Bhubaneswar: Odisha's famous poet Padma Shri Haldhar Nag has featured in Virtual Bharat – a collection of short stories that will explore Indian history, culture, folklore, art, music, literature, and human stories.

The works and life of the Koshali poet has been narrated by famous litterateur and film director Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar.

The narration begins with “I am writing a letter to you Haldhar. Son of the soil of Sambalpur, this Adivasi poet. His language is Kosli.”

Advertising filmmaker and documentary director Bharatbala aims to produce 1000 short films under the banner Virtual Bharat to chronicle the untold stories.

As part of the series, Gulzar narrated a brief summary about Nag in the 7.58-minute-long story.

He has also sent Rs 50,000 to the Kosali poet’s bank account as a token of appreciation.

In his reaction, Nag said, “It’s a great honour for me as a famous poet and noted personality like Gulzar recited my poem and praised my work.”

Nag, popularly known as ‘Lok Kabi Ratna’, was born to a poor family in Ghens village in Bargarh district in 1950. He has been compared to Gangadhar Meher for his Sambalpuri writing.

The BBC has already made a documentary film about his life and works.

Nag was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India in 2016. The Sambalpur University awarded him a Doctorate Degree this year.