Teejan Bai

On 5th July 2026, renowned Pandavani folk singer Teejan Bai passed away in Raipur at the age of 69 following a prolonged illness.

She was the only person from Chhattisgarh to receive the Padma Vibhushan.
Born on 8 August 1956 in Atari Patan village of Durg district, Chhattisgarh, she began performing Pandavani at the age of 13 after learning the art from her grandfather, Brij Lal Pardhi.
Pandavani is a traditional folk singing style of Chhattisgarh that narrates stories from the Mahabharata through music, storytelling, and dramatic performance.
She received formal training under Ummaid Singh Deshmukh and gave her first public performance at Gram Chandrakhuri in Durg district.