- Naina Devi, also known as Naina Ripjit Singh, was an Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, best known for her thumri renditions, although she also performed dadra and ghazals.
Naina Devi Biography In English
Birth Details –
Place-Kolkata
Date of Birth – 27 September 1917
Marital Status-Married
Nationality – Indian
Family –
Mother – Nirmala
Father – Saral Chandra Sen
Sisters – Suneet, Binita, Sadhona, Nilina
Brother-Pradeep
Husband- Ripjit Singh
Son – Ratanjit Singh, Karanjit Singh
Daughter – Nilika Kaur and Rena Kaur
Early Life –
- Neelina Sen was born into an aristocratic Bengali family in Kolkata, where her grandfather was Keshub Chandra Sen, a nationalist leader and social reformer of the Brahmo Samaj movement.
- One of five siblings, Nilina received a liberal upbringing from her parents Saral Chandra Sen, a barrister, and Nirmala (Nelly).
- She first became interested in music when her uncle, Panchu, took young Nilina to a concert of Angurbala at a local theatre.
Personal Life-
- In 1934, at the age of 16, she married Ripjit Singh (1906–1953), the third son of Raja Charanjit Singh of the princely state of Kapurthala.
- After her marriage she went to Kapurthala in Punjab and was not allowed to sing. However her husband died in 1953, when she was 32.
- They have four children, two sons, Ratanjit Singh, Karanjit Singh and two daughters, Nileika Kaur and Rena Kaur who founded the Naina Devi Foundation.
Career–
- After her husband’s death in 1953, she came to Delhi, where she spent the rest of her life. After reaching Delhi, he once again began his musical training, first under the great maestro Mushtaq Hussain Khan of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, who was then a teacher at the Indian Art Centre, and later under Rasool Bai.
- Of the Banaras Gharana, where she learned the Purba Ang style of thumri, and began performing under the name Naina Devi.
- In his Thumri rendition, he stressed the need to study Nayika Bheda (Ashta Nayika), the eight different types of heroines classified in Natya Shastra, in order to present Thumri effectively. However he also sang in other genres like Qawwali and Ghazal.
- Later in life, he became interested in the traditional form of kirtan, went to Vrindavan to learn it and later trained his three senior disciples in this form.
Other Information –
Date of death-1 November 1993
Place – Calcutta
Question Related to Naina Devi
What is the birth place and date of birth of Naina Devi?
Naina Devi was born on 27 September 1917 in Kolkata.
What was the name of Naina Devi’s father?
Naina Devi’s father’s name was Saral Chandra Sen.
What was the name of Naina Devi’s mother?
Naina Devi’s mother’s name was Nirmala.
What was the name of Naina Devi’s husband?
Naina Devi’s husband’s name was Ripjit Singh.
What was the name of Naina Devi’s son?
Naina Devi’s son’s name was Ratanjit Singh, Karanjit Singh.
What was the name of Naina Devi’s daughter?
Naina Devi’s daughters’ names were Nilika Kaur and Rena Kaur.
When did Naina Devi die?
Naina Devi died on 1 November 1993 in Calcutta.
