Madhusudan Rao (19 January 1853 – 28 December 1912) was an Odia poet and writer from India. He was known as Bhaktakabi. His most well known work is the Chhabila Madhu Barnabodha. Life He was born on 19 January 1853 in the district of Puri. He was a prominent Odia poet and essayist widely considered as the Father Of Modern Odia Poetry, by adding foreign (western) lyrical elements and experimentation. He died on 28 December 1912. Works He is known as Bhaktakavi of Odia and is considered the father of modern (using western lyrical forms) Odia poetry. In collaboration with Radhanath Ray, he published two volumes, one each in 1873 and 1874, of collections of poems entitled Kavitabali. His other poetry collections, which also consist of compositions used as lyrics for songs, comprise: Chhandamala (Vol. 1, 188; Vol. 2, 1895), Sangitamala (1894), Basanta Gatha (1910), Kusumanjali (1903) and Utkalgatha (1908). Prabandhamala, published in 1880, is a collection of essays in Odia. Apart from writing essays, he translated a few works from Sanskrit and English into Odia. They were published in Utkal Darpan, a literary journal. He wrote two short stories. He translated the Uttararamacarita of Bhavabhuti into Odia. He also contributed to children's literature. References External links 1853 births 1912 deaths 19th-century Indian poets Poets from Odisha People from Puri 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Odia-language poets Odia-language writers 20th-century Indian male writers 19th-century Indian translators