Amritsar: Renowned Punjabi singer Gurmeet Bawa passed away on Sunday following a prolonged illness. The 77-year-old folk artist breathed her last at a city hospital, after she was admitted there due to breathing difficulties.
Gurmeet Bawa, wife of Punjabi folk singer Kirpal Bawa, came into the limelight when she started performing on Doordarshan. She was the first Punjabi female singer to perform on the national television channel. She was best known for her long ‘hek’ (opening of a song while singing to create a melodious voice with an unbreakable wave) of about 45 seconds, and became popular across the country after singing the Punjab folk song ‘Jugni’.
Gurmeet has received many awards and accolades, including the State Award by the Punjab government, Sangeet Puraskar by the Punjab Natak Akademi, the national Devi Ahilya Award by the Madhya Pradesh government and the Shiromani Gayika Award by the Punjabi Language Department.
Punjab Governor and Administrator Union Territory Chandigarh Banwarilal Purohit expressed condolences over her demise. ‘The death of the Nightingale of Punjab is a great loss to Punjab and Punjabi folk lovers worldwide’, said the governor and added that the Presidential Citation holder, winner of many national and international accolades, Gurmeet Bawa will always be remembered for her contribution to folk singing.
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Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi expressed grief on his twitter handle, saying ‘shocked and saddened to hear the news of Gurmeet Bawa Ji’s demise. Her contribution to Punjabi folk music is indelible. My sincere condolences, thoughts & prayers are with her family’.
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