The President of India paid tribute to Veer Surendra Sai on birth anniversary.

Veer Surendra Sai(1809-1884)
- Born in village of Rajpur-Khinda near Sambalpur town (Odisha) in Chauhan royal family.
- Prominent freedom fighter and tribal leader from Odisha
Contributions
- He began fighting against British dominance at age 18 in 1827.
- Organised a guerrilla-style rebellion involving tribal communities such as Binjhal, Gond etc.
- After death of ruler of Sambalpur, British applied Doctrine of Lapse and annexed Sambalpur in 1849, denying Surendra Sai his legitimate claim.
- During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Sai returned to Sambalpur and relaunched the rebellion against British.
- Many tribal Zamindars (Landlords) and Gauntias (local leaders) rallied to his cause.
- Values: Patriotism ,Courage and valour