Who was Queen Harish Kumar?

In a tragic incident, Queen Harish Kumar – the famous Rajasthani folk dancer – passed away on Sunday.

The deserts of Jaisalmer have seen Harish Kumar’s eclectic dancing moves since 1997. Bold as a man and mischievous as a woman, Harish pushed society’s norms of gender boundaries with bright clothes and sharper mascara.

The Queen had no fear of obstacles and the Jaisalmer native’s dance moves including folk dancer forms like Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Chang, Bhawai and Chari.

Harish also made appearances in The Accidental Prime Minister which starred Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh and in Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangajaal, the sequel to his cult classic Gangajaal.

He also featured in reality television show 'India's Got Talent' and many Bollywood films.

His death was mourned by various luminaries including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former CM Vasundhara Raje.

Condoling the death of the folk artists, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot tweeted, "The painful death of four persons including the celebrated artist Harish Kumar alias Queen Harish in a gruesome road accident in Jodhpur is extremely tragic. Dedicated to the folk art and culture of Rajasthan, Harish gave a new identity to Jaisalmer with his different dance style. His demise is a big loss in the folk art field."

जोधपुर में हुए भीषण सड़क हादसे में ख्यातनाम कलाकार हरीश कुमार उर्फ़ क्वीन हरीश सहित चार लोगों की दर्दनाक मृत्यु बेहद दुखद है। #Rajasthan की लोक कला संस्कृति को समर्पित हरीश ने विशेष शैली में नृत्य कला से #Jaisalmer को एक अलग पहचान दी।उनका निधन लोक कला क्षेत्र में एक बड़ी क्षति है pic.twitter.com/M5qDQplWrw

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) June 2, 2019

Vasundhara Raje also condoled his death saying that he gave a unique place to Rajasthani folk culture on the world stage.

जोधपुर के पास हुए सड़क हादसे में अंतर्राष्ट्रीय ख्याति प्राप्त कलाकार हरीश कुमार (क्वीन हरीश) सहित 4 लोगों की मौत का समाचार सुन बेहद दुःख हुआ। हरीश ने अपनी अनूठी प्रतिभा व नृत्य कला से राजस्थानी लोक संस्कृति को विश्व में अलग पहचान दी। उनका निधन #Rajasthan के लिए अपूरणीय क्षति है। pic.twitter.com/gqLnURCOpR

— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) June 2, 2019