Pandavani Folk Singer Teejan Bai Dies at 70

Teejan Bai, a legendary exponent of the Pandavani folk art form and recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, died on July 5, 2026, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raipur. She passed away at approximately 3:15 a.m. following a prolonged illness that began with her hospitalization on May 27 for breathing difficulties and weakness. Her medical complications included sepsis, acute kidney injury, and a severe lung infection, with some reports noting a cardiac arrest occurred shortly before her death.

Born in 1956 in Ganiyari village, Chhattisgarh, Bai rose from a modest background within the Pardhi scheduled tribe to achieve international acclaim. She broke significant gender barriers by mastering the male-dominated Kapalik style of storytelling based on the Mahabharata. Over a career spanning five decades, she performed in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Japan, and received the Fukuoka Arts and Culture Prize alongside India's highest civilian honors: the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep grief, describing her passing as an irreparable loss to the world of art and culture. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also praised her for bringing glory to the state. Her last rites were performed with full state honors in her native village of Ganiyari in the Durg district.