SAMBALPUR: Padma Shri awardee Haldhar Nag on Tuesday said he was not offended by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s ‘malimundia’ description, rather felt it was an appropriate word for him.Addressing a virtual rally on Sunday, Pradhan had said the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre conferred Padma award on a ‘malimundia’ (working class) like Nag and made the people of Odisha proud.
While usage of the word was criticised by some on the social media, the famous Sambalpuri poet said there was nothing wrong in him being called a ‘malimundia’. “It is the appropriate word for me. Anyone who lives without ‘chakachakya’ (glitz) is known as malimundia. I am a malimundia,” he said.
Nag thanked the BJP Government for selecting people like him for the highest civilian award.Similar sentiment was echoed by renowned Sambalpuri singer Jitendra Haripal, another Padma Shri winner. “I am also a malimundia and there is nothing wrong in using the term for Nag. All credit goes to the Union Government which has honoured the talented but deprived and neglected people,” he said.
General secretary of Sambalpuri Sahitya Parishad, Bargarh Utpanna Bhoi said Pradhan has not dishonoured Nag by terming him a ‘malimundia’. “This is the right word for Nag. Honouring people like him with a Padma award is an attempt to acknowledge the contribution of the working class in enriching the country’s culture,” he said and added that Nag bagged the Padma award without any lobby.
Nag, a renowned Koshli poet, was born to a poor family in Ghess of Bargarh district. He has several collection of poetry in Sambalpuri language to his credit. Some of his work includes ‘Maa Sati Urmila’, ‘Bachhar’, ‘Achhia’ ‘Sunder Sai’ and ‘Siri Samalei’.