Himachali folk singer Pratap Chand Sharma dies

Popular Himachali folk singer and poet Pratap Chand Sharma breathed his last at his native village in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Tuesday morning. He was 90.

Sharma was suffering from various age-related ailments for past some time, a Kangra district official said.

Having got fame with songs like 'Thandi Thandi Hawa Chaldi', Sharma ruled the hearts of several generations of the state with his melodious voice, the official said.

Sharma, who resided in Naleti village of Dehra subdivision, was associated with the state information and public relations department as an artist for some time.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Governor Acharya Devvrat condoled his demise.

In separate press statements, Thakur and Devvrat stated that Sharma contributed a lot to promote the traditional folk music of the state, for which he would be remembered for a long time. He would remain a source of inspiration to the young artistes.

Ministers Kishan Kapoor, Sarveen Choudhary, Vipan Parmar and Bikram Thakur also expressed grief over his demise.