Usha Barle

Usha Barle is a performer of Pandwani, the Chhattisgarhi tradition of singing the story of the Pandavas from the Mahabharata, and of Panthi, a traditional dance of the state. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of art, from Chhattisgarh ^[1].

On radio and stage

Barle was born on 2 May 1968 ^[2]. She is an A-grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan in Raipur and has performed on all of All India Radio’s channels ^[2]. She has taken Pandwani and Panthi to many cities in India, including Delhi, Bhopal, Jaipur, Indore, Kolkata and Allahabad, and in 2007 to New York and London ^[2]. She performed at the Republic Day celebrations in 2006 and is a regular at the state’s Rajyotsava and folk art festivals ^[2].

Songs with a message

She has used her performances to tell women about their rights and to spread information about public health programmes on diseases such as AIDS and malaria ^[2]. Through recordings such as Chouka Vistar, she has also carried the message of the saint Guru Ghasidas and of Minimata, the social reformer, beyond Chhattisgarh ^[2].

Her honours include the Guru Ghasidas Samajik Chetna Puraskar and the Mini Mata Samman ^[2].