A Mudi is a conventional finger ring used by the Gadaba people, an aboriginal community in the hilly regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. This one comprises six rings of white metal-articulating toughness and a soft sheen. All rings are of a common size and exhibit that extreme minimalism: they are without engravings or motifs or without embellishments very much in contrast to more decorative present-day jewellery. Some tribal ornaments are marked by that simplicity. The very meaning lies nowhere in the ornamental but in the aspect and symbolisms attached to them.
Rings of this nature are generally worn by Gadaba while performing mundane chores or during functions involving dancing, community gathering, and marriages. According to the Gadaba, Mudi can be one of the gifts during special events in a person's life, and it can also be exchanged or shared to show kinship, commitment, or spiritual protection. These may be simple forms but are part of the visual language of Gadaba to express belongingness and continuity with ancestral traditions. The Gadabas, who are known for their exuberance in beads, metals, and symbolic ornamentation, primarily layer those items as necklaces (Mali), anklets (Susumna-Tin-Tin-Nu), and waist chains (Sinkuli), along with simpler ones like Mudi. These rings make an understatedly powerful statement, resonating with tradition and tribal dignity.