Shobha Deepak Singh, Sumitra Charat Ram’s daughter and director of Sriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK), who initiated the award, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we are presenting this award posthumously. She sang at the Kendra’s Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival only in March this year and little did one know that her words at that time would be prophetic. She had said, ‘I don’t know for how long I’ll sing, but singing at SBKK is always like homecoming. I have been part of the SBKK family since 1952 when I sang at the Constitution Club when the Kendra was founded’”. The event will also witness an audio visual presentation on Girija Devi, and will conclude with a musical tribute by her disciples.A recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award, Girija Devi, known famously as the thumri queen, was a celebrated classical singer of the Seniya and Beras gharas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri. Her repertoire included the semi-classical genres kajri, chaiti, and holi and she sang in the khayal, Indian folk music and tappa styles. She passed away on October 24, 2017.