Lost letters of Odisha's bhakti poetry: a critical study of select poetic compositions of Bhima Bhoi

Abstract

This paper attempts to trace the lost traditions of Odisha's Bhakti movement through a study of the poetic lineage that culminated in the verses of Saint Poet Bhima Bhoi. The article is based on musical renderings of the verses of Bhima Bhoi by well-known singers of Odisha. The literature and language of Odisha that developed over the centuries render a certain distinctiveness to its musical identity. Narrativity is latent in the musicalpractices of Odisha thathas a blend of its own unique Raaga and Bhāva. In Odisha, the early systems of education were mostly informal in nature, with home education and oral learning as the methods practiced in households. The poetry and narrative structure in the compositions of the classical poets like Adi Kavi Sarala Das,the Panchasakhāmandala, Jayadeva, Salabega, Upendra Bhanja, Bhima Bhoi and several other Odia poets are based in the everydayness of Odisha's cultural and rural landscape. Their poetic compositionsprovide aunique identity to Odissi music and storytelling is deeply embedded in the musical compositions.The poetic tradition of Odisha that has strong connection to Jagannath culture and specifically to Shree Mandira in Puri, has language and rhythm as its core.Thispaperexplores narrativity and musicality in select compositions of Bhima Bhoi, the nineteenth-century classical poet of Odisha. The study employs translation into English of select verses of Bhima Bhoi as part of the analytical tool.