Which singer was known as the 'Queen of Thumri'?

Explanation

Girija Devi (1929-2017) was a great singer of Hindustani classical and semi-classical music, belonging to the Banaras gharana. She was popularly known as the "Queen of Thumri" for her mastery of the thumri, a romantic and devotional form of semi-classical music.

Girija Devi was born in Varanasi. Her father, Ramdeo Rai, a landlord, loved music and encouraged her to learn. She began learning music at the age of five from Pandit Sarju Prasad Mishra and later from Pandit Shrichand Mishra. She gave her first public performance on All India Radio in Allahabad in 1949. Besides khayal, she was famous for the "purab ang" (eastern style) of thumri and for the light classical forms of the Banaras region, such as dadra, chaiti, kajari, hori and jhoola. She was known for her rich, expressive voice and her ability to convey a wide range of emotions. She taught at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata and at the Banaras Hindu University, and she trained many students. She received the Padma Shri (1972), the Padma Bhushan (1989) and the Padma Vibhushan (2016), as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. She died in Kolkata on 24 October 2017.

Thumri is a light classical form of Hindustani music. It developed mainly in Lucknow and Banaras in the 19th century and is closely linked with Kathak dance. Thumri songs are usually about love and longing, often expressed through the story of Radha and Krishna, and they are sung in Braj Bhasha or Bhojpuri. Other famous thumri singers include Siddheshwari Devi, Rasoolan Bai, Begum Akhtar, Shobha Gurtu and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Begum Akhtar was known as "Mallika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazal).
• ✗Kishori Amonkar was a great khayal singer of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.
• ✗Gangubai Hangal was a great khayal singer of the Kirana gharana.