Teejan Bai

Teejan Bai was born on August 8, 1956, is an expert in Pandavani, a traditional art from Chhattisgarh, She was born in Ganiyari village, north of Bhilai, to Chunuk Lal Pardhi and his wife Sukhwati. The eldest of five siblings, she got her talent from her maternal grandfather, Brijlal Pardhi. Brijlal Pardhi is famous for reciting Mahabharata, written by Sabal Singh Chauhan, in the Chhattisgarhi language. She was trained under Umed Singh Deshmukh. She performed her first song at the age of 13 in a neighboring village, Chandrakhuri (Durg), for Rs 10, singing VEDMATI SHAILI (style) of Pandavani. Usually, women sing the sitting style, Vedamati. Contrary to tradition, Teejan Bai sang standing with her usual guttural voice. She became well-known in the neighborhood and got invitations to sing for special events and celebrations in a short time.

Her big break came when theater personality  Habib Tanvir Habib Tanvir was an acclaimed poet, actor, theatre >> Read More... saw her talent and invited her to sing for the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Later, she received national and international recognition. She was honored with the Padma Shri in 1988, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, and Padma Bhushan in 2003. Since the 1980s, she has traveled worldwide as a cultural ambassador. She traveled to England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Tunisia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania, and Mauritius. Teejan performed the Mahabharata sequences in Doordarshan's Bharat Ek Khoj, directed by Shyam Benegal.

She was honored with Padma Vibhushan in 2019. As she sang Pandavani, her community people expelled her. She made a hut for herself and lived her life. She divorced her husband, whom she married when she was 12. Later, she got remarried. She had performed in Draupadi Cheerharan, Dushasana Vadh, and Mahabharat Yudh, between Bhishma and Arjun.