The Barpali Days

Poet Haldhar Nag : An Agent of Social Reform

[The Upper Primary school of Ghens where he spent his life selling peanuts to the children]

In the entire length and breadth of Western Odisha Koshali poet Haldhar Nag is someone who is revered to as a messiah. Needless to say he got lakhs of followers in Odisha and Chatishgarh, who congregate in large number to listen to his Koshali poetry when so ever he orates on the podium. You would be amazed to know Haldhar neither ever went to attend a high school, college or a university to hone his skills in Oriya literature. He in fact attended Oriya primary school only up to Standard Three in his village. He was born to a Gauda family. The basic vocation of this community is to act as cowherds. They rear cows and make a living by milching and selling the milk.

The ancestors of Haldhar Nag were from Baidpali village. During the year 1948 there was an epidemic in that village. Hundreds of people died in no time. His father Bhaja Nag took the emergency step to send his mother Gurbari Nag to Ghens to rescue her life from the clutches of death. Over night she walked several miles to reach Ghens. She came to Ghens to take shelter under the roof of maternal uncle of Haldhar Nag. Later in the year 1950 Haldhar Nag was born at Ghens. When Haldhar was barely ten years old his father expired. And within a year his mother as well passed away out of paralysis. At a tender age he was left alone as an orphan and his life was in utter chaos.

[The opinion of Hindi and Bollywood lyricist
Guljar about kabi Haldhar Nag]

The early life and the adulthood of Haldhar Nag was spent on hunger. In his own words he says, his entire life was a confrontation with only one hurdle and i.e. “anna kasta” or hunger. After the demise of his parents he never had a full-meal and was used to be contended with what so ever little offered by his sister-in-law. He remembers the days when he survived solely by consuming Kulhia Kanda. These are the roots of a wild plant which are bitter in taste. They are so bitter and inedible that even wild boars and bears don’t even dig the earth to consume it.

Haldhar was dropped from the village Oriya medium Government school while he was in Standard Three. To make a living he worked in Mangal Baba Hotel. He was cleaning the utensils in the hotel. While this young lad was working in the dirt filled environment of the hotel the Sarpanch of Ghens Late Braja Mohan Sahu spotted him. That village head invited Haldhar Nag to work as a cook in the hostel of the Ghens High School. Haldhar joined the school at a monthly salary of Rs.8/- (roughly US 10 Cents as on this date). He keep on working in the school for long 16 years. And his monthly salary enhanced from Rs.8 to Rs.16; to Rs.20; to Rs.25 and finally to Rs.40 by the time he left the school.

[Haldhar Nag standing outside his Kabi Bhvan]

It was the year 1975 when the Branch Manager of Balangir Anchalik Gramya Bank (now Utkala Bank) endorsed him a loan of Rs.1,000/- to undertake a business venture. Haldhar opened a stationary shop outside the premises of Govt. Boys Primary School. Haldhar was selling the blackboards, chalk sticks, note books, pens, pencils, chocolates and of course peanuts. His client base was purely made of school children. His business hours were strictly restricted to the functioning of the school. As a result, during the school holidays he unable to earn a single Rupee. Somehow he managed to meet the immediate needs to support his life.

At the age of 22 years Haldhar married Parbati. His wife Parbati was under prolong illness and could not bear any children. She forced Haldhar to merry another lady. She herself carried the maula bhar for the marriage of Haldhar Nag. It’s an Oriya ritual where different commodities need to be carried on the shoulder by the maternal uncle of the bride groom during the marriage function.

It was the year 1976 when the second marriage of Haldhar Nag was successfully accomplished. And his first wife Parbati voluntarily left for her parents house. Haldhar resumed his life afresh with Malati. And in another year the couple got blessed with a baby girl.

His anguish about un-touchablity is reflected in one of his poetry work titled Achian. Here he composed an episode from the Hindu epic Ramayana. He narrated how Lord Rama had accepted and eaten the touched fruit of a forest dweller named Sabari. Whereas in the Twenty-first Century we the Hindus don’t even enter the homes of low caste people. Based on Hindu religious texts he composed many works like Satia Biha, Tara Mandodari, Karam Sani, Rasia Kabi Tulsi Das etc. Apart from religious texts he composed poetry on Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi, Rusi Kabi Gangadhar Meher, Vir Surendra Sai etc.

The suicide rate of students in India is 10.3 per 1,00,000. And most of the students die when they failed in the exams. But here is someone who able to reach the pinnacle of Oriya literature despite being dropped from a primary school. It proves, qualification and an educational degree is not a prerequisite to achieve anything in life.

Post script: He has been felicitated with India's fourth highest civilian award i.e. Padmashree title by the President of India Sh.Pranab Mukherjee in the year 2016.