Gopabandhu Das was popular known as "Utkalmani" or Gem of Utkal. He was a great Karmayogi and the proverb "Man lives in deeds, not in years" was the basic philosophy of his life. His life was dedicated to the cause of the suffering humanity.
Gopabandhu Das was a noted social worker in Orissa. He is also widely known as a famous poet. Apart from it he was a legislator and an editor too. He was very well known all over Orissa. He devoted himself to the service of the humanity. He was really an illustrious son of Orissa. He deserved the pre-name award Utkalamani.
A law graduate, Gopabandhu Das initially worked as the headmaster of a school in Puri. Later he started his own legal practice. He founded an English-medium high school at Sakhigopal which attracted many future patriots.