Bhawanipatna: Kumudakanta Naik, who was born in the Bahadur Bagichapada here in Kalahandi district, is a renowned and established artiste. Right from his childhood days, he was attracted to folk musical instruments of Kalahandi.
A talented dhol player, Naik earned name and fame not only across the district or state, but also at the national level. After learning the instrument from Pratibha Anusthan for years he participated in many cultural events and programmes in various places across the country.
In 2014, Naik represented the folk dance troupe from Odisha in the National Youth Festival organised by the department of Sports & Youth Affairs, Government of India, at Ludhiana. His fascinating dhol playing helped him to bag many prises and make Odisha proud. He has performed at many cultural programmes in Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, Guwahati, Shillong, Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.
Naik was also awarded with the Yuva Kalakaar Samman of Pratibha Anusthan on the occasion of Yuva Kalakaar Nritya Sangam in 2018.
PNN