Dula Bhaya Kag

Dula Bhaya Kag (November 25, 1902 - February 22, 1977) was an Indian poet, songwriter, writer, and artist born in 1902 in Kagdham^[1] (Majadar), a village in the Saurashtra Region, near Mahuva in Gujarat, India. He was of the Charan caste and is mainly known for his work on spiritual poetry relating to Hinduism.

Early life

Kag received only a basic 5th grade education before abandoning his schooling to tend to his family's cattle and farm. Eventually, he became involved in a nationalist movement and evinced interest in prohibition activities after the formation of Saurashtra State, resulting in him donating his land to Vinoba Bhave’s Bhudan Movement.

Career

Kag is well known for publishing Kagvani, an eight-volume work consisting of devotional songs (episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata), as well as songs based on Gandhian philosophy and the Bhoodan movement. He also wrote eulogies for Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. As a result of his literary and political contributions to India, the country awarded him the Padma Shri award in 1962.^[2]

Death and Legacy

Kag died on February 22, 1977, at the age of 74.

Despite his limited educational advancement and achievement, his poems became a part of educational curriculum beginning in elementary school and continuing throughout master's courses.

On November 25, 2004, the Department of Posts released a commemorative stamp from Ahmedabad in denominations of INR 5.0 to mark the 102nd anniversary of his birth. Every year on the anniversary of his death, five awards are given in his memory at Kagdham by Morari Bapu.^[1]

References