New Delhi: Folk singer and Padma Bhushan awardee Sharda Sinha, 72, who was battling a rare blood cancer, died Tuesday evening at AIIMS Delhi, a statement from the hospital said. “Ms Sharda Sinha expired at 9.20 pm due to refractory shock as a result of septicemia,” AIIMS said.
Earlier, in the day, support from fans and well-wishers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, poured in after her son, Anshuman, asked people to pray for her recovery.
Sinha, who is known as Bihar Kokila (cuckoo of Bihar) and whose Chhath Puja songs are played as a ritual, was fighting multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
Sinha was diagnosed in 2018, but her condition deteriorated rapidly, according to her son who updated her followers in a live post on the singer’s Facebook page last night.
According to an official statement from AIIMS early Tuesday, the singer was “hemodynamically stable but under constant monitoring.”
‘Bihar Kokila’
Sharda Sinha was an acclaimed folk and classical singer, celebrated for her contribution to Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magahi music. Her stature is equal to that of Lata Mangeshkar in Bihar, and she had an active singing career since the 1970s.
She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1991 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018 for her contributions to Indian music and culture.
Sinha lent her voice to various popular songs in Bollywood films as well. She sang ‘Kahe Tose Sajna’ in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), ‘Babul Jo Tumne Sikhaya’ in Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994), and ‘Taar Bijli Se Patle Hamaare Piya’ in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). Recently, she also sang the song ‘Nirmohiya’ for the popular web series Maharani (2022-present), starring Huma Qureshi and Sohum Shah. The web series is set in Bihar and shows Rani Bharti, played by Qureshi, as the state’s chief minister.
Sinha’s first album was a selection of Maithili songs by Vidyapati called ‘Ganga Stuti’. But she is most remembered for Chhath songs like Ho Deenanath, Pahile Pahil Chhathi Maiya, Bahangi Lachakat Jaaye Roje Roje Ugelaa, and Suna Chhathi Maai.
“I have tried my level best to save the rich culture pulsating in our tradition through these songs, sung on every significant occasion or ‘sanskar’, from birth to death, on festivals or the changing seasons. I grew up listening to these songs that caught me unaware and quite naturally became my passion,” Sinha said in an interview with The Hindu.
Sharda Sinha earned a Ph.D. in Music from Lalit Narayan Mithila University. She had performed at an event when then-Mauritius PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam visited Bihar in 2008.
The folk singer took a break from 2006 to 2016 from producing albums. In 2016, she released two new songs on Chhath, ‘Supawo Na Mile Maai,’ and ‘Pahile Pahil Chhathi Maiya’. The latter is one of her most popular Chhath songs, and became viral upon its release.
“High-handedness of music companies and lack of good lyrics had kept me away all this while,” Sharda told The Telegraph. “As these issues got addressed this year, I rendered my voice to the songs,” she added.
Sinha’s health deteriorated after the death of her husband, Braj Kishore Sinha, two weeks ago.