“Chhatti Maiya ne apne paas bula liya Sharda ji ko”, said 76-year-old Usha Rani, a resident of Bhagalpur in Bihar who had just observed the first day’s rituals of the four-day Chhath Puja on Tuesday, with Sharda Sinha’s folk songs for the occasion playing in the background and reverberating the festive ambience of her home, and bylanes of Tilka Majhi Chowk.

Sinha’s demise on the holy days of Chhath festive season leaves behind a bouquet of signature songs of Mahaparv of the Poorvanchalis. Her songs have often forced many of them to head back home to Bihar from as far as New York, London or Tokyo to pay obeisance to the setting and then the rising Sun Godm from the water bodies of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and elsewhere across the length and breadth of India.

Popular folk singer Sharda Sinha, who was undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, died on Tuesday night. She was 72. “Sharda Sinha expired at 9.20 pm due to refractory shock as a result of septicemia,” an AIIMS official said.

Sinha was known among her fans for folk songs such as “Kartik Maas Ijoriya” and “Koyal Bin” as well as Bollywood numbers “Taar Bijli” from “Gangs of Wasseypur- II” and “Babul” from “Hum Aapke Hain Koun”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of leaders and music lovers condoled the demise of Sharda Sinha who is a Padma Bhushan recipient for being synonymous with folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magahi languages.

Expressing condolences PM posted on social media “I am deeply saddened by the demise of renowned folk singer Sharda Sinha ji. Her Maithili and Bhojpuri folk songs have been very popular for the last several decades.”

He added, “The echo of her melodious songs associated with the great festival of faith, Chhath, will always remain. Her demise is an irreparable loss for the music world. My condolences are with her family and fans in this hour of grief. Om Shanti!”

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and several leaders and eminent personalities from the State mourned the death of Sharda Sinha when her voice had just reverberated the state’s ambience for the most auspicious festive spirit of Bihar.

Union minister Giriraj Singh visited the ailing artist at AIIMS. On Monday evening, Food Processing Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Hajipur, Chirag Paswan also visited the hospital.

Known as Bihar Kokila, Supaul-born Sinha was famous in her native state and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh courtesy her folk songs sung on occasions like Chhath Puja and weddings.

Some of her popular tracks are “Chhathi Maiya Aayi Na Duaariya”, “Kartik Maas Ijoriya”, “Dwar Chekai”, “Patna Se”, and “Koyal Bin”. The singer had been battling multiple myeloma since 2017.