She has attracted attention of many of late for her energetic singing of classical Odia bhajan despite being at the twilight of her age. Her classical singing vedio has become viral and she won accolades from all quarters on social media.
Meet nonagenarian Koili Moharana, the widow of Batakrushna Moharana, a resident of Atharabatia village under Pattamundai block . Due to old age, she cannot see and hear properly.
But she keeps a sweet voice and is still going strong with her singing.Her singing of all the traditional Odishi genres of Chaupadi, Chhanda, Champu, Chautisa, Gita Gobinda, Bhajana, Janana, Pallabi is no less than a professional singer's. She can glue the audience with her lively performance of singing the traditional Odia genres by playing on harmonium.According to Koili, she has had a weakness on singing since her childhood. When she was a girl, she learnt singing from a blind person, Guru Ram Sutar of her village in Balipala under Mahakalapada.
Later, she used to sing in her locality during village functions. She fell in love with Batakrushna, who was a good singer and by profession a carpenter. Later, they married.“My husband was an admirer of Bhajan Samrat late Bhikari Bal.
Even my husband had made a harmonium and provided to Bala," said Koili. According to Amruta Ranjan Das, a local Tabla artist.