113.21.74.115: /* Personal life */

2021-06-15T15:56:00Z

Personal life

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{{Short description|Indian musician}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
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| image =
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| birth_name = Nilina Sen
| native_name =
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| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1917|09|27}}
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]], [[British India]]
| origin =
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1993|11|1|1917|09|27}}
| death_place =
| genre = [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani classical]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Vocalist|music producer|artistic director}}
| instrument =
| years_active = 1950–1993
| label =
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}}

'''Naina Devi''' (27 September 1917 – 1 November 1993) also known as '''Naina Ripjit Singh''', was Indian vocalist of [[Hindustani classical music]], most known for her [[thumri]] renditions, though she also sang [[dadra]] and [[ghazal]]s. She was a music producer at [[All India Radio]] and later with [[Doordarshan]]. She started her musical training under Girja Shankar Chakravarty in her teens, later restarted it with Ustad [[Mushtaq Hussain Khan]] of [[Rampur-Sahaswan gharana]] and [[Rasoolan Bai]] of [[Benaras gharana]], in the 1950s. Born in an aristocratic family in [[Kolkata]], she was married into the royal family of [[Kapurthala State]] at age 16, and was started singing in concerts only after her husband died in 1949, and she moved to Delhi.

In 1974, she was awarded the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian honour given by [[Government of India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2009)|publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]|quote=Nina Ripjit Singh, Naina Devi|url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510095705/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf|archive-date=10 May 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Early life and training==
Born '''Nilina Sen''', in an aristocratic Bengali family in Kolkata, where her grandfather was [[Keshub Chandra Sen]], nationalist leader and social reformer from the [[Brahmo Samaj]] movement. One of five siblings: (Sunit, Binita, Sadhona, Nilina and Pradip), Nilina received a liberal upbringing from their parents Saral Chandra Sen, a barrister and Nirmala (Nellie). She first got interested in music, when her uncle, Panchu took young Nilina to a concert of Angurbala, at a local theatre. Thereafter, she went to listen to Agurbala at her home in Masjid Bari Street. Eventually she trained for nine years under Girija Shankar Chakravarty (1885–1948), noted vocalist and teacher, known for revitalising the [[khayal]] tradition in Bengal.<ref name=tele12>{{cite news |title=A Tale of Two Women: In search of their own songs |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120311/jsp/opinion/story_15229162.jsp#.UbBLt9I3CHg |newspaper=The Telegraph |date= 11 March 2012 |access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref>

In 1934, at the age of 16, she married Ripjit Singh (1906- 1953), third son of Raja Charanjit Singh of princely [[Kapurthala State]]. After her marriage she moved to [[Kapurthala]] in Punjab and wasn't allowed to sing. Though her husband died in 1949, when she was 32 years of age.<ref name=times>{{cite news |title=Naina Devi and the nautch girl |author=Subhra Mazumdar |url=http://www.timescrest.com/culture/naina-devi-and-the-nautch-girl-3599 |newspaper=The Times of India, Crest Edition |date=25 September 2010 |access-date=6 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024090733/http://www.timescrest.com/culture/naina-devi-and-the-nautch-girl-3599 |archive-date=24 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Career==
After the death of husband in 1953, she moved to Delhi, where she spent the rest of her life. Here she came in touch with [[Sumitra Charat Ram]], an arts patron and wife of Lala Charat Ram of DCM Shriram Group, who then ran Jhankar Committee, a small performing arts organisation in Delhi, which paved way for the establishment of [[Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra]] in 1952, with Devi as its [[artistic director]].<ref name="Khokar1998">{{cite book|author=Ashish Khokar|title=Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra: a history : Sumitra Charat Ram reminisces|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_9kAAAAMAAJ|access-date=11 June 2013|page=52|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Lustre Press|isbn=978-81-7436-043-4}}</ref> In the following years, she also remained a music producer of All India Radio, Delhi, and producer with state-run [[Doordarshan]] TV channel.<ref name=tele12/><ref name="exp">{{cite web | url = http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20001001/fine.htm | title = Strains of a Bias |newspaper =Indian Express | date =1 October 2000 | access-date = 10 June 2013}}</ref> Meanwhile, after arriving in Delhi, she started her musical training once again, first under Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan (d. 1964), the doyen of [[Rampur-Sahaswan gharana]], who was then teacher at the Bhartiya Kala Kendra, and later under [[Rasoolan Bai]] of Benaras gharana, where she learned the ''[[Thumri#Purab Ang|purab ang]]'' style of Thumri, and started performing although under the name, Naina Devi.<ref name=tele12/><ref>[[#Mu|Mukherji, p. 134]]</ref>

In her Thumri singing, she stressed on the need to study ''Nayika Bheda'' (''[[Ashta Nayika]]''), the eight different kind of heroines classified in the [[Natya Shastra]], to render thumri effectively.<ref>[[#Ma|Manuel, p. 10]]</ref> Though she also sang in other genres like [[qawwali]] and [[ghazal]].<ref name="toi09">{{Cite web | author=Shubha Mudgal | title = Shubha: Every child wants to be chota ustad | url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-10-19/news-and-interviews/28080573_1_shubha-mudgal-classical-music-fusion-styles | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130620204934/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-10-19/news-and-interviews/28080573_1_shubha-mudgal-classical-music-fusion-styles | url-status = dead | archive-date = 20 June 2013 | date = 19 October 2009 | newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | access-date = 10 June 2013 }}</ref>

Later in life, she got interested in the traditional form of [[kirtan]], she went to [[Vrindavan]] and learnt it and subsequently trained three of her senior disciples in the form.<ref name="Hindu11">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article1128414.ece |title=In service of the arts|newspaper=The Hindu|date=27 January 2011|access-date=10 June 2013}}</ref>

She also taught notable disciples like [[Shubha Mudgal]], Madhumita Ray and [[Vidya Rao]].<ref name="hindu06">{{Cite web |title = Simply herself | url = http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/07/14/stories/2006071402640300.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070313221644/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/07/14/stories/2006071402640300.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 March 2007 | date =14 July 2006 |work = [[The Hindu]] | access-date = 10 June 2013 }}</ref> In 2011, one of her disciples, Vidya Rao wrote a memoir about her titled, ''Heart to Heart: Remembering Naina Devi''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Intimate universe|author=Chitra Padmanabhan |url=http://www.frontline.in/navigation/?type=static&page=flonnet&rdurl=fl2826/stories/20111230282609300.htm |publisher=Frontline |date=17 December 2011 |access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref>

==Personal life==
She has four children, two sons, Ratanjit Singh (b.1940), Karanjit Singh (b. 1945), and two daughters Nilika Kaur (b. 1935) and Rena Kaur (b. 1938), who founded the Naina Devi Foundation in 1994.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} Her elder sister, [[Sadhana Bose]] (1911–1973) was a noted dancer and film actress of the 1930s and 40s.<ref>{{IMDb name|0097895|Sadhana Bose}}</ref> Her other sister Rani Binita Roy was married into the
[http://www.chakmaraj.com royal family of Chakma]. Naina Devi's two paternal aunts were dowager Maharanis of two well known princely states of India. Suniti Devi, Maharani of Cooch Behar, queen consort of Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, Maharaja of Cooch Behar. Maharani Suniti Devi's son Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, Maharaja of Cooch Behar married princess Indira Raje Gaekwad of Braoda, only daughter of Sayajirao Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda. Jitendra Narayan and Indira Devi's second daughter Gayatri Devi, Maharani of Jaipur was the most well known Indian royal face in her lifetime. The other aunt of Naina Devi was Suchrau Devi, Maharani of Mayurbhanj, queen consort of Ram Chandra Bhanj Deo, Maharaja of Mayurbhanj.<ref name="dailystar">{{Cite web | title = Flaneuring around Calcutta | url = http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=69705 | newspaper =The Daily Star | date = 3 January 2009 | access-date = 10 June 2013 }}</ref>

==Published works==
* ''Mushtaq Hussain Khan'' (Biography), by Naina Ripjit Singh. Sangeet Natak Akademi, 1964.
* ''Thumri, Its Development and Gayeki'', Journal, Volume 6, Issue 1. ITC Sangeet Research Academy.1985. ''pp. 13–17''.

== References ==

{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |title=Ṭhumri: In Historical and Stylistic Perspectives|author=Peter Lamarche Manuel |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1989|isbn=8120806735 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PlNShmx3x68C&q=naina+devi+thumri&pg=PA10 |ref= Ma}}
* {{cite book |title=Heart to Heart: Remembering Naina Devi |author=Vidya Rao |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2011|isbn=978-9350291474 }}
* {{cite book |title=The Lost World of Hindustani Music |author=Kumar Pradas Mukherji |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2006|isbn=0143061992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MR_6Gr26hAC&q=Shanno+Khurana&pg=PA134 |ref=Mu }}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Naina}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Singers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Bengali people]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian female classical singers]]
[[Category:Hindustani singers]]
[[Category:Indian arts administrators]]
[[Category:Thumri]]
[[Category:Indian radio producers]]
[[Category:Indian women television producers]]
[[Category:Indian television producers]]
[[Category:All India Radio people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Indian music educators]]
[[Category:Artistic directors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:Women educators from West Bengal]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Women Hindustani musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Women musicians from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Educators from West Bengal]]
[[Category:All India Radio women]]
[[Category:Women music educators]]
[[Category:Women television producers]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]

Naina Devi (singer) - Revision history

113.21.74.115: /* Personal life */