For communities across Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, Chhath is far more than just a festival, serving as a deeply ingrained pillar of their cultural identity that comes alive every year through family reunions, ritualistic devotions, and the iconic background strains of Sharda Sinha’s legendary track Pahile Pahil Hum Kayin. Recently, the film Vvaan: Forest of the Forrest starring a prominent ensemble cast including Tamannaah Bhatia, Shweta Tiwari, Sidharth Malhotra, Sunil Grover, and Anup Soni was released on September 25, and while it drew mixed reviews overall, its Chhathi Maiya musical segment earned widespread audience acclaim upon release. Although some early social media critics pointed out that recording the track in regional Bhojpuri might have enhanced authenticity, the filmmakers cleverly kept a heartwarming surprise in store by incorporating Sharda Sinha’s original soulful classic into the narrative. Preserving the emotional core and energy of the festival, producers Arunabh Kumar and Deepak Kumar Mishra featured the timeless folk song in a scene depicting Shweta Tiwari and Anup Soni preparing for the sacred celebrations. Nishant Singh, a filmmaker associated with The Viral Fever, shared a clip of the theatre screening where the song played, captioning it as an unforgettable cinematic experience and urging Chhath devotees not to miss it. Viewers flooded social media with profound reactions, as one fan noted that the film would succeed purely because of Chhathi Maiya, another experienced intense goosebumps, and a third emphasized that Sharda Sinha’s voice paired with Chhath always triggers an emotional wave. Even non-natives of Bihar confessed to feeling a magical charm in the melody, while others associated it deeply with childhood memories, tears of nostalgia, and the pure essence of regional culture. Revered lovingly as the Voice of Chhath and Bihar’s Kokila for her immortal contributions to Maithili, Magahi, Bhojpuri, and Hindi music, Sharda Sinha remains irreplaceable, as no Chhath celebration or festive social media reel feels complete without her timeless voice. Honored with the Padma Shri in 1991, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000, and the Padma Bhushan in 2018, the legendary singer hailed from Bihar’s Supaul district and lent her voice to unforgettable cinematic tracks like Kahe Toh Se Sajna from Maine Pyar Kiya and Taar Bijli from Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2. Despite her versatile repertoire, she remained eternally beloved for her devotional Chhath compositions that resonated effortlessly across multiple generations. Having battled multiple myeloma since 2017, Sharda Sinha peacefully passed away in November 2024 at AIIMS Delhi at the age of 72, leaving behind an eternal legacy that continues to live on through every single note of her immortal music.
Biharis Get Emotional as Tamannaah Bhatia’s ‘Vvaan’ Features Sharda Sinha’s Legendary Chhath Song
