Teejan Bai
| Teejan Bai | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
24 April 1956 Ganiyari village, Chhattisgarh |
| Occupation | Pandavani Folk Singer |
| Spouse(s) | Tukka Ram |
| Awards |
Padma Bhushan 2003 Padma Shri 1988 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1995 |
Teejan Bai (born 24 April 1956) is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments.
She has been awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, and Padma Bhushan in 2003 by Government of India, besides 1995 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
Teejan Bai was born in Ganiyari village, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north of Bhilai, to Chunuk Lal Pardhi and his wife Sukhwati. She belongs to the Pardhi Scheduled Tribe of Chhattisgarh state
The eldest among her five siblings she heard her maternal grandfather, Brijlal Pradhi, recite the Mahabharata written by Chhattisgarhi writer, Sabal Sinh Chauhan in Chhattisgarhi Hindi and instantly took a liking to it. She soon memorised much of it, and later trained informally under Umed Singh Deshmukh.
At age 13, she gave her first public performance in a neighbouring village, Chandrakhuri (Durg) for Rs 10., singing in the Kapalik shaili (style) of 'Pandavani', a first time for a woman, as traditionally women used to sing in the Vedamati, the sitting style. Contrary to the tradition, Teejan Bai performed standing singing out loud in her typical guttral voice and unmistakable verve, entering what was till then, a male bastion.
Within a short time, she became known in neighbouring villages and invitations poured to perform at special occasions and festivals.
Her big-break came, when Habib Tanvir, a theatre personality from Madhya Pradesh, noticed her talent, and she was called to perform for then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. In time she received national and international recognition, a Padma Shri in 1988,Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, and Padma Bhushan in 2003.
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