Hira Devi Waiba (9 September 1940 – 19 January 2011) was an Indian folk singer in the Nepali-language and is hailed as the pioneer of Nepali folk songs. Her song "

Chura ta Hoina Astura Tamang Selo ( Nepali: तामाङ सेलो) is a genre of Nepali folk song sung by the Tamang people of Nepal and is widely popular among the Nepali-speaking community in Nepal, in India, and around the world. It is usually accompanied by t ...

" is said to be the first

Tamang Selo Tamang Selo ( Nepali: तामाङ सेलो) is a genre of Nepali folk song sung by the Tamang people of Nepal and is widely popular among the Nepali-speaking community in Nepal, in India, and around the world. It is usually accompanied by t ...

(a genre of Nepali folk music) ever recorded. Hira Devi Waiba is the only Nepali folk singer to have cut albums (in 1974 and 1978) with

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

. She was the sole Grade A Nepali Folk Singer with

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

. She was also the first musical artist that

Music Nepal Music Nepal (Nepali: म्यूजिक नेपाल) is a Nepalese Record label company. The company was founded in 1982 by Santosh Sharma. Initially, the company was focused in production of folk songs from different parts of the countr ...

, a leading music house in Nepal recorded and released an album of. Before that Music Nepal only released compilation and remastered songs

Life and music

Hira Devi Waiba came from a family of musicians from Ambootia Tea Estate near

Kurseong Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision. Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughout ...

and was one in the line of a long generation of Nepali folk singers and musicians. She was born to parents Singh Man Singh Waiba (father) and Tshering Dolma (mother). She has sung nearly 300 folk songs during her musical career spanning 40 years. Her singing career began when she recorded three songs in Kurseong for

Radio Nepal Radio Nepal ( ne, रेडियो नेपाल) is the state-owned Radio broadcasting organisation of Nepal. It was established 2 April 1951. Radio Nepal airs programs on short wave, medium wave ( AM) and FM frequencies. Regular broadcasts ...

in 1966. She worked as an announcer at the

station in Kurseong from 1963 to 1965. Waiba's popular songs include ''Phariya Lyaaidiyechan,'' ''Ora Daudi Jaanda'' ''and Ramri tah Ramri''. As a tribute to her father, Waiba had opened the SM Waiba International Music and Dance Academy at her home in Kadamtala, near

Siliguri Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. Known as the ' ...

in 2008.

Death

Hira Waiba died on 19 January 2011 at the age of 71 years after suffering burn injuries in a fire accident at her home. She is survived by two children

Navneet Aditya Waiba Navneet Aditya Waiba is an Indian Nepali-language folk singer and the daughter of the late Hira Devi Waiba, the pioneer of Nepali folk music. Navneet and younger brother Satya Aditya Waiba (producer/manager) are the only artists in the Nepali ...

and Satya Aditya Waiba both of whom are musicians.

Daughter and son tribute

As a tribute to the Legend Hira Devi Waiba, her children Satya Waiba and

re-recorded and released some of her hit singles in 2016–2017. Navneet sang and Satya produced and managed the project ' Ama Lai Shraddhanjali -Tribute to Mother', hence moving the family legacy further.

Awards

Hira Devi was awarded the Mitrasen Purashkar by the Nepali Akademi of Darjeeling in 1986, the Mitrasen Smriti Puraskar by the

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...

government in 1996, Bhanu Academy Puraskar, the Agam Singh Giri Puraskar in 2001 and the Gorkha Saheed Sewa Samiti's Lifetime Achievement Award. The

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

government had awarded her the

Gorkha Dakshina Bahu The Most Puissant Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu ( ne, गोरखा दक्षिण बाहु; Order of the Gurkha Right Arm ''or Hand'') was an order of knighthood of Nepal. It was one of the highest honors given traditionally by the ...

(Knighthood of Nepal), Sadhana Samman and the Madhurima Phul Kumari Mahato Award.

References

External links