Mahabir Nayak

Mahabir Nayak has sung the traditional Nagpuri songs of Jharkhand for more than six decades, at village fairs, festivals and on stages abroad. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Jharkhand ^[1].

A factory worker who kept singing

Nayak was born on 24 September 1942 in Uruguttu village, Ranchi ^[2]. In 1963 he took a job as a worker at Heavy Engineering Corporation, where he worked until 2001 ^[2]. Through all those years he never stopped singing, performing at fairs, jatras and festivals such as Sarhul ^[2].

On stage and on air

He has been performing on stage since 1960, including every year at the Jagannath fair in Dhurwa, Ranchi ^[2]. In 1992 he took a group of 20 to perform in Taipei, Taiwan ^[2]. He sang on Doordarshan and All India Radio in Ranchi from 1977 to 2011 ^[2].

He co-founded the cultural group Kunjwan, edited Nagpuri magazines and has helped PhD students of Nagpuri language and literature ^[2]. About 300 traditional folk songs in his poetry have been published ^[2].

In 2023 he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Amrit Award ^[2].