Haldhar Nag's 'Raag Chana' spices up Rath Yatra at Ghens in Bargarh

AS the chariots roll down the Grand Road in Puri and other parts of Odisha during Rath Yatra, the nondescript village of Ghens in Bargarh district eagerly looks forward to something more than the divine festival.

- MAYANK BHUSAN PANI @Bargarh

Here, spirituality is served with a side of spice. Alongside the festivities, villagers and visitors alike queue up for a taste of the iconic 'Raag Chana Ghugni' - spicy yellow pea curry - a humble delicacy prepared and sold by none other than Koshali poet and Padma Shri Haldhar Nag.

Clad in his signature white dhoti, Nag sets up a modest stall near his Kabi Kutira during the Rath Yatra. The scene is simple: An earthen stove, steel vessels, and the fragrance of ground masalas. But the emotion behind it is profound. As the aroma of his hand-cooked Raag Chana fills the lanes, devotees stop by not just for a meal, but for a memory.