‘Queen of Thumri’ Girija Devi passes away

LUCKNOW: “Ras ke bhare tore nain.....”, the voice dipped in dripping elixir of music silenced forever in Kolkata on Tuesday. Girija Devi, 88, left behind the world craving for one of the most melodious notes of Indian classical music. After her departure, an era of Thumri has come to an end.

An expert and one of the finest Thumri singers of her times, Girija Devi of Banaras Gharana had the rare ability to blend innovation with tradition in her singing replete with emotions. After Beghum Akhtar, Devi is credited with taking Thumri to the next level of popularity. After Thumri, she switched over to Khayal and Tappa as well with equal ease and redefined these classical forms of singing by her soulful voice.

“She has left behind a huge vacuum in Indian classical music. It is an irreparable loss to the Thumri  singing in India,” says  Shoma Ghosh, famous classical singer and adopted daughter of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bislmillah Khan, the shehnai maestro also of Banaras Gharana. Body of Girija Devi will be brought to the holy city of Banaras by air on Thursday afternoon and will be cremated with full state honour at Manikarnika Ghat later in the evening.

According to Varanasi DM Yogeshwar Ram Mishra: “The officials will receive the body at
LBS International Airport at around 12.30 pm on Thursday. “As per the decision of her family, the body will be taken to her Sanjay Gandhi Nagar residence in Cotton Mill area where   it will be kept in the public park she had named as Devi Vatika last year for the people to offer tributes. It will be later taken to Manikarnika Ghat where the cremation will be held with full state honours.” Fondly called ‘Appa Ji’, Girija Devi was considered the queen of Thumri. She was recipient of the three highest civilian awards in the country. Girija Devi received Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.