"May she rest in peace."
Legendary Punjabi folk singer Gurmeet Bawa passed away at the age of 77 at a hospital in Amritsar on November 21, 2021.
Gurmeet’s health deteriorated on November 20, 2021, and was admitted to an Amritsar hospital.
Gurmeet Bawa was one of the singers known for singing ‘Jugni’ after Alam Lohar.
She has been the recipient of various awards and accolades, such as the Shiromani Gayika Award by the Punjab Language Department, the National Devi Ahilya Award and the State Award by the Punjab Government, among others.
Gurmeet was also the first Punjabi language singer to sing on the television network Doordarshan.
She married Kirpal Singh Bawa in 1968 and had three daughters with him.
Her eldest daughter, Punjabi folk singer Lachi Bawa, passed away in 2020 at the age of 46 after battling a prolonged illness.
Gurmeet, who began her career in 1968, was widely recognised for singing with Punjabi folk instruments likes algoze, chimta, dholki and tumbi.
Many of Gurmeet’s songs were featured in Punjabi films such as Laajo, Sarpanch, Balbiro Bhabhi, Zora Jatt and Suhag Diyan Choodiyan.
Gurmeet cemented her career as a folk singer in 1969 when she performed in Mumbai alongside Indian singer Narendra Chanchal.
Following her performance, Gurmeet received a standing ovation from the audience which included Bollywood stars like Prem Chopra, Pran and Raj Kapoor.
Gurmeet had also performed overseas including in Japan, Bangkok and Libya.
Tributes started pouring in shortly after the news of her death broke out.
Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali took to Instagram to pay his respects to the singer.
Imitiaz shared a throwback video clip of Gurmeet, singing ‘Jugni’.
In the caption, the filmmaker wrote:
“The eternal Jugni of Panjab, the legendary Gurmeet Bawa, the spirit of #highwaythefilm continues her divine journey.
“Love, gratitude and respect to her. May she rest in peace.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWh6egFNOSy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Charanjit Channi, the Chief Minister of Punjab, took to Twitter and wrote:
“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 and prayers are with her family.”
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. pic.twitter.com/y2pj3gjBd5
— Charanjit Singh Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) November 21, 2021
Music producer and DJ Surinder Rattan took to Twitter and wrote:
“Lucky to meet this lady Gurmeet Bawa RIP”
Fans of the singer also took to social media to pay their respects.
One Twitter user said: “Shocked to hear the news of the demise of Gurmeet Bawa.
“This is a big loss to the Punjabi folk music industry.”
“May God bless her soul in peace.”
Another fan wrote: “Deeply saddened by the loss of legendary folk Punjabi singer Mrs Gurmeet Bawa Ji.
“Her contribution to the Punjabi music industry will always be remembered.
“May Guru Sahib grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the family members to bear the loss.”
The cremation is set to take place on November 22, 2021.
Loading ...
