NEW DELHI: Renowned thumri singer Girija Devi died on Tuesday in Kolkata at the age of 88. Known as the “thumri queen”, Devi together with Rasoolan Bai, Begum Akhtar and Siddheshwari Devi, popularised the genre of semi-classical Indian music.
Reports quoted doctors at Kolkata’s BM Birla Nursing Home as saying 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 India’s Padma Vibhushan in 2016. The singer had also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2017