Who was Sharda Sinha? All you need to know about the Legendary Singer, Voice of Chhath and Bihar’s Kokila

New Delhi: legendary Folk Singer Sharda Sinha hailed from the Supaul district of Bihar. Also known as Bihar’s Kokila, she began her singing career by singing Maithili songs. She used to sing in Maithili, Bhojpuri and hindi songs.

Sharda Sinha was born on 1st October 1952 in Hulas, Bihar. She was famous for singing songs based on the spring season and the Chhath festival. She even used to perform during the Chhath Puja festivities. She also had a degree in Indian Classical Music.

She used to be the center of attraction especially during Chhath Puja when her singing used to add flavour to the most prominent festival of Bihar. Her husband Brajkishore Sinha passed away in 2024.

The veteran folk singer also received many awards during her career like the Highest Civilian Honors in 2018, Padma Shri in 1991, Padma Bhushan Bhushan in 2018 etc. Apart from singing in the festivals, she also sang for many Bollywood films like ‘Maine Pyar Kia’ and ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun”.

She also performed when the Prime Minister of Mauritius came for an India visit in Bihar.

Some of her favourite songs include ‘Ho Dinanath’, ‘ Paniya Ke Jahaj Se Palki Aayi Re’ and ‘Sasura Bada paise wala’. She also sang for the film ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. The iconic folk singer was battling with multiple myeloma ( A type of cancer that affects bone marrow) since 2017.

She was put on ventilator support on 5th November 2024 and passed away late night. Sharda Sinha is survived by her daughter and a son. She was admitted in AIIMS and the hospital shared the official statement about her health update.