AMN / KOLKATA
India’s top classical singer known as ‘Thumri Queen’, Padma Vibhushan Girija Devi passed away today in Kolkata. She was 88. She was known as the “thumri queen” for popularising the genre of semi-classical Indian music.
Doctors at Kolkata’s BM Birla Nursing Home said she suffered a cardiac arrest.
Devi made her public debut on All India Radio Allahabad in 1949. She was given all three Padma awards – she was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2016. The singer had also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
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Renowned Sarod master Amjad Ali Khan has condoled the passing away of Girija Devi. In a message he said: “Deeply saddened by the passing away of the legendary singing queen of Thumri Girija Devi of Varanasi. This truly marks the end of an era for Indian Classical Music. Girija Devi use to tie me a Rakhi (the bond of protection which celebrates the relationship between brothers, cousins and sisters). She had very gracefully performed many times at my father, Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan’s memorial Festivals. We had also performed together in Kolkata, Brussels and recorded an album called Confluence in 2005. Thumri demands a very delicate touch. Almost like reading in between the lines of aesthetics and poetry. Artistic liberty is highly welcomed and Girija Devi was the last of the greats who carried that era and legacy with her. I pray to almighty that her soul rests in peace and that her music lives on timelessly and eternally! #RIPGirijaDevi”