Two lives, side by side
Mahabir Nayak is a singer, poet and cultural worker of Jharkhand’s Nagpuri folk tradition. His official citation records more than six decades of contribution to folk culture.
He was born on 24 September 1942 in Uruguttu village near Ranchi. After school he took technical training and in 1963 joined Heavy Engineering Corporation, where he worked until 2001. All through those years, his cultural life ran alongside the job.
On stage, on air
From the 1960s he sang Nagpuri songs at fairs, Jatra, Sarhul festivals and on stage. He was later associated for many years with All India Radio and Doordarshan in Ranchi, and worked with cultural organisations and publications.
A keeper of Nagpuri
The official profile mentions the publication of hundreds of his traditional songs and poems, and his support for research scholars working on Nagpuri language and literature. The Padma Shri in 2025 brought national recognition to a regional custodian of culture who was never a mainstream celebrity.
Regional culture needs broadcast and print archives, and preservation grows stronger through mentoring. Continuity matters more than popularity.
Sources
- Padma Awards 2025: official citations
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award material (2023)
- The Statesman: Mahabir Nayak to be honoured with Padma Shri
- presidentofindia.gov.in/files/2023-06/padma_2nd_3.pdf
- static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2023/sep/doc2023915252901.pdf
- thestatesman.com/india/mahabir-nayak-of-jharkhand-to-be-honoured-with-padma-shri-for-his-contribution-to-arts-1503390766.html