Santosh Devi

A 50 -years-old artist from Dura, Agra, Santosh Devi, has been learning music through Braj ki lokgeet. She began to learn folk music from her husband, Shri Jwala Prasad, taking inspiration from her mother-in-law, who was very supportive in taking her music. She has been working hard towards achieving proficiency in her craft and pursues it with tremendous passion. Interestingly, besides being a singer, she takes care of her family and does the household work. She considers Jwala Prasad as her Guru and life mentor speaks very highly of his teaching and achievements in the field of music. She mostly accompanies her husband in the chorus and at times contributes to the compositions. She is also A Grade singer approved by ALL INDIA RADIO, Agra. Santosh strongly feels that folk music ‘Braj Lokgeet’ is very closely linked with their tradition. “Music is keeping us rooted in our culture. Folk music is our life, and without it, there’s no life”, says Santosh Devi. She has accompanied her husband far wide and has performed in numerous locations within the country. She has received recognition letters and awards from Rita Bahora and Hema Malini for her contribution to folk music. She recalls her performance at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Ashram and regards it as the most memorable one. She has many studio experiences to her credit apart from being a known face in AIR, Agra. Santosh lives in a family of 5 people with her husband and four children. She is a housewife and doesn’t have any source of income. Despite all her struggles, she aims to keep developing her craft and dreams to stay connected with folk music and hopes someday, in the future, to see herself succeed through the art that she loves so much.

• Braj
• Uttar Pradesh