Sharda Sinha, the much-loved Bihar nightingale of Bhojpuri society who added joy to Chhathi Maiya’s songs, is no more. Due to the news of his demise, there is mourning not only in his native village Hulas in Supaul district of Bihar, but the people of Lagunia village of Samastipur, his place of residence, are also immersed in grief. Sharda Sinha used to practice for hours here with the famous tabla player Saryu Rai. Sharda Singh had also formed a group of women here, among whom she used to sit and hold gatherings.
The idea of recording Sharda Sinha’s first Chhath song Ug Ug Hey Suruj Dev… also came during Riyaz in this village. Sharda Sinha, who gave recognition to Maithili and Bhojpuri songs not only in the country but across the world, considered tabla player Saryu Rai, living in Lagunia village, as her guardian. While doing riyaaz with Saryu Rai, he made Samastipur his initial work area. It is said that in Lagunia village, every person, whether male or female, is interested in music.
Big artists used to come because of Sharda Sinha
However, before Sharda Sinha came here, people did not take up music professionally. When Sharda Sinha came here and the people here started doing Riyaz with her, she started being in demand in the programs organized outside the village. According to the elders of Lagunia village, because of Sharda Sinha, all the big artists of the country started coming here. Many times, famous artists would come here and stay for 15 days each and practice with Sharda Sinha.
Village visits reduced after 2000
According to the local people, when Sharda Sinha came to this village, she entertained the women here by singing songs of marriages and festivals. Later he focused on the songs of Chhathi Maiya. Rajiv Rai, younger son of tabla player Suraj Rai, says that she used to encourage new artists. According to Rajiv, his father died on 28 May 2000. After that Sharda Sinha came here to pay tribute. However, after this his visits became less frequent.
