An evening of Thumri in memory of Shobha Gurtu

Shobha Gurtu was born in 1925 in Belgaum. Though trained in classical khayal, she became more interested in light classical forms, mainly thumri and dadra. She was influenced by the style of legendary thumri singer Begum Akhtar. Shobha Gurtu's rich earthly voice was her biggest asset and suited light classical perfectly. After the demise of Begum Akhtar, she came to be known as the undisputed queen of thumri. Shobha Gurtu passed away on the September 27, 2004, after reigning for five decades as the queen of thumri. She has left behind a large following in the subcontinent and abroad.

Samina De Urmi is a regular khayal/thumri artiste of All India Radio & Doordarshan from Delhi. She has made appearances at classical music festivals all over India. She has also performed at many gatherings in North America, United Kingdom, Europe and Bangladesh.