Dr. Rita Dev is a Hindustani classical singer. She is a disciple of the

Thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dram ...

vocalist

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons w ...

Vidhushi, Dr.

Girija Devi Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri. She was dubbed as the 'Queen of Thumr ...

. Dev was born in

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Early life and education

Dev completed her primary education in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

at an early age under the guidance of Guru Nirmal Acharya. After pursuing 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, ...

, she did her Doctorate in

under the guidance of Prof. Chittaranjan Jyotishi of Gwalior Gharana. She also got a golden opportunity of learning light classical music under the Legendary Vocalist of Banaras Gharana, Late. Pt. Mahadev Prasad Mishra.

Career

Dev is Professor (vocal) and head of the department of music, associated with Agra College,

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

Awards

Dev received several prestigious awards and honors including the Pt. Omkarnath Thakur Award, Swara Ratna, Sangeet Ratna and many more.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dev, Rita Hindustani singers Thumri Musicians from Varanasi Indian women classical singers Women Hindustani musicians Women musicians from Uttar Pradesh 21st-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian singers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people