Sharda Sinha, known as the ‘Begum Akhtar of Mithila’, was the musical force behind Chhath Puja and various celebrations regionally as well as beyond. Her music resonated with the echoes of past folk singers, her voice filled with the essence of home and grounded in tradition.
Sharda passed away Tuesday night after a prolonged struggle with multiple myeloma. Just four days ago, on November 1, she had celebrated her 72nd birthday. Wednesday marks the beginning of the Chhath festivities, a celebration she has always been connected to.
Even though she was unwell, Sharda still managed to release a song for the festival this year, as she used to do every year.
Sinha, a skilled classical singer, seamlessly blended folk elements in her extensive song repertoire, earning her the title of ‘Bihar Kokila’ as the revered voice of her community. The legend, who received the Padma Bhushan award, sang in Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Magahi languages during her career of over fifty years.
Let’s take a look at some of her finest tracks:
Kartik Maas Ijoriya
Sharda’s performance of the song is featured on the 2005 album Aragh. The music was created by Shailesh Thakkar and the words were written by Jyotindra Mishra.
Also read: Folk Icon and Padma Bhushan Sharda Sinha passes away
Ho Deenanath
The song is from the album Chhathi Maiya released in 1986. Apart from singing the song, Sharda was also its music director as well as lyricist.
Babul (HAHK)
This song sung by Sharda is from the movie Hum Aapke Hain Koun, which was released in 1994 and directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan, Mohnish Bahl, Renuka Shahane, Alok Nath, Reema Lagoo, and Anupam Kher are featured in the movie. In the movie, it was filmed with Mohnish and Renuka during their characters’ wedding. Sharda sang the song with musical arrangement by Raamlaxman and words by Ravinder Rawal.
This is also one of her most memorable Bollywood songs.
