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Journalism of Courage
Written by Ashutosh Kumar Pandey
The last rites of folk singer Sharda Sinha were conducted with full state honours in Patna on Thursday (November 7). While hundreds of fans gathered outside the Gulbi Ghat crematorium in Patna, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ashwani Choubey was also present.
Sharda Sinha, Bihar kokila or the songbird of Bihar, passed away on November 5. In the rich tributes being paid to her, her Chhath songs are getting frequent mention. Over the years, Sinha’s melodious voice has become an inseparable part of Chhath celebrations, and her songs are enough to make any migrant Bihari homesick. Even while battling death in the hospital, she had released a Chhath song this year — “Dukhwa Mitai Chhathi Maiya, Raue Asara Hamar” (Mother Chhathi, remove our sorrows, you are our hope), written by folk poet Hriday Narayan Jha.
However, Sharda Sinha didn’t just sing Chhath songs. Probably lesser known, but equally important, are her contributions in popularising the works of Bihari literature among the masses, by singing the songs of stalwart writers and poets. Those who couldn’t read were made familiar with the works of Bihari greats through her popular songs.
Sinha gave folk literature a strong identity. Mahendar Misir (March 16, 1865 – October 16, 1946) is known as ‘Purabiya badshaah’ for his songs in the purbi dialect. Sinha, through her voice, immortalised many of his songs, such as Humni ke rahab jani, dunu ho praani. In the song, a wife is asking her husband, who is possibly going away for work, who will look after her in his absence. This theme of separation due to migration is still relevant in Bihar today, and Sinha’s voice captures the pathos and resilience beautifully.
She gave voice to the works of poets like Bhikhari Thakur (known as the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri), Mahadev Halwai, Ram Sakal Singh, Naresh Sinha, and Vikal Samastipuri.
She also popularised the 14th-century Maithili poet Vidyapati’s literature through her singing. In one of the songs, a woman tells a crow cawing in her courtyard that if her husband returns, she will coat his beak with gold, once again reflecting the themes of migration and separation.
Sinha was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Bhushan in 2018 for her distinctive work in bringing folk poets’ creations out of obscurity.
For poets and writers who were her contemporaries, she would sit with them and improve their works.
Songs of life
Sinha sang songs for every ritual related to marriage ceremonies: Haldi, Tilak, the wedding, Lawa Merai to the bride’s farewell and Duar Chhekai. She captured in her songs the joys and sorrows of a woman’s life after reaching her in-laws’ home. She has articulated both the tribulations and triumphs of women’s lives.
In an old album ‘Piritiya’, she sang a remarkable socialist Bhojpuri song, in which a woman labourer tells the zamindar she will no longer work for him, as he sends his own son to school while making hers graze his buffaloes.
Besides singing in Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, and Vajjika, Sharda Sinha also sang for Hindi films. She sang in Rajshri Productions’ Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, working with music director Ram-Laxman. She also sang ‘taar bijli se patle hamare piya’ in Anurag Kashyap’s acclaimed film Gangs of Wasseypur.
Sharda Sinha was born on October 1, 1952. Until her death, she remained dedicated to folk songs and music. Her songs represent the folk essence of Bihari identity.
Ashutosh Kumar Pandey is a freelance journalist based in Arrah, Bihar
