Manoj Bajpayee bids farewell to Sharda Sinha: True legend of Bhojpuri and folk music

Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee on Wednesday mourned the loss of Sharda Sinha, who passed away aged 72. Bidding farewell to her, the acclaimed actor called the late singer a true legend of Bhojpuri and folk music.

Manoj first took to X, formerly called Twitter, where he shared the post of the late singer’s son Anshuman, who wrote the sad news in Hindi, which read: “All of you will always pray and love for the mother. Chhathi Maiya has called mother to her. She is no longer among us.”

The acclaimed actor, who was born in Belwa near the city Bettiah in West Champaran, Bihar, expressed his sadness in a tweet.

He wrote: “Bahut dukhad samachar! Apni gayaki se Bhojpuri sangeet aur gayaki ko rashtrya avum antarashtiyra patal par le jaane waali mahan gayika Shardaji ko naman. Bhagwaan unki aatma ko shanti pradaan karein. Om Shaanti. (Very sad news!! Salute to the great singer Shardaji who took Bhojpuri music and singing to the national and international stage. May God grant peace to his soul! Om Shanti”).”

He then shared a farewell post the late singer on his Instagram story, which read: “Farewell to Sharda Sinha ji, a true legend of Bhojpuri and folk music, whose voice celebrated Bihar’s rich traditions.”

“From ‘Kahe Toh Se e Sajna to her iconic Chhath Puja songs, her legacy will resonate forever. Om Shanti. Sharda Sinha #BhojpuriLegend,” he wrote alongside a picture of the singer.

The background had her song “Pahile Pahil Chhathi Maiya” playing.

It was on November 5, when the famous folk singer passed due to complications arising out of cancer. She was admitted to AIIMS in Delhi due to illness a few days ago before she was put on a ventilator when her health deteriorated on Monday.

Sharda Sinha ruled the hearts of the common people of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh with Chhath songs. She regularly performed during Chhath Puja festivities and is gave voice to numbers such as “Uthau Suruj Bhaile Bihaan”, “Kelwa Ke Paat Par”, “ Sakal Jagatarini Hey Chhathi Mata” and “Ganga Ji Ke Paniya” to name a few.

Sharda Sinha has lent her vocal prowess to almost 62 Chhath songs across nine albums. She came back with new songs after a decade in 2016. She had even crooned numbers in the Hindi film industry including “Maine Pyar Kiya” and “Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2”.

–IANS