Bheru Singh Chouhan

For more than fifty years, Bheru Singh Chouhan has carried the songs of Kabir and other saint-poets from village to village in Malwa. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Madhya Pradesh ^[1].

Singing since the age of nine

Bheru Singh Chouhan was born on 27 July 1961 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, and began singing at nine ^[2]. He sings Nirgun songs, a devotional folk tradition that tells the stories and teachings of saints such as Kabir, Gorakhnath, Dadu and Meera ^[2].

He began performing professionally in 1978 with the tambura and kartal. In those days there was little transport and no sound equipment, so he and his team walked or cycled from village to village to perform ^[2].

On radio and on stage

In 1989 he began singing on All India Radio in Indore, which brought him a much wider audience ^[2]. He has recorded cassettes and CDs, and has sung at national cultural festivals and Kabir festivals ^[2]. He kept singing even after being injured in an accident during a recording ^[2].

Songs with a message

Through the stories of the saints, his more than 6,000 performances have carried messages against untouchability and for social equality, women’s education and girls’ empowerment ^[2].