Hira Devi Waiba Biography 
Hira Devi Waiba was a Nepali folk singer from Darjeeling who belonged to a family of musicians. In a career spanning to about 4 decades, she has sung nearly 300 folk songs and her first recording happened with Radio Nepal in 1966. Her evergreen song - Fariya Lyaidechhan Tyai Pani Rataa Jhalala made her popular even beyond borders. Wara dauri jada, para dauri jada and mayalu binti cha hai mero are her other popular songs. Waiba also worked as an announcer for the All India Radio in Kurseong from 1963 to 1965, before she entered singing field. Waiba died on 19 January 2011 at the age of 71 years suffering from burning injuries. After severe burns on 18th, she was hospitalised at the North Bengal Medical College Hospital where she died the following day.
She was born in the year 1940 in Ambootia, Darjeeling of West Bengal. She gained renown as a singer by singing folk songs in the Nepali language and she is the only Nepali folk singer to have cut albums with HMV in Kolkata. She released two albums with HMV in 1974 and 1978. Her musical journey began with Radio Nepal in 1966 where she has worked as a radio announcer from 1963 to 1965. She recorded three songs in Kurseong for Radio Nepal in 1966, thus entering to the world of music. Nepal has honoured her with Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, Sadhana Samman and the Madhurima Phul Kumari Mahato Awards.
Waiba opened the SM Waiba International Music and Dance Academy at her home in Kadamtala, near Siliguri in 2008 as a tribute to her father. Mitrasen Purashkar by the Nepali Akademi of Darjeeling in 1986, the Mitrasen Smriti Puraskar by the Sikkim government in 1996, the Agam Singh Giri Puraskar in 2001 and the Gorkha Saheed Sewa Samiti’s Lifetime Achievement Award are the major Indian honours received by her.
Published: N/A
Updated: February 20, 2014
