Sharda Sinha (1952–2024), the Bihar Kokila — “cuckoo of Bihar” — was the most beloved folk voice of Mithila and the wider Bhojpuri-Maithili world. Over five decades she recorded around sixty-two Chhath songs; for millions, the festival is unimaginable without her “Kelwa ke paat par” and “Ho Dinanath” drifting across the river ghats at dawn.
Trained in classical and folk traditions, she carried Maithili song into Bollywood too. She was honoured with the Padma Shri (1991), Padma Bhushan (2018) and, after her death, the Padma Vibhushan (2025) — a rare summit of recognition for a folk artist, and a measure of how deeply her voice belonged to the people of Mithila.