Girija Devi

Girija Devi, one of the last exponents of the Benaras gharana of thumri, died on 24 October at the BM Birla Heart Research Centre in Kolkata. She was 88. Fondly addressed by her fans and friends as Appaji, she represented the last of the big divas of thumri singing in the Benaras tradition.

Born on 8 May 1929 into a rich tradition of performing arts in Varanasi, her father Ramdeo Rai was a Bhumihar zamindar and her mother, Suryamukhi Devi, belonged to the Devadasi community. Girija Devi was the youngest of three daughters, and her father encouraged her to take to music as he himself played the harmonium. She began taking music lessons as a six-year-old. As a 10-year-old in 1939, she sang at the Congress session in Jabalpur, earning Mahatma Gandhi's praise. The Purab Ang style of music became synonymous with Girija Devi.