Teejan Bai is a legendary Indian Pandavani folk singer from Chhattisgarh, known for her powerful storytelling through music based on the Mahabharata. She is one of the most prominent exponents of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form where the singer narrates and enacts epic tales with dramatic expression and musical accompaniment. She broke gender barriers early in her career by performing in a style traditionally dominated by men, gaining national and international recognition for her unique voice and stage presence. For her outstanding contribution to Indian folk art, she has received several prestigious honors including the Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2003), and Padma Vibhushan (2019)—one of India’s highest civilian awards.
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