Dr. Bishnupada sethi : The history of Indian civilisation is illuminated by saint poets whose spiritual insight transcended the boundaries of formal education. From the Tamil Alvars and Nayanmars to Kabir, Mirabai, Lalleshwari, Bhima Bhoi and Salabega, India’s devotional tradition has repeatedly demonstrated that profound wisdom often emerges from ordinary lives transformed by extraordinary spiritual experience. Their songs were not products of literary ambition but spontaneous expressions of divine communion, speaking directly to the human heart. In contemporary India, this timeless tradition continues to live through Purnamasi Jani, affectionately revered as Tadi Sarubai, whose devotional compositions have emerged from the tribal heartland of Kandhamal in Odisha.
At a time when rapid urbanisation and technological change threaten many indigenous traditions, the life of Purnamasi Jani stands as a powerful reminder that India’s spiritual heritage continues to flourish in its villages, forests and tribal communities. She represents a rare confluence of oral literature, tribal spirituality and Bhakti philosophy, preserving an ancient cultural legacy that has survived not through books but through memory, music and devotion. Her remarkable journey demonstrates that literature is not merely the outcome of literacy but the flowering of an awakened consciousness.
Born in Charipada village under Khajuripada Block of Kandhamal district, Purnamasi Jani belongs to the Kui speaking tribal community, one of Odisha’s oldest indigenous societies. Kandhamal, with its rolling hills, dense forests and sacred landscapes, has long nurtured a culture in which nature and spirituality exist in intimate harmony. Generations of tribal communities have worshipped the Divine through forests, rivers, hills and ancestral traditions while gradually embracing the broader currents of Hindu devotional thought. It is within this unique cultural environment that Purnamasi Jani emerged as one of India’s most remarkable living mystic poetesses.
Her childhood and early adulthood reflected the everyday realities of rural tribal life. Like countless women of her generation, she devoted herself to agriculture, household responsibilities and the welfare of her family. She never attended school and remained completely outside the formal system of education. She neither learnt to read nor write, nor studied classical literature or philosophy. Nothing in her early years suggested that she would one day become a nationally recognised poetess whose compositions would attract scholars, linguists, folklorists and spiritual seekers alike.
The turning point came through personal suffering. The tragic loss of her children and other emotional hardships profoundly altered the course of her life. Instead of succumbing to despair, she sought refuge in prayer, contemplation and meditation. Gradually she withdrew into the forests and hills associated with the revered spiritual personality known as Tadi Sarubai. These years of inward seeking transformed her understanding of life, suffering and the Divine. According to the beliefs, the spiritual presence of Tadi Sarubai became manifest through Purnamasi Jani. Whether interpreted as mystical experience, divine inspiration or symbolic transformation, this marked the beginning of an extraordinary creative life.
Thereafter, an astonishing phenomenon began to unfold. During devotional gatherings, often while immersed in deep meditation or devotional ecstasy, she started singing bhajans spontaneously. The verses flowed effortlessly, accompanied by rhythm and melody, without prior preparation or conscious composition. Those present during these gatherings repeatedly observed that every occasion produced fresh songs with new imagery and profound spiritual insights. Rarely did she repeat earlier compositions. Such spontaneous creativity has fascinated scholars because it represents one of the finest surviving examples of India’s ancient oral literary tradition.
Unlike conventional poets who carefully revise and edit their writings, Purnamasi Jani composes entirely through oral inspiration. Her songs emerge complete in themselves, displaying remarkable poetic coherence despite their spontaneous origin. In an age dominated by written and digital communication, her creativity reminds us that oral traditions remain vibrant repositories of knowledge and artistic excellence.
One of the greatest strengths of her compositions lies in their language. Most of her bhajans are composed in Kui, one of Odisha’s important tribal languages, while others incorporate Odia expressions. This multilingual richness reflects the cultural interactions that have shaped Kandhamal over centuries. More importantly, her songs have become powerful instruments for preserving the Kui language itself. Across the world, indigenous languages face increasing pressure from dominant languages and modern communication. Through her devotional songs, Purnamasi Jani has ensured that the vocabulary, idioms, metaphors and spiritual imagination of Kui continue to survive for future generations.
Her poetry is deeply rooted in the natural world. Forests, rivers, mountains, flowers, birds, changing seasons and agricultural life are not merely descriptive elements but symbols of profound spiritual truths. Nature becomes a living scripture through which the Divine continually reveals itself. This intimate relationship between spirituality and ecology reflects the worldview of tribal societies, where the natural environment is not regarded as an external resource but as a sacred presence deserving reverence and protection.
The central themes of her compositions are devotion, compassion, surrender and the search for the Divine. Lord Jagannath occupies a special place in many of her bhajans, symbolising the universal God accessible to every human being irrespective of caste, class or community. Shiva, Krishna, Rama and the Divine Mother also appear frequently, not as distant theological abstractions but as compassionate companions who accompany ordinary people through the joys and sorrows of daily life. Her poetry thus creates a remarkable synthesis between tribal spirituality and the universal ideals of the Bhakti movement.
Equally striking is the simplicity of her expression. She does not rely upon elaborate literary ornamentation or philosophical complexity. Instead, profound truths emerge through familiar images drawn from everyday experience, a seed becoming a tree, a flowing stream, the fragrance of flowers, the affection of a mother or the light of dawn. These simple metaphors communicate directly with the human heart. Their emotional immediacy explains why her songs resonate equally with villagers, scholars, devotees and spiritual seekers. Like the compositions of India’s great saint-poets, they speak a language understood by all because they arise from lived experience rather than intellectual abstraction.
Her contribution extends far beyond devotional music. Anthropologists recognise her songs as valuable records of indigenous culture. Linguists appreciate their role in preserving the Kui language. Folklorists view them as living examples of India’s oral traditions, while scholars of religion find in them an extraordinary synthesis of tribal spirituality and mainstream Bhakti philosophy. Her compositions preserve not merely songs but an entire worldview shaped by centuries of interaction between humanity, nature and the Divine.
My own understanding of Purnamasi Jani’s extraordinary gifts deepened when I visited her at Khajuripada on 5 November 2015. The visit offered an opportunity not merely to meet a tribal poetess but to witness a living spiritual phenomenon. During the devotional gathering, I observed her entering a trance-like state in which she began rendering bhajans with remarkable spontaneity and emotional intensity. Although she had never received any formal education, the philosophical depth, lyrical beauty and spiritual insight embodied in her songs were truly astonishing. The compositions flowed effortlessly, revealing an intuitive understanding of devotion, compassion, surrender and the unity of existence. The experience reaffirmed my belief that literary genius can arise from profound spiritual realisation as much as from academic scholarship.
In Odisha, Bhima Bhoi had articulated the spiritual vision of Mahima Dharma in nineteenth-century Odisha, while Salabega became an enduring symbol of devotion to Lord Jagannath transcending social barriers. Purnamasi Jani, on the other hand, speaks from the indigenous spiritual traditions of Kandhamal. Her poetry brings the experiences, beliefs and aspirations of tribal society into the wider stream of Indian devotional literature, thereby enriching rather than merely extending the Bhakti tradition.
As awareness of her work gradually spread, scholars from universities, cultural institutions and literary organisations began documenting her songs. Linguists recognised the urgent need to preserve her Kui compositions as valuable linguistic resources. Folklorists viewed her bhajans as rare examples of a living oral tradition that had survived into the twenty-first century with extraordinary vitality. Scholars of religion found in her compositions a remarkable synthesis of indigenous spirituality and classical Bhakti philosophy. Numerous recordings, transcriptions and translations have since ensured that this invaluable heritage will remain accessible to future generations.
Her contribution also assumes significance from the perspective of cultural preservation. Across India, many tribal languages and oral traditions are under increasing pressure from social change, migration and modern communication. Oral literature often disappears silently with the passing of its custodians. Purnamasi Jani’s songs therefore constitute far more than devotional compositions; they preserve vocabulary, metaphors, ethical values, ecological wisdom and collective memories that have evolved over centuries. They are living archives of a civilisation that continues to flourish outside written texts.
Recognising the extraordinary nature of her contribution, the Government of India conferred the Padma Shri upon Purnamasi Jani in 2021, one of the nation’s highest civilian honours. The award acknowledged her outstanding contribution to literature, art and the preservation of India’s indigenous cultural heritage. More importantly, it represented national recognition of tribal knowledge systems and oral literary traditions that have long enriched India’s civilisational identity. I had the privilege of participating in the preparation and pursuit of her nomination, making the recognition particularly meaningful for me.
Her achievements also received distinguished academic recognition. Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar, conferred upon Purnamasi Jani the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) in recognition of her exceptional contribution to creative literature and society. The conferment carried profound symbolic significance. A university honouring an unschooled tribal poetess with its highest literary distinction sent a powerful message that knowledge cannot be measured solely through formal degrees or classroom learning. It affirmed that lived experience, spiritual insight, oral creativity and indigenous wisdom deserve equal respect within the intellectual traditions of the nation. Here too, I was fortunate to process her case before the appropriate authority.
The twin honours, the Padma Shri from the Government of India and the Honorary Doctor of Literature from Rama Devi Women’s University have elevated Purnamasi Jani beyond regional recognition. They symbolise the nation’s acknowledgement that India’s tribal communities are not merely custodians of folklore but creators of enduring literature, philosophy and spiritual thought. These recognitions have inspired renewed scholarly interest in documenting, translating and preserving her extensive corpus of devotional songs.
Purnamasi Jani’s life ultimately challenges many assumptions about literature itself. She reminds us that literature is not merely the product of literacy, nor scholarship the exclusive outcome of formal education. The deepest creative expressions often emerge from profound encounters with life, suffering, faith and the natural world. Her songs arise from an intimate communion between the human soul, nature and the Divine. They preserve the language of a community, strengthen cultural identity and contribute significantly to India’s spiritual and literary heritage.
At a time when rapid modernisation threatens many indigenous traditions, her life carries an enduring message. The cultural wealth of a nation cannot be measured solely by its monuments, manuscripts or universities. It also resides in the living memories of ordinary people whose songs preserve centuries of wisdom, compassion and faith. By giving voice to the spiritual imagination of Kandhamal’s tribal communities, Purnamasi Jani has enriched not only Odisha but the entire nation.
Future generations will remember Padma Shri Dr. Purnamasi Jani as one of the foremost living exponents of India’s mystical and devotional tradition. Her spontaneous bhajans continue to illuminate the timeless truth that the highest poetry springs from the awakened heart. In celebrating her life, India celebrates the enduring vitality of its oral traditions, the resilience of its tribal cultures and the universal power of devotion to unite humanity beyond all social and cultural boundaries.
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