Ashok Kumar Bal

Ashok Kumar Bal belongs to the 1983 batch of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and held various leadership positions in government, public sector, and corporates. He combines diverse experience across broad spectrum of activities and domains. He takes keen interest in history, heritage, and culture. He regularly writes for national dailies. His varied interests include history and heritage of Odisha which fascinated him to write the nationally acclaimed book Gajapati: A King Without a Kingdom. He writes in newspapers and journals on diverse issues like politics, economy, and religion. He regularly takes classes at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune. Currently, he is the CEO and patron of the Kalinga Literary Festival.