Legendary thumri singer Girija Devi passes away

Legendary thumri singer Girija Devi breathed her last in Kolkata yesterday after succumbing to a heart attack. She was 88. She passed away around 9.30 pm last night, hours after she was rushed to hospital with chest pain. Santoor legend Pandit Satish Vyas, who was to meet Girija Devi last afternoon, said, "Whenever I visited Kolkata, meeting Appaji was a must. I tried speaking to her on Monday, but her daughter responded to the call and mentioned that she was unwell. When I called yesterday, I learnt that she was being taken to the BM Birla Heart Research Centre hospital for a check-up and that she had suffered a heart attack on the way. She was to travel to Jaipur and Pune this week."

Girija Devi

The classical singer from the Seniya and Banaras gharanas was revered as the 'Thumri Queen', and was the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani Music. For Pandit Vyas, the veteran's demise is a personal loss. "When I saw her perform at Shanmukhananda Auditorium in Mumbai in May, I was mesmerised," he recalled. "Despite being 88, she was perfect in her rendition. She was not only a great artiste, but also a wonderful human being. She was the audience's favourite and was very encouraging of her co-musicians," he added.