Girija Devi is the 'Voice of India' : Guv

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi has recalled his meetings with late classical singer Girija Devi and said she is the ‘Voice of India’ who took different streams of classical vocal music to a new height.

The singer, who died here last year at the age of 88, was a maestro in classical gharana, who had equal command on ‘ghazal’ and ‘bhajan’ and other forms of classical music apart from ‘thumri’, Tripathi said after launching a book ‘Pranam Appa’ – a tribute to the Padma Vibhushan recipient here last evening.

Tripathi regretted that despite having met Devi on several occasions in Kolkata and earlier in Lucknow, his dream to invite the versatile singer to perform in the Raj Bhavan did not materialise due to her death. Veteran classical singer Pt Vijay Kichlu said “Girija Devi crafted her own style. She made an effortless journey in all disciplines of classical music like dhrupad and thumri.”

Recalling his association with Girija devi since 1978, Pt Ajoy Chakraborty said that she knew how to connect word with the Ragas. The book, compiled by her disciple Supriya Newar, contains rare photographs and tributes by luminaries including Hariprasad Chaurasia and Birju Maharaj.