Binod Kumar Pasayat

Binod Kumar Pasayat was a poet, lyricist and playwright in Sambalpuri, also called Koshli, the language of western Odisha, who earned his living all his life as a barber. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Odisha ^[1].

From stage to barber’s chair

Pasayat was born on 3 December 1935 ^[2]. At about ten he began acting as a child in plays staged by the Ramji Drama Party, which enjoyed the patronage of the royal family of Bolangir ^[2]. That experience drew him into Sambalpuri literature ^[2].

In 1953 he moved to Sambalpur and opened a barber’s shop ^[2]. It became the place where he wrote poems and songs between customers, and his citation calls it the turning point of his life ^[2].

Writer of the people

His writing was known for its simplicity, and his Sambalpuri folk songs became widely popular across western Odisha ^[2]. He won three major Odisha honours: the Sarala Puraskar (2008), the Odisha Sahitya Akademi award (2010) and the Sarada Prasanna Samman of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi (2019) ^[2]. Despite this recognition, he never gave up the barber’s trade of his forefathers ^[2].

Pasayat died in Sambalpur on 20 August 2025, aged 89 ^[3][4].