Ajita Srivastava is an Indian singer, educationist and a social worker. Srivastava is known for popularizing and promoting the

Kajari Kajari is a folk song and dance form from Bhojpuri region of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is of the Hindustani classical music genre, performed during the rainy season usually late June to September when lush greenery reappears and agricultural l ...

folk songs, a popular form of folk music from

Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the tradition of kajari and birha music. Straddled by the Kaimur extension of Vindhya mountains, it served as the headquarters of t ...

and the surrounding region. She was awarded

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

in 2022 by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

for her contributions in the field of arts.

Life and education

Srivastava was born in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. She has completed her ''Sangeet Prabhakar'' from Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Prayagraj, B. Ed. from

Gorakhpur University Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University (formerly known as Gorakhpur University) is located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The University of Gorakhpur is a teaching and residential-cum-affiliating University. It has entered the league of top fi ...

and M. A. from

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

. Later, Srivastava married Rasbihari Lal, a famous poet, writer and lawyer by profession from Mirzapur, and settled there. Her only child, Anurag Anand serves in the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

Career

Srivastava started her professional career with

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

Varanasi in 1980. She has been associated with and performed for various organizations including All India Radio,

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

, Sangeet Natak Akademi Uttar Pradesh,

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 April ...

, Ministry of External Affairs, NCZCC Prayagraj, Ministry of Tourism,

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

Government of Delhi The Government of Delhi, officially the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD; ISO: ) is the governing body of India's National Capital Territory of Delhi, whose urban area is the seat of the Government of India. It also ...

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

and T-Series among others. In 2017, she retired as a lecturer from the Arya Kanya Inter College after 40 years of teaching career. Since then, she has fully dedicated her time to preserve, promote and propagate Kajari and other folk music of the region on national and international level.

Awards

* 2022 – Padma Shri * 2021 – Vishwa Hindi Shodh Samvardhan Award * 2021 – Kajali Kokila Award * 2021 – Yogya Sikshaika evam Kajali Gayika Award * 2021, 2010 – SAARC FOSWAL Award * 2021, 2020, 2019 – Nari Shakti Puraskaar by

Government of Uttar Pradesh The Government of Uttar Pradesh (International Organization for Standardization, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appoin ...

* 2020 – Kashi Anand Samman * 2019 – Harit Uttar Pradesh, Swachch Uttar Pradesh Visisth Samman * 2019 – Kajali Karyashala Mukhya Prashikshika Award * 2017 – Namami Jagriti Samman * 2017 – Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award * 2011 – Vaishya Gaurav Samman * 2008 – Nari Shakti Samman by

Amar Ujala ''Amar Ujala'' () is a Hindi-language daily newspaper published in India which was founded in 1948. It has 22 editions in six states and two union territories covering 180 districts. It has a circulation of around two million copies. The 2019 ...

* 1996 – Kajali Samragyi Award

References

External links

सावन और कजरी
interview with DD Uttar Pradesh on YouTube (in Hindi) {{DEFAULTSORT:Srivastava, Ajita Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Indian women folk singers 20th-century Indian women singers 20th-century Indian singers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)