Sharda Sinha, 72, whose voice embodied the spirit of Chhath Maiya (Chhath Goddess) songs that are sung by millions of women across India during the Chhath festival celebrations, passed away on November 5, 2024. The Bihar Kokila
(Bihar’s Nightingale) fell silent for eternity after a six-year battle with blood cancer. Sinha’s musical journey had started in
1973 and she played a pivotal role in popularising Bhojpuri songs worldwide.
Whenever people think of the Chhath festival, her name comes to mind, and
whenever her name is mentioned, the sweetness of her Chhath songs resounds in people’s memory. She was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 1991 and then the Padma Bhushan in 2018 for
taking Bihar’s folk music to great heights. In a sad irony, she passed away on the first day of the Chhath festival celebrations this year. She had been in the All-India
included it in the film. Through songs like “Pag-Pag Le Jaun Tohaari Balaiyan”
from Maine Pyar Kiya, Sinha lives on in all of us. Even though she has left this world,
the Chhath festival celebrations will never
feel complete without her songs. Attaining such heights of proficiency and acclaim was hardly easy. When the
young Sinha first auditioned for the Patna Akashvani radio service in 1973, she was
not selected. Rather than becoming discouraged, she decided to work even harder
to prove herself. Six months later, at the next audition, her performance earned her a
spot. It was the initial popularity gained through Patna Akashvani that propelled her to the peak in the world of folk music.
Today, though she is no longer with us, her melodious voice will live on among us
through her folk songs. Millions of people will continue to hum her Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and Braj language songs, keeping
her legacy alive.
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