Gurmeet Bawa
Gurmeet Bawa (18 February 1944 – 21 November 2021) was an Indian Punjabi language folk singer. She was known as "Lambi hek di malika" () for her long "hek" () that she could hold for about 45 seconds. She was the first Punjabi female singer to sing on Indian public service broadcaster, Doordarshan. Early life. Gurmeet Bawa was born as Gurmeet Kaur in 1944, to father S. Uttam Singh and mother Ram Kaur, in the village of Kothe in British Punjab. The village is now a part of Gurdaspur district of Indian Punjab. Her mother died when she was two years  old. At that time, girls were not allowed to study or go out without elders' permission but Bawa, who dreamt of being a teacher, passed her Junior Basic Training exams and became the first woman from the region to be a teacher. Career. Bawa started her career in 1968. She sang with the Punjabi folk instruments, including alghoza, chimta, dholki and tumbi. In one of her initial performances, she impressed the audience in a function organised by the Punjab Association in Mumbai and received a standing ovation from Bollywood stars such as Prem Chopra, Pran, and Raj Kapoor. Kapoor famously  requested "boli", "main jatti Punjab di, meri Nargis wargi akh". She also performed overseas. She represented India during the festival of India organised in the USSR in 1987 and Japan in 1988. She performed at the Thailand Culture Center in Bangkok in 1988 and also represented the country in the Bosra festival and the 25th Jashan-E-Azadi festival in Tripoli, Libya, in 1989. Bawa was known for her "hek", or the ability to sing folk verses in a single breath and was known to have been able to do that for at least 45 seconds. This trait earned her  the title "Lambi hek di malika" (). Some of her notable singles included the cover for "Jugni" (). She was also the first Punjabi female singer to sing on Indian public service broadcaster Doordarshan. Some of her other popular songs included "Ghorian" (Punjabi wedding song) and "Mirza" (Punjabi saga of Mirza Sahiban). Her performances were accompanied by the alghoza, a wind instrument that was used by Punjabi folk singers. Pammi Bai credited her for popularising the alghoza, dhol, chimta and various Punjabi folk instruments. Personal life. Bawa was married to Kirpal Bawa, a Punjabi folk singer, with whom she had three daughters , of whom two, Lachi Bawa and Galori Bawa, are singers. She died in a hospital at Amritsar on 21 November 2021. She was aged 77. Her daughter, Lachi Bawa, had predeceased her in February 2020. Awards. Bawa was a recipient of the "State Award" by the Punjab government in 1991, "Sangeet Puraskar" by the Punjab Natak Akademi, the national "Devi Ahillya Award" by the Madhya Pradesh government in 2002, and the "Shromani Gayika Award" by the Punjabi language department in 2008. She was also the recipient of the "Rashtrapati Puraskar" by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. In January 2022, Bawa was  posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan "for her distinguished contribution in the field of art".