A life given to Odagaon

Some men are given a place in the world. Dibakar Naik built his own — brick by brick, from nothing but grit and a stubborn refusal to stay small.

From his earliest days he carried a family and himself on his own shoulders, financing his studies through hustle and sheer will. He rose through every struggle and returned to the very college that had once taught him — Raghunath Mahavidyalaya — this time as an administrator. But his journey never stopped at a desk.

Slowly, he became Odagaon's youth icon. He stood behind the needy like a rock, guiding countless children through fitness, sports, quizzes, and every kind of activity that builds character. A fighter who believed in the competitive spirit, he organised athletics meets and cricket tournaments — and the young simply followed his lead. People still say: if you have a problem in the dead of night, count on Dibakar Bhaina — he'll come running. And it was true.

Over time, people also began seeking Dibakar Bhai's counsel in public life. He encouraged emerging representatives in whom he saw a spirit of service, urging them to value responsibility, good governance, and community welfare. Yet he remained rooted in Odagaon and close to its people. Friends and residents remember him as someone who speaks plainly, helps families in need, and stands for fairness and dignity in civic life.

Then came the day many residents and local well-wishers encouraged him to leave his college post and enter the election. He answered that call and was elected Sarpanch. People who remember his term associate it with visible civic works, including facilities for vegetable vendors, sports and student infrastructure, a green park, landscaped road dividers, and improvements along the avenue leading to Sri Raghunath Temple.

And still, in his sixties, he thrives. The same passion. The same enthusiasm. The same honesty. The same childlike energy for sport and life.

Music has always occupied a quiet, private room within Dibakar Bhai. If poetry gave his emotions words, the ghazal gave them breath, cadence, and companionship. And among all the voices that have travelled with him through the years, Pankaj Udhas remains closest to his heart. For him, Udhas is far more than a favourite singer. His ghazals are old friends — present in solitude, beside unspoken pain, and in those reflective hours when the heart wishes to speak without explaining itself.

Perhaps this is why Dibakar Bhai's own poems often carry the philosophy of the ghazal. Sorrow is not made into spectacle; it is held with dignity. Love does not end with distance; it deepens through absence. Silence is not emptiness; it completes what words cannot say. In the ghazal he found an art that allows a strong man to remain tender, and in Pankaj Udhas he found a voice that could sit beside every emotion without disturbing it. That companionship continues to adorn his poetry — like a lingering note after the music has stopped.