‘Irreparable loss for music industry’

Ludhiana: Politicians, members of Punjabi music and film industry, along with friends and family, attended the ‘bhog’ and the ‘antim ardas’ of legendary Punjabi folk singer Surinder Shinda at Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Sarabha Nagar on Friday.Shinda died at DMCH after multi-organ failure on July 26 and was cremated at a cremation ground in Model Town extension on July 29.Prominent personalities who paid condolences to the bereaved family, included former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, MP and reputed singer Hans Raj Hans, Punjabi folk singer Mohammad Sadeeq, singer Malkit Singh, and noted actor Jaswinder Singh Bhalla. Channi said he will urge the government to get a memorial constructed in the memory of the singer.64-year-old Shinda, who belonged to Choti Ayali village, was a renowned name in the Punjabi music industry and has left a rich legacy with several hit songs including Putt Jattan De, Jatta Jeona Morh, and Kaher Singh Di Mout. He had also appeared in Punjabi movies like ‘Ucha Dar Babe Nanak Da’ and ‘Putt Jattan De’. Punjab cabinet ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Gurmeet Singh Khudian also paid their respects to the departed soul.‘Lighthouse for contemporary singers’Dhaliwal said if Ayali village panchayat provides land, the state government will build a memorial-cum-museum as a tribute to the folk singer. The minister also announced a Rs 5 lakh grant from his discretionary funds for its construction.Terming Surinder Shinda a lighthouse for the contemporary singers, Khudia said he had had worked hard to promote folk singing and Punjabi culture among masses. He added that Shinda’s demise had caused irreparable loss to folk singing as well as Punjabi language. tnn