Anurag Thakur mourns passing of Himachali folk artist Phulan Chandel
Synopsis
BJP MP Anurag Thakur mourned the passing of Phulan Chandel, a folk artist from Ghumarwin, Bilaspur who dedicated her life to preserving and promoting Himachali folk dance and cultural traditions on September 27, 2026.
Key Takeaways
Phulan Chandel , a folk artist from Ghumarwin, Bilaspur district , Himachal Pradesh, has passed away.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur expressed condolences on September 27, 2026 , calling her loss 'irreplaceable' for Himachali culture.
Chandel was recognised for elevating Himachali folk dance and carrying regional traditions to national and international audiences.
Thakur described her lifelong practice as sadhana — devotion beyond mere performance — and prayed for peace for the departed soul.
Himachal Pradesh's folk arts community, largely outside formal institutional support, loses a key practitioner and custodian of living tradition.
A voice that carried the folk traditions of Himachal Pradesh to stages far beyond the hills has fallen silent. BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Sunday, September 27, 2026, expressed deep grief at the passing of Phulan Chandel, a celebrated folk artist from Ghumarwin in Bilaspur district — calling her loss an irreplaceable blow to Himachali culture.
In his condolence message posted in Hindi, Thakur wrote: 'देवभूमि हिमाचल के बिलासपुर स्थित घुमारवीं निवासी लोक कलाकार फुलां चंदेल जी के दिवंगत होने का समाचार अत्यंत दुःखद है।' — 'The news of the passing of folk artist Phulan Chandel ji, a resident of Ghumarwin in Bilaspur, Devbhoomi Himachal, is deeply saddening.' He described her as someone who turned Himachali folk culture and folk dance into a lifelong devotion, and through that dedication carried the state's living traditions to audiences across the country and the world.
A lifetime devoted to Himachali folk dance
Phulan Chandel was rooted in Ghumarwin, a town in the Bilaspur region of Himachal Pradesh — a landscape whose folk performing arts are as old as its mountain settlements. Thakur noted that she elevated the dignity of Himachali folk traditions, treating the art as sadhana — a form of dedicated spiritual practice. That framing speaks to the depth of her commitment: not performance for applause, but preservation as purpose.
Himachal Pradesh, often called Devbhoomi (land of the gods), holds a distinct tradition of regional folk music, dance forms, and oral storytelling that exists largely outside formal institutional structures. Artists like Chandel are the living thread of that inheritance. When they go, so does an irreplaceable lived vocabulary of movement and melody.
Thakur's appeal for the bereaved family
The MP prayed that the departed soul be granted peace at God's feet, and that her grieving family be given the strength to bear the sorrow — closing his message with Om Shanti. The tone was measured and personal, reflecting the weight that such a loss carries in a closely-knit cultural community. Elected representatives from Himachal Pradesh have a sustained practice of publicly acknowledging the deaths of local artists, recognising that their contributions to intangible cultural heritage often go unrecorded by formal institutions.
Whether the state government follows with a posthumous honour or a cultural programme in Bilaspur's memory is the question the folk-arts community will be watching closely now.
Point of View
Rarely during their productive years. Anurag Thakur's tribute, while sincere, also reflects a political pattern in Himachal Pradesh where elected representatives act as informal custodians of regional cultural memory, stepping in where state cultural bodies fall short. The question of posthumous honours is not merely ceremonial — it signals whether the BJP-held Hamirpur constituency and the state government are prepared to back folk arts preservation with resources, not just words. Each such passing sharpens the case for a formal register of Himachali performing-arts practitioners.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Phulan Chandel?
Phulan Chandel was a folk artist from Ghumarwin in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, known for her dedication to Himachali folk dance and for spreading the state's cultural traditions to audiences across India and beyond.
Why did Anurag Thakur post about Phulan Chandel's death?
Anurag Thakur is the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. He posted a condolence message on September 27, 2026, mourning Chandel's passing and acknowledging her irreplaceable contribution to Himachali folk culture.
Where is Ghumarwin located?
Ghumarwin is a town in Bilaspur district in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, commonly known as Devbhoomi.
What is the significance of Himachali folk dance?
Himachali folk dance is part of the state's intangible cultural heritage, rooted in centuries-old regional traditions. Artists like Phulan Chandel helped preserve and popularise these forms at a time when they exist largely outside formal institutional structures.
Will there be a posthumous honour for Phulan Chandel?
No official announcement has been made yet. The folk-arts community and cultural observers in Himachal Pradesh are watching whether the state government follows Thakur's tribute with formal posthumous recognition or cultural programmes in Bilaspur district.
