लक्ष्मी नारायण : समाजसेवी और सार्वजनिक कार्यकर्ता,

लक्ष्मी नारायण साहू (3 अक्टूबर, 1890 ई., बालासौर; 18 जनवरी, 1963) उड़ीसा के समाजसेवी और सार्वजनिक कार्यकर्ता थे। उनका जन्म एक धनी परिवार में हुआ था। लक्ष्मी नारायण ने पाँच विषयों में एम.ए. की परीक्षाएँ उत्तीर्ण की थी। वे उदार विचारों के व्यक्ति थे।

उनके अन्दर ईसाई, ब्रह्म समाज, आर्य समाज, थियोसफ़ी आदि धर्मों और विचार धाराओं के प्रति सम्मान का भाव था। साहू सामाजिक परिवर्तन के लिए पश्चिमी ढंग की शिक्षा प्रणाली का समर्थन करते थे। साहू ने ‘सहकार’, ‘वैतरणी’, और ‘स्टार ऑफ़ उत्कल’ जैसे पत्रों का सम्पादन किया। 1936 में उड़ीसा के वर्तमान राज्य के गठन से पूर्व उन्होंने ‘उत्कल यूनियन कांफ़्रेंस’ की स्थापना की थी। 1947 ई. में वे उड़ीसा विधान सभा के और देश की संविधान परिषद के सदस्य चुने गए। उन्होंने अस्पृश्यता के विरुद्ध आन्दोलन किया और महिलाओं की स्थिति सुधारने के कार्यों में भी अग्रणी रहे। साहू प्रदेश की अनेक साहित्यिक संस्थाओं से सम्बद्ध थे। आन्ध्र प्रदेश के 'इतिहास शोध संस्थान' ने उन्हें ‘भारत तीर्थ’ से, कुछ अन्य संस्थाओं ने ‘इतिहास रत्न’ और ‘विद्या रत्न’ के अलंकरणों से तथा भारत सरकार ने 'पद्म सम्मान' से सम्मानित किया था।

Dr. Laxminarayan Sahu (3 October 1890 - 18 January 1963) was an eminent and noted writer, poet, journalist, social worker, reformer, historian, politician from Odisha, India.

He was born in a village named Manikhamb near Balasore and was the only son of his father, Khetramohan Sahu. and got degrees of M.A and L.L.B after graduation from school. He was a teacher of a repute. He was noted for his writings and books recording the tribal myths of Orissa. His stories were connected with creation, heaven, and hell, life and death, which the tribal people of Orissa have been taken down from the lips to lips from generations. He was also deeply involved in promotion and preservation of folk dance and music of Orissa and Oriya culture, language and literature. Apart from Oriya he was also for his writings in Hindi, Bengali, English and Sanskrit. His other famous stories are “Veena“, “Sulata“, “Control Room“, poems “ Pashara “ and social story of “Springs of the Soul “ etc. He was also Oriya newspaper Sahakar and English dailies -Vatarini and Star of Utkal As a reformer, he fought again untouchability and social evils against women.

He was elected to Orissa Assembly in 1947 and was a member of Constituent Assembly of India. He was noted for his fiery and to the fact debates while drafting of constitution of India and even Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had to admit in context of arguments put forth by Laxminaryan Sahu that the Constitution was carrying contradictions, harmful enough to shatter India, unless removed by the people’s representatives in the earliest opportunity. At the debate in Constituent Assembly of India, he is said to have thundered:- Mr. Kamath has quietly introduced in it the God too. Some people hold that there is no God. The people of India do not want God

He was awarded with Padma Shri in year 1955 for his contributions in field of Literature & Education. He was also given title of Ithihasratna for his works and writings on history of Orissa. He was a member of Asiatic Society, President of Orissa Sahitya Academy and also a member of Servants of India Society. A school in Cuttack has been named after his as Lakshmi Narayan Sahu Mahavidyalaya.