India mourns Girija Devi: ‘Her voice will live forever’

Bollywood celebs and politicians took to Twitter to pay homage to Girija Devi as the country mourned the loss of the eminent singer.

Thumri exponent Girija Devi died on Tuesday following a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Kolkata. She was 88 and is survived by her daughter. Bollywood celebs, chief ministers, political leaders and several others took to Twitter as the country mourned the loss of the eminent singer.

Girija Devi died on Tuesday from a cardiac arrest. (HT Photo)

“She was brought in a critical condition on Tuesday afternoon. She passed away around 9 p.m.,” a BM Birla Heart Research Centre spokesperson told IANS. Besides Padma Shri (1972) and Padma Bhushan (1989), the veteran was honoured with the Tansen Samman by the Madhya Pradesh government, as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977).

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar mourned the demise of iconic vocalist, recalling her “good relationship” with the legend. “Mahan shastriya aur thumri gayika Girija Devi ji hamare bich nahi rahi ye sunke mujhe bahut dukh hua. Hamare unke bahut acche sambandh the. (I am deeply saddened at her demise. I had a very good relationship with her),” Mangeshkar tweeted.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar, too, took to Twitter to express his grief. “Girija Devi was not only a great classical singer but a national treasurer . We are poorer with out her,” he wrote.

Musician Shankar Mahadevan tweeted, “An era has come to an end .. our dearest Girija devi ji has moved on to the next dimension ... her voice will live on this planet forever !”

“Colossal loss for Indian music. Girija Devi ji, Appaji to her family and followers, passes away. Irreparable loss,” singer Shubha Mudgal wrote.

Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher and Masaan director Neeraj Ghaywan, among others, also tweeted about the singer’s demise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Menaka Gandhi also tweeted about the singer’s death.

A legendary singer of the “Benaras gharana” had received Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016. Born in a zamindar family at a village near Banaras on May 8, 1929, music was a part of Girija Devi’s life from a very early age

(With IANS inputs)

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