The sun hangs low over a lush green field in Karimpur, a village in Nadia, painting the sky in a yellow hue that resembles a dreamscape. Amidst the quiet symphony of endless farms swaying with leafy greens, a man moves with grace — sometimes chopping crops, or ploughing, or watering the grounds while reciting a few verses of Sunil Ganguly and Tagore.
If you’ve spent even a little time scrolling through Facebook, you’ve probably come across him: a middle-aged farmer, speaking softly, reciting verses with an innocent smile on his lip and a gamcha tied around his head. There’s nothing flashy or glamorous about him — just something true, rustic, and pure.
‘Onek din thekeyi amar ekta pahar kenar shokh, kintu pahar ke bikri kore ami ta janina,’ Ajibar Mandal of Karimpur recites Sunil Gangopadhyay’s lines with a quiet ferocity, as if he might claim a hilltop of his own someday.
The 45-year-old Ajibar, with hands calloused from years of tilling the soil and a smile that never fades away, is now an internet sensation, and that too, for a reason that always binds the people of Bengal of every era together: Poetry.
What began as a simple Facebook video of Ajibar reciting a poem soon crowned him the ‘Kabitawala’ tag of social media.
Whether it’s his recital or his choice of poems, Ajibar’s videos are inspiring new content ideas across social media. From pairing his voiceovers with travel or mental health reels to gifting him hand-painted portraits, the love his followers show feels “surreal” to Ajibar.
“I don’t quite remember when I first caught the poetry bug. I think it was around 2020, when a few friends organised Milan Utsav — a programme dedicated to celebrating kinship and communal harmony. I was asked to host the event, and somehow that responsibility kept falling on me every year. Everyone appreciated my anchoring and recitations, so I guess that’s where it all began for me — the confidence to recite,” Ajibar told My Kolkata.
Currently, Ajibar Mandal has over 3,00,000 followers on his Facebook account and 32,000 followers on Instagram, where he regularly posts content derived from his daily life surrounded by the earth and poetry.
Rasta Karur Ekar Noy, a poem by Birendra Chattopadhayay, gave Ajibar his first digital break. But it all started by coincidence.
Ajibar said, “One afternoon, I was working at a banana farm. During a short break, I took out my phone and recorded myself reciting a few lines. It was just something anyone might do these days. Honestly, it didn’t seem extraordinary to me — but within a few days, I found out the video had gone viral!”
Be it Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Paharchura, Birendra Chattopadhyay’s Sagnik, Salil Chowdhury’s Ekguchho Chabi, or Jibanananda Das’s Banalata Sen, Ajibar’s heartfelt recitations carry the earthy scent of soil, gently lifting listeners out of the ordinary world.
But poetry isn’t his only forte. It’s also his words of kindness, his appreciation for nature, and his motivational speeches that keep his followers coming back for more.
Ajibar, who recently completed his high school examination, has often regretted not finishing his studies at a younger age. “I don’t blame it entirely on my economic situation. I was a bit carefree back then and didn’t approach academics with enough diligence,” he said.
Yet, he hasn’t any regrets now.
“Read anything and everything. It doesn’t have to be poetry alone. Don’t let your life go to waste without knowing the joy of reading. I may not have graduated, but it’s enough for me that poetry keeps me going, no matter what,” Ajibar said.