In a world filled with communal tensions, a viral video of an elderly Muslim man singing a devotional song for Lord Jagannath is a silver lining, spreading a message of unity and peace.
The elderly man — who appears to be visually impaired — sits with his harmonium, carefully tuning it before launching into the iconic Odia bhajan ‘Hatia Thakura Au Kete Nata Dekhiba’. This timeless devotional song, first released in 1979, continues to resonate with devotees across generations.
The viral video was shared on ‘X’ by the username Saroj Kumar Nayak.
ମୋ ଓଡ଼ିଶା କଳାର ରାଜ୍ୟ!!
ଜଗନ୍ନାଥଙ୍କ ଭକ୍ତର ରାଜ୍ୟ!!
ଜୟ ଶ୍ରୀ ରାମ କହିବା ପୂର୍ବରୁ ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ କହିବା ହେଉ!! ମହାବାହୁଙ୍କ ତତ୍ତ୍ୱକୁ ବୁଝିବା ହେଉ।
ଯେଉଁ ମାଟିରେ ଭକ୍ତ ସାଲବେଗ ଜନ୍ମ ନେଇଛନ୍ତି ଯାହାର ଭଜନ ନ ଶୁଣିଲେ ମହାବାହୁ ନିଦ୍ରା କୁ ଯିବାକୁ ବି ମନ ନ କରନ୍ତି ସେ ମାଟିକୁ ସେମିତି ପବିତ୍ର ରଖିବା ହେଉ। ରାମ ଏକ ଅବତାର ମାତ୍ର… pic.twitter.com/cxzS4yghGt— Saroj Kumar Nayak (@NayakEsKay) March 25, 2025
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His melodious voice has struck a chord with netizens, who see it as a beacon of unity in today’s polarised times.
The bhajan, written by Dibakara Mohanty and first sung by the legendary Bhikari Bal, has been a beloved part of Odisha’s devotional music for many years. Bal, along with Balakrushna Das, composed this musical masterpiece.
However, this is not new in Odisha.
Despite facing societal barriers, Salabega’s heartfelt compositions, especially “Ahe Nila Saila”, remain integral to Odisha’s devotional music and Jagannath culture. He was born to a Muslim father, the Mughal subedar Lalbeg, and a Hindu mother in the 17th century. Despite his Islamic lineage, he became an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath and dedicated his life to composing devotional songs in the deity’s praise.
It can be mentioned here that the views expressed by the ‘X’ user are solely their own and do not reflect the endorsements of OrissaPOST.
PNN
