LIKE THE Sun and the Moon appearing everyday in the sky and still retaining their appeal till eternity, Bhikari Bal defied time. The times changed. So also the taste of the people. But what never changed was the charm of Bhikari Bal – the unique man and his peerless voice.
An average Oriya household still wakes up in the morning to the devotional numbers of Bhikari Bal. So do the temples across Orissa. The voice is all pervasive – from the villages to the malls, restaurants, market places, buses and taxis playing on the roads. There could not be any celebration without playing his numbers. The voice is being heard everywhere.
For any Oriya going away from Orissa, two things have been most precious possessions – a photograph of Lord Jagannath and an audio album of Bhikari Bal. This could never be an over statement.
So when on Tuesday midnight, Bhikari Bal passed away, it took some time to sink in for all those who have been following his songs. True, he can not die as long as his voice is being heard everywhere. He continues to live in the hearts of millions of Oriyas who love and revere him only next to Lord Jagannath.
It is an irony that the man who was named as Bhikari – beggar in Oriya – was only a giver all the way. He gave traditional Oriya music a distinct identity. The largest selling voice in Orissa till today, his music fetched fortune for the music industry besides peace, joy and pride for the Oriyas. The man who had to toil hard as a mobile music teacher during his days of struggle for a few coins to sustain himself, donated ` 1 lakh for the Jagannath temple of Puri that he had earned during his tour to America. He lived in a hut like house in Cuttack but built up a sprawling ashram in his village (where he had learnt the alphabets of music as a kid) investing all his savings. He never said no to anyone inviting him to sing for a spiritual celebration without a performance fee and he never agreed to be paid in advance for lending his voice.
Bhikari Bal was gifted and self-made. Born on May 25, 1929 in the non-descript village of Sobala near Pattamundai in Kendrapada district, he showed spontaneous inclination towards music and attended the music sessions being conducted at the village ashram set up by a spiritual organisation. But, it was the immensely popular music of legendary singers Balakrushna Dash and Nemai Harichandan that inspired him to become a singer of highest order. With the dream to be a professional singer; he left for Cuttack, the-then cultural capital of Orissa, when he was in his mid 20’s. It was a very had struggle for the aspiring singer to sustain himself in a town where he knew none. He survived as a mobile music tutor but managed to come under the tutelage of Balakrushna Dash. His childhood dream to be the living legend’s disciple was fulfilled.
And there was no looking back. Bhikari Bal joined the Kala Vikash Kendra, the premiere institution of performing arts at Cuttack and joined the faculty of Odissi music at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya later in Bhubaneswar. However, it was the All India Radio, Cuttack that established him as a popular singer. His most popular devotional number – kotha bhogakhia mo chakaakhia – his first to be aired on AIR made him a household name. Offers followed from high profile music companied like the HMV, Gathani and the T-Series and he emerged as the Bhajan Samrat in the true sense of the term.
Though he sang for 28 films winning best playback singer award on four occasions besides singing scores of traditional Odissi music, Bhikari Bal finally became synonymous with the music for Jagannath. He was revered more as a devotee like Jayadev and Salabeg than a mere singer. Thus, he was granted the unique right to perform the chamara seva (fanning service for the Lord) to Jagannath inside the temple. Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasimha Deb’s award of the title of Bhajan Samrat on him and his visit to his house during his prolonged illness indicate the rare honour that Bhikari Bal received from the Puri temple authorities and the king of Puri as well.
Bhikari Bal was a blessed soul. All his wishes were granted including his last wish to be cremated at Puri. And the sacred fire for his funeral pyre was granted from the kitchen of the Jagannath temple – the rarest of the rare honour for any devotee and artiste.
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