PM Modi, Lata Mangeshkar, Javed Akhtar offer condolonces after classical singer Girija Devi dies at 88

Girija Devi is known for bringing thumri and khayal from kothas to stage. She was awarded Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan as well as Padma Vibhushan

Legendary classical singer Girija Devi died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday in Kolkata. Born in Varanasi in 1929, Girija Devi passed away at the age of 88 and it came as a shock to many. Although she was popular as a Benaras and Seniya Gharana singer, Girija Devi was known for not sticking to a particular style. She learnt singing from her father at a young age and later trained under Ustad Sarju Prasad Misra and Chand Mishra and the rest is history.

Girija Devi is known for bringing thumri and khayal from kothas to stage. She was awarded Padma Shri (1972), Padma Bhushan (1989) and Padma Vibhushan (2016).

Mourning the loss of such a legendary classical singing doyen, PM Modi, Lata Mangeshkar, Javed Akhtar and others took to Twitter to offer their deep condolences at such a huge loss and expressed grief.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar was trolled for a minor typo that occurred in his tweet –he misspelled singer as sinner– and was unfortunately, trolled for it. He later apologised and corrected his tweet.

 

Sarod player, Pandit Debajyoti Bose said “Seniormost artist of Benaras Gharanas Bidushi Girija Devi is no more. All the artists of Indian classical music will miss her,” as per the PTI report. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described Girija Devi’s death as “huge loss to the music world”. Ustad Rashid Khan, a renowned classical musician of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana recalled, “I knew her since my childhood days and she was a mother figure to me,” according to the report.

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