Mahabir Nayak, who was recently honored with the Padma Shri award for his work in preserving the music and culture of Jharkhand, expressed that his years of hard work had finally paid off.
On Saturday, Nayak shared that receiving this prestigious award would motivate him to continue his efforts to protect the state's arts, culture, and music.
He is well-known in Jharkhand for his contributions to "Bhinsariya raga, Faguwa, Pawas, and Mardani Jhumar ragas" in the Nagpuri language.
At 82 years old, Nayak has composed around 500 songs and documented over 1,000 folk songs. He has also written more than 100 poems, over 100 songs, and several stories. Currently, he is working on a book titled Geet Mein Swar, which is almost finished.
Nayak thanked the government for the recognition, saying it would inspire others like him who are working to preserve art and culture.
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Born into the Ghasi community, Nayak was inspired by his father, Khudu Nayak, a Jhumar performer. He also worked at Ranchi's Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) after joining in 1962 but continued to pursue his passion for music alongside his job.
Nayak encouraged the younger generation to take an interest in the rich art, culture, and music of Jharkhand, urging them not to focus only on Bollywood music and DJ songs.
He believes that "local musical gatherings" in every village and town are necessary, as they were in the past, to help people learn about and preserve the state's rich cultural heritage.
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