Aradi: Almost all villages in the state used to have Bhagabata Tungis (community shanties) where people would recite and listen to the Bhagabata written by the legendary 16th century seer-poet Atibadi Jagannath Das in the evenings. It was believed that people would build their character by listening to the Bhagabata.
Over the years, the habit of listening to the Bhagabata slowly vanished. With the fall in social and moral values, the Bhagabata Tungis have lost their existence in rural pockets.
However, Nakula Mallik, a resident of Paradia in Sundarpur panchayat under Chandbali block of Bhadrak district, has kept alive this age-old tradition. The 75-year-old has 11 volumes of Bhagabata at his home. In the evenings, he would call his neighbours and recite the Bhagabata.
What’s amazing is, Nakula has got the entire 10th and 11th chapters of Bhagabata by rote, thanks to years of regular recital. Moreover, he can lucidly explain each line of Bhagabata to the people.
In the months of Kartik and Baisakha, he organises Bhagabata Pothi in his house. In those two months, he ensures that he would complete reciting all the 11 volumes and tries to convince the people about the benefits of listening to the Bhagabata.
Nakula’s family solely depends on agriculture. Despite financial shortcomings, he gets immense joy in reciting the Bhagabata. His family comprises his wife, two sons and two daughters-in-law. But his only woe is that his elder son Banamali has been missing for the last 16 years.
“To be free from the worldly attachments, reciting the Bhagabata is the only source of inspiration,” Nakula said.
He observed that young people who go astray can build their character and help build a good society if they regularly recite the Bhagabata.
PNN
