Popular folk singer Sharda Sinha, who was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi, passed away on Tuesday night (November 5, 2024). She was 72 years old.

“Sharda Sinha died at 9.20 pm due to refractory shock resulting from septicemia,” an AIIMS official said.

Ms. Sinha is best known among her fans for her folk songs like “Karthik Maas Ijoriya” and “Koyal Bin” as well as the Bollywood numbers “Taar Bijli” from “Gangs of Wasseypur-II” and “Babul” from “Hum Aapke Hain Koun”. Was known. ,

Padma Bhushan recipient Ms Sinha, synonymous with folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi languages, was on ventilator support following a health complication due to multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.

The singer was admitted to the intensive care unit of Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH), the cancer institute of AIIMS, in October 2024.

“Eminent folk singer, Smt. Sharda Sinha is admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi for treatment. Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji is constantly monitoring his condition and is in direct contact with the doctors treating him. He has expressed his prayers for his good health and speedy recovery through the treating team,” AIIMS had earlier said in a post on Twitter.

Later in the day, Union Minister Giriraj Singh met the ailing artiste at AIIMS.

On Monday evening (November 4, 2024), Food Processing Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Hajipur Chirag Paswan also visited the hospital.

Popularly known as Bihar Kokila, Supaul-born Ms Sinha was famous in her native state and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh for her folk songs sung on occasions like Chhath Puja and weddings.

Some of his popular tracks are “Chhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duariya”, “Karthik Maas Ijoriya”, “Dwar Chekai”, “Patna Se”, and “Koyal Bin”.

The singer was battling multiple myeloma since 2017.

Irreparable loss to the music industry: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the demise of Ms. Sinha and said that her demise is an irreparable loss to the music world.

In a post on X, he said that his folk songs in Maithili and Bhojpuri were extremely popular.

Expressing condolences to his family members and fans, he said that his songs will always resonate on the great festival of faith, Chhath.

Voice of Chhath, Begum Akhtar of Mithila

His songs echoed the voices of folk singers of the generations that came before him, his voice was earthy and filled with memories of home. Ms Sinha, also known as ‘Begum Akhtar of Mithila’, was the driving force behind Chhath Puja and many festivals in the region – and beyond.

The singer’s voice became synonymous with folk songs woven into the rich tapestry of everyday culture of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

He died on November 1, 2024, just four days after his 72nd birthday. That Tuesday (November 5, 2024) is the first day of Chhath festival, the festival with which she was always associated, is one of the strange twists of life and fate. , For millions of people, whether at home or thousands of miles away, his voice touched the heart and celebrated Chhath, dedicated to the Sun God and the biggest festival in the cultural calendar of the region. She always releases a song during the festival and this year too she did so despite her poor health.

A trained classical singer who effortlessly weaved folk into many of her songs, Ms Sinha was known as the voice of her people and was often referred to as the ‘Nightingale of Bihar’. The Padma Bhushan recipient, whose career spanned more than five decades, lent her voice to songs in Maithili, Bhojpuri and Magahi languages. Some of his popular tracks are “Chhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duariya”, “Karthik Maas Ijoriya”, “Ho Dinanth”, “Barah Re Jatan Se”, “Dwar Chekai”, “Patna Se”, and “Koyal Bin”.

Ms Sinha, whose songs many grew up listening to, mourns, will also be remembered for her Bollywood songs, including “Taar Bijli” from “Gangs of Wasseypur-II”, “Babul” from “Hum Aapke Hain Koun” and ” “Maine Pyaar Kiya” from “Kahe Toh Se Sajna”.

He is credited with giving dignity to the classical expression of folk music or “folk song”, which is ignored and sometimes lost in the noise of the mainstream, as well as its influence among the masses as well as among the classes. Popularity is promoted. “Wassepur” composer Sneha Khanwalkar described Sinha’s voice as “pure wine” and recalled how they first met.

“Anurag (Kashyap) suggested, ‘Do you want to try Sharda ji?’ So I went to his house and sang a few lines for him. He took out his harmonium and sang those lines so I thought it was the best…,” Ms Khanwalkar recalled in a video about the making of the film’s music.

It has been an incredibly difficult time for his family and his children Vandana and Anshuman, who have been keeping fans updated about his health through social media.

A few weeks ago, he lost his father Braj Kishore Sinha due to brain hemorrhage after a fall. This was a devastating blow to Ms. Sinha, who was already ill.

Born on November 1, 1952 in Supaul district of Bihar, Ms. Sinha was initiated into classical music by Pandit Raghu Jha, the renowned Khayal singer of Panchgachia Gharana. He then took training from Pandit Sitaram Hari Dandekar, an expert in Khayal and later from Panna Devi, a contemporary of ‘Malika-e-Ghazal’ Begum Akhtar and an exponent of Thumri and Dadra.

Lyricist Hriday Narayan Jha, a frequent collaborator of Ms Sinha, said the singer would leave no stone unturned in her art and would seek advice from her family elders before recording songs.

“I am proud to have written the song for Sharda Sinha. He did full justice to those songs and even made them better. This is why people connect so much with his voice. He got many big offers to sing songs for Hindi films but he never compromised with his folk singing style,” Mr Jha said.

Ms. Sinha was a dance master (Manipuri) and holds a Master’s degree in Indian classical music and singing and a Ph.D. Was also. She has also been the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000, the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan in 2018. Ms Sinha became popular when she came out with her first Maithili number “Dularua Bhaiya” in 1971.

After paying tribute to poet Vidyapati, popularly known as Maithil Kokil, in 1983, he got recognition in countries like Russia, China, Britain and America. Sinha made sure to keep up with the changing times. She often shares videos of her songs, tributes to music legends like Lata Mangeshkar and festive wishes on her official YouTube channel, which has close to 75,000 subscribers.

His bio on Instagram, which has 269,000 followers, reads: “I sing folk tunes in the folk tradition. I sing my feelings in songs, completely dedicated to folk voices, I am called Sharda.” As the Cultural Ambassador of the Government of India, Sinha performed in several countries including Mauritius, Germany, Belgium and Holland. The singer, who was associated with All India Radio in the 1980s, was a “top grade” artiste of the state-owned public radio broadcaster.

He also performed at All India Radio concerts and cultural festivals across India. Sinha also served in the Department of Music, Women’s College, Samastipur (LNMU Darbhanga) Bihar for more than four decades.

Over the years, he has received various honors apart from Padma awards. These include National Devi Ahilya Award, Bihar Art Award, Bihar Ratna, Bhojpuri Ratna, Mithila Vibhuti Award.

Her son Anshuman manages the Sharda Sinha Art and Culture Foundation in his mother’s name.

According to their official YouTube page, the foundation aims primarily to showcase and preserve various aspects of the culture of Bihar and North India in general. She turned 72 on Diwali and breathed her last on Chhath… the voice and the artist became forever linked to each other on both days for millions of their fans.

Like life, Ms. Sinha will act in death also.