatest happiness today is seeing my KISS children becoming doctors, engineers, teachers, sportspersons, civil servants and changemakers, and bringing positive change to their families and communities.

I have always believed that education is the best way to empower indigenous communities without taking them away from their identity and culture. On this special day, I once again dedicate myself to their education, dignity and development.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

KIIT School of Management organised its 17th National HR Conclave on the very important theme, “The Equalizing Effect of Generative AI: Bridging the Skills Gap.”

I was very happy to welcome Sri Sanjeev Agarwal, CEO & Managing Director – Middle East & India, Protiviti, as the keynote speaker. His simple message that it is Humans and AI, not Humans vs AI was very relevant. He spoke about how Generative AI is changing the way organisations work, learn and develop talent.

I was also happy that KIIT and Protiviti signed an MoU for future collaboration, which will further strengthen our association and create more opportunities for our students and faculty.

The conclave brought together industry leaders, experts, faculty members and students to discuss AI, future skills, HR practices and the changing workplace. I always feel happy when our students get an opportunity to listen to and interact with experienced people from industry, because they learn many things which cannot be learnt only from books.

I am happy to see KSOM continuing this tradition through the National HR Conclave and giving our students such good opportunities to learn and grow.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

The 13th edition of KiiT International School Model United Nations was organised in a very beautiful way this year. I feel very happy to see our young students coming together to discuss important global issues and understand diplomacy, leadership and international relations.

We were very fortunate to have His Excellency Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy, former Ambassador of India to Japan, Mexico and the Marshall Islands, and presently Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, grace the occasion. With his long experience in diplomacy, international relations, peace and security, his words were very valuable for our young delegates.

My simple message to the students was: this is the age of knowledge and information. Communication skills and, most importantly, ideas matter a lot. Those who have good ideas grow. A conference like this gives our young people thousands of new ideas. One may come with one idea and leave with thousands. So, I urged them to always focus on developing their communication skills and ideas.

I am very happy to see KiiTIS MUN growing every year and giving our young minds such a meaningful platform to learn, express themselves and understand the world better.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

I feel very happy that nearly 40 international students and faculty members from the City University of New York (CUNY), who are with us as part of our IndiaTrek initiative, joined us in celebrating National Handloom Day in a very special way.

All of them wore handloom kurtas and happily became a part of our tradition. It was beautiful to see young people from different countries respecting and enjoying the rich handloom culture of India and Odisha.

This is what IndiaTrek is all about—bringing people from different parts of the world closer to our culture, traditions and way of life through real experiences.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

On the occasion of National Handloom Day, my lovable KIITians celebrated KAANCHI 2026 – The 12th National Handloom Celebration with great enthusiasm. I was very happy to welcome Shri Pradeep Bal Samanta(@pradeepbsbjp), Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Co-operation and Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts, Government of Odisha (@HTH_Odisha), as the Chief Guest.

For the last 30 years, I have been trying in my own small way to promote the handloom of Odisha. I have brought thousands of sarees directly from hundreds of our handloom weavers and gifted them to guests visiting KIIT and KISS. For me, it is not only about gifting a saree; it is about promoting our handloom culture and supporting the families of our weavers.

Our handloom carries the identity, culture and creativity of generations. Odisha has such a rich handloom tradition, and we must always take pride in it.

I felt very happy to see our young KIITians celebrating and carrying forward this beautiful legacy.
Happy National Handloom Day!

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

With my lovable KIITians, celebrating National Handloom Day and the rich tradition of our Indian handloom.

I felt very happy to see our students dressed in beautiful handloom, carrying the spirit of Swadeshi and showing respect for the countless weavers and artisans who have preserved this heritage through generations.

Happy National Handloom Day!

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Happy to welcome a 15-member delegation from Assam representing Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Trust, who visited KISS and spent time understanding our work closely.

I was very happy to know that they appreciated what they saw at KISS. Every day, many educationists, social workers, students and other resource persons from different parts of India and abroad visit KIIT and KISS to see and understand our work in education, tribal empowerment and social transformation.

It always gives me great happiness when people come here, interact with our children and take back some good ideas from KISS. I hope their visit was meaningful and memorable.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

On National Handloom Day, my greetings to all our weavers and artisans who keep India’s rich tradition alive through their skill and hard work.

Odisha has a very special place in India’s handloom heritage, from Sambalpuri to our beautiful Ikat traditions. Our handloom carries the identity, culture and creativity of generations, and we must always take pride in it.
Happy National Handloom Day!

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

My lovable KISSians joined the ‘10 Crore Drug-Free Pledge Mega Campaign’ organised by Prajapita Brahma Kumaris at KISS today.

I feel happy that my lovable children took a pledge to stay away from drugs and create awareness among their friends, families and communities. I told them that their life and future are very precious. They should remain healthy, disciplined and strong, and never allow any addiction to come in the way of their dreams.

The youth are the greatest strength of our country, and healthy and drug-free youth can build a strong and developed India.

We are grateful to Prajapita Brahma Kumaris for this important nationwide initiative. Let us all work together for a drug-free India.

[Achyuta Samanta @achyuta_samanta]

Internationalisation of higher education has always been an important priority for us at KIIT and KISS. Two years ago, we started IndiaTrek, a special initiative that allows students from other countries to experience India’s culture, history, traditions and community life while learning and interacting with our students. I am happy that it has become a very successful initiative.

At the beginning of this new academic session, I feel very happy to welcome a delegation of 38 participants—28 students and 10 faculty members—representing seven colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). During their ten-day stay, they will spend time with the students of KIIT and KISS, exchange ideas and experience the culture and warmth of Odisha.

I am especially happy to know that each one of them was delighted to see KIIT and KISS flourishing in a state like Odisha. Their happiness and appreciation give us great encouragement.

I have always believed that education should bring people, cultures and countries closer. My best wishes to all our guests for a happy and memorable stay at KIIT and KISS.