Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of theSeniya and Banarasgharanas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile ofthumri. She was dubbed as the 'Queen of Thumri' for her contribution in the genre.[1][2] She died on 24 October 2017.
Girija Devi was born inVaranasi, on 8 May 1929, to Ramdeo Rai, a zamindar.[3] Her father played theharmonium and taught music, and had Girija Devi take lessons in singingkhyal andtappa from vocalist andsarangi player Sarju Prasad Misra starting at the age of five.[4] She starred in the movieYaad rahe aged nine and continued her studies under Chand Misra in a variety of styles.[4]
Girija Devi made her public debut in 1949 onAll India RadioAllahabad, after marrying a businessman circa 1946, but faced opposition from her mother and grandmother because it was traditionally believed that no upper-class woman should perform publicly.[3][4][5] Girija Devi agreed not to perform privately for others, but gave her first public concert in Bihar in 1951.[4] She studied with Sri Chand Misra until he died in the early 1960s, worked as a faculty member of theITC Sangeet Research Academy inKolkata in the 1980s and of theBanaras Hindu University during the early 1990s, and taught several students to preserve her musical heritage.[4] Girija Devi often toured and continued to perform in 2009.[4][6]
Mohd. Hamid Ansari presenting the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship 2010 to Girija Devi, at the investiture ceremony of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2010The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Vibhushan Award to Dr. Girija Devi, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 12, 2016
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