Popular folk singer Sharda Sinha, who was undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi, died on Tuesday night (November 5, 2024). She was 72.<\/p>\n
\u201cSharda Sinha expired at 9.20 p.m. due to refractory shock as a result of septicemia,\u201d an AIIMS official said.<\/p>\n
Ms. Sinha was known among her fans for folk songs such as \u201cKartik Maas Ijoriya\u201d and \u201cKoyal Bin\u201d as well as Bollywood numbers \u201cTaar Bijli\u201d from \u201cGangs of Wasseypur- II\u201d and \u201cBabul\u201d from \u201cHum Aapke Hain Koun\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms. Sinha, a Padma Bhushan recipient synonymous with folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Maghahi languages, was on ventilator support following a health complication due to multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.<\/p>\n
The singer was admitted to the intensive care unit of Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH), the cancer institute of AIIMS, in October 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cNoted folk singer, Smt. Sharda Sinha is admitted in AIIMS, New Delhi for treatment. Hon\u2019ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji is continuously monitoring her condition and is in direct contact with the treating doctors. He has conveyed his prayers for her good health and speedy recovery through the treating team,\u201d AIIMS in a post on X said earlier.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Union Minister Giriraj Singh visited the ailing artist at AIIMS.<\/p>\n
On Monday evening (November 4, 2024), Food Processing Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Hajipur, Chirag Paswan also visited the hospital.<\/p>\n
Known as Bihar Kokila, Supaul-born Ms. Sinha was famous in her native State and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh courtesy her folk songs sung on occasions like Chhath Puja and weddings.<\/p>\n
Some of her popular tracks are \u201cChhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duaariya\u201d, \u201cKartik Maas Ijoriya\u201d, \u201cDwar Chekai\u201d, \u201cPatna Se\u201d, and \u201cKoyal Bin\u201d.<\/p>\n
The singer had been battling multiple myeloma since 2017. <\/p>\n
Irreparable loss to the music world: PM Modi<\/h4>\n
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief at the death of Ms. Sinha, and said her demise is an irreparable loss to the music world.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, he noted that her folk songs in Maithili and Bhojpuri were extremely popular.<\/p>\n
Her songs on Chhath, a grand festival of faith, will echo forever, he added, conveying his condolences to her family members and admirers.<\/p>\n
Voice of Chhath, Begum Akhtar of Mithila<\/h4>\n
Her songs echoed with the sounds of generations of folk singers who came before her, her voice earthy and imbued with the memory of home. Ms. Sinha, also called \u2018Begum Akhtar of Mithila\u2019, was the melody behind Chhath Puja and many a celebration in the region \u2013 and outside it too.<\/p>\n
The singer\u2019s voice became synonymous with the folk songs woven in the rich tapestry of everyday culture of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. <\/p>\n
She died just four days after her 72nd birthday on November 1, 2024. That Tuesday (November 5, 2024) is the first day of Chhath celebrations, a festival she was always associated with, is just one of the strange twists of life and fate. For millions, at home or thousands of miles away anywhere, hers was the voice that tugged at the heart and called out Chhath, a festival dedicated to the sun god and the biggest in the region\u2019s cultural calendar. She always released a song during the festival and did so this year too notwithstanding her ill health.<\/p>\n
A trained classical singer who effortlessly melded the folk in her many songs, Ms. Sinha was hailed as the voice of her people and often called \u2018Bihar Kokila\u2019. The Padma Bhushan recipient, whose career spanned more than five decades, lent her voice to songs in Maithili, Bhojpuri and Magahi languages. Some of her popular tracks are \u201cChhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duaariya\u201d, \u201cKartik Maas Ijoriya\u201d, \u201cHo Deenanth\u201d, \u201cBarh Re Jatan Se\u201d, \u201cDwar Chekai\u201d, \u201cPatna Se\u201d, and \u201cKoyal Bin\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms. Sinha, mourned by many who grew up listening to her songs, will also be remembered for her Bollywood songs, including \u201cTaar Bijli\u201d from \u201cGangs of Wasseypur- II\u201d, \u201cBabul\u201d from \u201cHum Aapke Hain Koun\u201d and \u201cKahe Toh Se Sajna\u201d from \u201cMaine Pyar Kiya\u201d.<\/p>\n
She is credited for providing dignity to the classical expression of folk music or \u201clok geet\u201d, overlooked and sometimes lost in the noise of what\u2019s defined as mainstream, as well as promoting its popularity among the masses as well as the classes. \u201cWasseypur\u201d composer Sneha Khanwalkar described Sinha\u2019s voice as \u201cpure wine\u201d and recalled how they first met.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnurag (Kashyap) suggested, \u2018Do you want to try Sharda ji?\u2019 So I went to her house and I sang a few lines to her. She brought out her harmonium and sang those lines so I thought this is the best\u2026,\u201d Ms. Khanwalkar recalled in a video about the making of the film\u2019s music.<\/p>\n
It has been an incredibly difficult time for her family, and her children Vandana and Anshuman, who kept fans updated about her health through social media.<\/p>\n
Just weeks ago, they lost their father Braj Kishore Sinha to brain haemorrhage after a fall. It was a hard blow for the already ailing Ms. Sinha.<\/p>\n
Born on November 1, 1952 in Bihar\u2019s Supaul district, Ms. Sinha was initiated into classical music by Pandit Raghu Jha, an eminent khayal singer of Panchgachiya Gharana. She then trained under Pandit Sitaram Hari Dandekar, a khayal virtuoso and later from Panna Devi, a contemporary of \u2018Malika-e-Ghazal\u2019 Begum Akhtar and an exponent of thumri and dadra.<\/p>\n
Lyricist Hriday Narayan Jha, Ms. Sinha\u2019s frequent collaborator, said the singer would leave no stone unturned when it came to her craft and would consult with elders of her family before recording the songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud to have written songs for Sharda Sinha. She did full justice to those songs, even made them better. That\u2019s the reason people connect so much with her voice. She received many big offers to sing songs for Hindi films but she never made any compromises with her folk singing style,\u201d Mr. Jha added.<\/p>\n
Ms. Sinha was a Nritya Visharad (Manipuri) and also held a master\u2019s degree in Indian classical music-vocal and a Ph.D. She has also been the recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 2000, the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan in 2018. Ms. Sinha became a rage when she came out with her debut Maithili number \u201cDularua Bhaiya\u201d back in 1971.<\/p>\n
A tribute to poet Vidyapati, known as Maithil Kokil, in 1983 earned her recognition in countries such as Russia, China, the UK and the US. Sinha made sure to keep up with the changing times. She would often share videos of her songs, tribute to music legends like Lata Mangeshkar and festive greetings on her official YouTube channel, which has close to 75,000 subscribers.<\/p>\n
Her bio on Instagram, which has 269,000 followers, reads: \u201cI sing the folk tradition in folk tunes. I hum the emotion of my mind in songs, completely dedicated to folk voices, I am called Sharda.\u201d As a cultural ambassador of the Government of India, Sinha performed in many countries, including Mauritius, Germany, Belgium and Holland. The singer, who joined All India Radio in the 1980s, was a \u201ctop grade\u201d artiste of the state-owned public radio broadcaster.<\/p>\n
She also performed at All India Radio concerts and cultural festivals across India. Sinha also served the Department of Music, Women\u2019s College, Samastipur (L.N.M.U. Darbhanga) Bihar for more than four decades.<\/p>\n
Over the years, she received various honours besides the Padma awards. These include the Rashtriya Devi Ahiliya Samman, Bihar Kala Puraskar, Bihar Ratna, Bhojpuri Ratna, Mithila Vibhuti Samman.<\/p>\n
Her son Anshuman manages the Sharda Sinha Art & Culture Foundation in his mother\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
According to her official YouTube page, the foundation aims towards \u201cshowcasing and preserving various aspects of culture of Bihar primarily and culture of north India in general. She turned 72 on Deepavali day and breathed her last on day one of Chhath\u2026 the voice and the artiste forever intertwined with both days for her legions of fans.<\/p>\n
In death as in life, Ms. Sinha will play on.<\/p>\n