Pandavani legend Teejan Bai passes away at 70

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Mumbai: India has lost one of its most iconic folk artists with the passing of Padma Vibhushan awardee Teejan Bai.

For several decades, a famous exponent of Pandavani, Teejan Bai (70), breathed her last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, on Sunday after a prolonged illness.

Teejan Bai was known for her ability to transform Pandavani – the performing tradition of rendering verses of the epic Mahabharata from the state – into a global form of performance.

The celebrated artist was born in the Ganiyari village of the state.

Her voice was very commanding, storytelling very animated, and stagecraft extremely dramatic and widely appreciated across the globe.

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She was honoured with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards for her dedicated endeavour in keeping alive India’s traditions through her Pandavani performances.

P.M Narendra Modi said the artist’s demise was an “irreplaceable loss” to the global arts and culture fraternity.

Her passing saw an outpouring of condolences and tributes from fellow artists, political leaders, and fans who mourned the loss of a cultural icon who transformed the traditional art of Pandavani into an art form that the world recognised.

Indian folk art has lost one of its finest proponents in Teejan Bai, but her powerful renditions and her unwavering service to the art form will no doubt continue to inspire.

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