Siddheshwari Devi
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Siddheshwari Devi was a famous Hindustani singer from Benares, lovingly known as Maa (mother). Born in 1907, she lost her parents early and was brought up by her aunt, the singer Rajeshwari Devi.
She first studied under the sarangi player Siyaji Mishra, then also Rajab Ali Khan of Dewas and Inayat Khan of Lahore, but considered her guru mainly Bade Ramdas.
She sang khyal,thumri (her forte) and semiclassical forms as dadra, chaiti, kajri etc.
She was honoured with many awards, such as:
- the Padma Shri by the Government of India (1966)
- an honorary D.Lit. degree by the Ravindra Bharati Vishwavidyalaya in Kolkata (1973)
- the Deshikottam degree by the Vishwa Bharati Vishwavidyalaya.
She died in 1976. Her daughter Savita Devi is also a musician and lives in Delhi.
