Famous Indian folk singer and Padma Bhushan Awardee, Sharda Sinha, passed away at the age of 72 today (November 5, 2024) at AIIMS, New Delhi where she was being treated. Sharda Sinha was fighting multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, since 2018. Lovingly called ‘Bihar Kokila‘, Sharda Sinha is known for her Chhath songs and for her huge contributions to folk music specially Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magahi, which she is credited for bringing to a wider audience. The news of her passing away was shared by her son Anshuman Sinha on social media.
While Sharda ji had been fighting blood cancer since 2018, the news of her death came roughly a month after her husband Brij Kishore Sinha passed away. Some reports suggest that Sharda ji was so in shock because of her husband Brij Kishore Sinha’s sudden death due to a brain haemorrhage on September 22, 2024, that it deteriorated her health in just a few days.
A tale of everlasting love
Sharda Sinha and Brij Kishore Sinha were married for 54 long years before death parted them. Earlier this year, the singer had posted a video with her husband on social media, reminiscing about their married life together. “By the grace of God, 54 years ago on this day, a journey filled with memorable moments and many stories began with my life partner, respected Sinha Saheb. My heartfelt regards to you for giving me the most important stories of your life and for always standing by me by being the most important character (of my life). Happy Anniversary,” her caption read on Instagram.
For Sharda ji, her husband Brij Kishore Sinha was the wind beneath her wings. It was with his love and support that she followed her passion for singing, and fame soon followed her. In an earlier interview, Sharda Sinha had once revealed how she was forbidden by her mother-in-law from singing in public. “We got married in the 1970s and my in-laws’ house was quite different from my own… While singing bhajans at home was fine, women from my in-laws’ house were not allowed to sing in public,” she once recalled, reported ABP. However, just five days after getting married and moving to her in-laws’ house in Begusarai in Bihar, the village’s head person visited them and praising her singing, he had asked her father-in-law to allow her to sing bhajans at the Thakurbari. Her father-in-law gave permission, while her mother-in-law was furious. And that’s when her husband Brij Kishore Sinha supported her dreams and convinced his mother to allow her to sing in public. The rest, as they say, is history and Sharda Sinha became a renowned folk singer over the years.
More recently, her heart-touching post remembering her late husband on her birthday on October 1, 2024, gave a glimpse of their love and respect for each other. Remembering her late husband Brij Kishore Sinha, Sharda Sinha had shared on Facebook how each year on her birthday, he would surprise her by bringing two roses for her early in the morning along with some snacks as breakfast. Over the years, this had become a sort of tradition for them. However, with him no more with them, Sharda Sinha had expressed her grief and loss in the social media post.
With ‘Bihar Kokila’ Sharda Sinha barely surviving a month after her husband passed away, it shows how deeply the couple loved each other and how heartbroken she was. Theirs was truly a tale of everlasting love, respect, and support– lessons of which could be learnt by the younger generation.
The late Brij Kishore Sinha and his wife Sharda Sinha are survived by their son Anshuman Sinha and daughter Vandana.
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