| Naina Devi (singer) | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nilina Sen (1917-09-27)27 September 1917 |
| Died | 1 November 1993(1993-11-01) (aged 76) |
| Genres | Hindustani classical |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1950–1993 |
Naina Devi (27 September 1917 – 1 November 1993) also known asNaina Ripjit Singh, was Indian vocalist ofHindustani classical music, most known for herthumri renditions, though she also sangdadra andghazals. She was a music producer atAll India Radio and later withDoordarshan. She started her musical training under Girja Shankar Chakravarty in her teens, later restarted it with UstadMushtaq Hussain Khan ofRampur-Sahaswan gharana andRasoolan Bai ofBenaras gharana, in the 1950s. Born in an aristocratic family inKolkata, she was married into the royal family ofKapurthala State at age 16, and was started singing in concerts only after her husband died in 1949, and she moved to Delhi.
In 1974, she was awarded thePadma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour given byGovernment of India.[1]
BornNilina Sen, in an aristocratic Bengali family in Kolkata, where her grandfather wasKeshub Chandra Sen, nationalist leader and social reformer from theBrahmo Samaj movement. One of five siblings: (Sunit, Binita, Sadhona, Nilina and Pradip), Nilina received a liberal upbringing from their parents Saral Chandra Sen, a barrister and Nirmala (Nellie). She first got interested in music, when her uncle, Panchu took young Nilina to a concert of Angurbala, at a local theatre. Thereafter, she went to listen to Agurbala at her home in Masjid Bari Street. Eventually she trained for nine years under Girija Shankar Chakravarty (1885–1948), noted vocalist and teacher, known for revitalising thekhayal tradition in Bengal.[2]
In 1934, at the age of 16, she married Ripjit Singh (1906- 1953), third son of Raja Charanjit Singh of princelyKapurthala State. After her marriage she moved toKapurthala in Punjab and wasn't allowed to sing. Though her husband died in 1953, when she was 32 years of age.[3]
After the death of husband in 1953, she moved to Delhi, where she spent the rest of her life. Here she came in touch withSumitra Charat Ram, an arts patron and wife of Lala Charat Ram of DCM Shriram Group, who then ran Jhankar Committee, a small performing arts organisation in Delhi, which paved way for the establishment ofShriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in 1952, with Devi as itsartistic director.[4] In the following years, she also remained a music producer of All India Radio, Delhi, and producer with state-runDoordarshan TV channel.[2][5] Meanwhile, after arriving in Delhi, she started her musical training once again, first under Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan (d. 1964), the doyen ofRampur-Sahaswan gharana, who was then teacher at the Bhartiya Kala Kendra, and later underRasoolan Bai of Benaras gharana, where she learned thepurab ang style of Thumri, and started performing although under the name, Naina Devi.[2][6]
In her Thumri singing, she stressed on the need to studyNayika Bheda (Ashta Nayika), the eight different kind of heroines classified in theNatya Shastra, to render thumri effectively.[7] Though she also sang in other genres likeqawwali andghazal.[8]
Later in life, she got interested in the traditional form ofkirtan, she went toVrindavan and learnt it and subsequently trained three of her senior disciples in the form.[9]
She also taught notable disciples likeShubha Mudgal, Madhumita Ray andVidya Rao.[10] In 2011, one of her disciples, Vidya Rao wrote a memoir about her titled,Heart to Heart: Remembering Naina Devi.[11]
She has four children, two sons, Ratanjit Singh (b.1940), Karanjit Singh (b. 1945), and two daughters Nilika Kaur (b. 1935) and Rena Kaur (b. 1938), who founded the Naina Devi Foundation in 1994.[citation needed] Her elder sister,Sadhana Bose (1911–1973) was a noted dancer and film actress of the 1930s and 40s.[12] Her other sister Rani Binita Roy was married into theroyal family of Chakma. Naina Devi's two paternal aunts were dowager Maharanis of two well known princely states of India. Suniti Devi, Maharani of Cooch Behar, queen consort of Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, Maharaja of Cooch Behar. Maharani Suniti Devi's son Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, Maharaja of Cooch Behar married princess Indira Raje Gaekwad of Braoda, only daughter of Sayajirao Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda. Jitendra Narayan and Indira Devi's second daughter Gayatri Devi, Maharani of Jaipur was the most well known Indian royal face in her lifetime. The other aunt of Naina Devi was Suchrau Devi, Maharani of Mayurbhanj, queen consort of Ram Chandra Bhanj Deo, Maharaja of Mayurbhanj.[13]
Nina Ripjit Singh, Naina Devi
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