Sharda Sinha: Voice of Chhath falls silent, the songs live on

New Delhi: 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. Sharda Sinha, also called ‘Begum Akhtar of Mithila’, was the melody behind Chhath Puja and many a celebration in the region – and outside it too.

The singer, whose voice became synonymous with the folk songs woven in the rich tapestry of everyday culture of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, died on Tuesday night following a long battle with multiple myeloma. It was just four days after her 72nd birthday on November 1.

That today 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’s cultural calendar. She always released a song during the festival and did so this year too notwithstanding her ill health.

A trained classical singer who effortlessly melded the folk in her many songs, Sinha was hailed as the voice of her people and often called ‘Bihar Kokila’. 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 "Chhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duaariya", "Kartik Maas Ijoriya", "Ho Deenanth", "Barh Re Jatan Se", "Dwar Chekai", "Patna Se", and "Koyal Bin".

Sinha, mourned by many who grew up listening to her songs, will also be remembered for her Bollywood songs, including "Taar Bijli" from "Gangs of Wasseypur- II", "Babul" from "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" and "Kahe Toh Se Sajna" from "Maine Pyar Kiya".

She is credited for providing dignity to the classical expression of folk music or "lok geet", overlooked and sometimes lost in the noise of what's defined as mainstream, as well as promoting its popularity among the masses as well as the classes. "Wasseypur" 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 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…,” Khanwalkar recalled in a video about the making of the film's music.

Sinha, who had been suffering from multiple myeloma since 2017, had been on oxygen support in the intensive care unit of the Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH), the cancer institute of AIIMS, since October 27.

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.

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 Sinha.

Born on November 1, 1952 in Bihar's Supaul district, 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 'Malika-e-Ghazal' Begum Akhtar and an exponent of thumri and dadra.

Lyricist Hriday Narayan Jha, Sinha's 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.

"I am proud to have written songs for Sharda Sinha. She did full justice to those songs, even made them better. That's 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," Jha added.

Sinha was a Nritya Visharad (Manipuri) and also held a master's 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. Sinha became a rage when she came out with her debut Maithili number "Dularua Bhaiya" back in 1971.

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.

Her bio on Instagram, which has 269,000 followers, reads: "I 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." 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 "top grade" artiste of the state-owned public radio broadcaster.

She also performed at All India Radio concerts and cultural festivals across India. Sinha also served the Department of Music, Women's College, Samastipur (L.N.M.U. Darbhanga) Bihar for more than four decades.

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.

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

According to her official YouTube page, the foundation aims towards "showcasing and preserving various aspects of culture of Bihar primarily and culture of north India in general. She turned 72 on Diwali day and breathed her last on day one of Chhath… the voice and the artiste forever intertwined with both days for her legions of fans.

In death as in life, Sinha will play on.