Chakulia panda is a sect of people from the Indian state of Odisha who are mostly found to live in the southern Odisha. The male members of this sect walk from door to door and recite religious poems, [1] from early Odia literature and receive rice in return from the households. [2] and "suanga" (humorous plays) [3] They are believed to be a "lower class" "dignified" brahmin. [4]
A Chakulia panda would be seen putting a mark of white sandalwood on the forehead, carrying a "chatri" (palm leaf umbrella), and walking with a bag of rice on his shoulder singing songs. Offering rice to Chakulia panda is considered holier as compared to hundred Brahmins. [5] They are heard reciting "Rama, Parasurama, Dasarathanandana Rama, Janakanandini Rama" while visiting houses. [6] He never asks for alms during the entire course of his visit and accepts whatever is offered. [7] [8] Slowly this cultural presentation is diminishing delimiting the visit of Chakulia panda to houses [9] and of them losing their livelihood. [10]
He carries a bag full of rice, a bag of rice on his shoulder and sings a song "Give and persuade others to give; whatever you give will be returned to you in much larger quantity
— Kunjabihari Das, L. K. Mahapatra [5]
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Inspired by the "Chakulia panda" culture, a NACO funded project for spreading awareness about health and safety in Odisha called "Kalyani" [11] was broadcast in Doordarshan during 200-2006. This program led the foundation of about 2,000 community level "Kalyani Health Clubs" with nearly half million members in rural Odisha. [12] The initiative was also aimed at spreading awareness about AIDS. [13]
The story of Chakulia panda is narrated in many folktales in Odisha that have satirical remark on the greedy nature of Chakulia panda while begging and the moral of him being punished by a deity. [14] [15] They are the most talked characters in Odia literature. [16]
Odia is an Indo-Aryan classical spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha, where native speakers make up 82% of the population, and it is also spoken in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Odia is one of the many official languages of India; it is the official language of Odisha and the second official language of Jharkhand.
The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations existing in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
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Binod Chandra Nayak was an Odia writer. He was known for his writing that was influenced by modern poetry while being romantic. He was awarded the 1970 Kendra Sahitya Akademi award for his poetry collection Sarisrupa.
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