Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi

Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi is an Indian classical dancer of Odissi, art writer, a biologist and a former vice chancellor of Sambalpur University. Born on 18 November 1939, she secured a master's degree and subsequently, obtained a doctoral degree in zoology. She also learnt Odissi from an early age under Ban Bihari Maiti and her Odissi performance at the Inter-University Youth Festival in New Delhi in 1954 is reported to have helped the dance form to gain international attention through Charles Fabri, the renowned art critic from Hungary, who was present at the function.

Priyambada is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. She has written several articles and a book, Odissi: An Indian Classical Dance Form, detailing the history and evolution of the Indian classic form of Odissi. She is a recipient of the Odissi Nrutya Sanman which she received in 2013. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1998 for her contributions to the fields of science and technology.