Punaram Nishad, born in Ringni, Dist Durg Chhattisgarh,(16 November 1939 - 11 November 2017) was an Indian folk musician, known for his prowess in the Pandavani, a folk music tradition of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

and the neighbouring states in India.

Early life

Born in the Indian state of

, (then

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

) to a

Bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

singer, he started learning the art from the age of 10 under Jhadu Ram Dewangan, considered by many as the father of Pandvani, and aligned with the ''Vedamati'' tradition of Pandavani, which follows a rigid text, and does not permit improvisations. Nishad has composed 18 stories for Pandavani, of which ''Udyog Parv'' is his favourite. He has acted in two plays, ''Agra Bazaar'' directed by

Habib Tanvir Habib Tanvir (1 September 1923 – 8 June 2009) was one of the most popular Indian Urdu playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He was the writer of plays such as, ''Agra Bazar'' (1954) and '' Charandas Chor'' (1975). A pioneer i ...

, and a Naya Theatre production, ''Duryodhan''. His performance has been staged during the ''Beyond the Border Festival Tour'' at

Phoenix Arts Centre Sue Townsend Theatre (formerly the Phoenix Theatre, Phoenix Arts Centre and the Upper Brown Street Theatre) is a theatre in the city of Leicester, England. The centre hosts live shows and films of the arthouse and world cinema genres. Julian ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

on 28 June 1995. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the

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 2005, for his contributions to Indian fork arts. He lives in Ringni village of

Durg district Durg district is a district situated in Chhattisgarh, India. The district headquarters is Durg. The district covers an area of 2,238 km². As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Chhattisgarh (out of Districts of Chhattisgarh ...

and continues to teach Pandavani at his residence, ''Shanti Niketan Ashram''. His son, Rohit Nishad, is a farmer.

References

External links

* 1939 births 2017 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Musicians from Chhattisgarh Indian male stage actors People from Durg district 20th-century Indian composers Male actors from Chhattisgarh 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian folk musicians 20th-century Indian folk musicians {{India-musician-stub

Early life

See also

References

External links