India's Unsung Heroes

Nemi Baba, a 108-year-old folk musician from Rajasthan, for folk art:

Nemi Baba was also honored by Dr Kalam. He was given the Folk Art award for singing and playing traditional wind instrument ''algoza'' at the ripe age. At 108 years, he is the oldest active Rajasthani folk musician. He plays the algoza which is a wind instrument that resembles a pair of wooden flutes. With three fingers on both sides of the flute and by breathing rapidly into it, the instrument emits a bouncing, swinging rhythm.

The musician, who comes from the Jat monopoly of Bedham in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, gave up his family and all worldly possessions when he was 55. He renounced the life of a wrestler to devote his life to god, playing the algoza. Since then, he has been living in a little Radha Krishna temple, where he plays the algoza to his lord. He believes he sees the lord in each member of his audience.

Nemi baba told TOI "Just like Krishna played the flute among the gopis and his cows, I, too, wandered with my buffalos near the village pond when I was 14 or 15. It was there that I carved the algoza from the trunk of the andara plant (a hollow plant like the bamboo) and have been playing it since."