With the demise of Punjabi and Hindi singer and actor Pushpa Hans on 8 December 2011, the border town of Fazilka lost an artiste that did the area proud. Having enthralled the audience for over half a century, Pushpa Hans, a Padmashri, was born on November 30, 1917.

She did her basic schooling from Fazilka and moved to Lahore for further studies. She did her Bachelor's in Music from there. She started her singing career with the All India Radio in Lahore.

She took Indian classical music training for 10 years at famous Patwardhan Gharana of Lahore.

"Punjabi music lovers have lost a legend," said former East Punjab Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Varinder Kataria, who was closely associated with her. "I brought her to Fazilka in 1998 after she had left the town in her 30s."

She was awarded Padmashri in 2007 for her contribution in the field of art and culture. She was also a recipient of the Punjabi Bhushan Award.

Pushpa Hans acted in several films, including V. Shanta Ram's "Apna Desh" in 1949 and Sohrab Modi's "Sheesh Mahal" in 1950.