Madhuri Barthwal née Uniyal is a folk singer of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

, India. She is the first woman to be a music composer in

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 a ...

. She is said to be the first female Uttrakhand's musician to become a music teacher. On

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

in 2019 she was awarded the

Nari Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian hono ...

Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...

.she was awarded th
Padma shri
India's fourth most noteworthy regular citizen grant in 2022 by the Indian Government in the field of art.

Life

Barthwal's father was a singer and a sitarist. After she graduated she spent several years as a music teacher at a college. In her spare time she was composing for All India Radio in Nazibabad. She became an enthusiastic supporter of the

Folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and she created the radio programme "Dharohar" which was dedicated to the region's heritage and it's folk music. She is said to know every musical instrument that has been used in Uttarakhand. She has helped to record the music of other musicians. As a teacher she has inspired several to become professional musicians amongst the many hundreds that she taught. She has sung with her fellow Garhwali singer

Narendra Singh Negi Narendra Singh Negi (born 12 August 1949), also referred as 'Garh Ratan' and 'Bob Dylan of the hills' is one of the most prominent folk singers, composer and a poet of the Garhwal and Uttarakhand who prominently sings in Garhwali language. Report ...

. Barthwal's work was recognised with the

, which was presented by

, the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

in recognition of the sixty years she had dedicated to music, broadcasting and teaching. The citation noted that she had "devoted her life" to the preservation of music. The award ceremony was held at the President's palace,

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...

, on

in 2019 in New Delhi. About forty women received the award that day and three of the awards were given to groups. The Minister of Women and Child Development

Maneka Gandhi Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (also spelled Menaka; ''née'' Anand) (born 26 August 1956) is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. She is a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament and a member of ...

was there and afterwards the awardees met the Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barthwal, Madhuri Living people Indian folk singers People from Uttarakhand Indian radio people Culture of Uttarakhand Indian composers Indian women singers Year of birth missing (living people) Nari Shakti Puraskar winners