Vocalist Maithili Thakur, 25, is once again in the news this time over rumours of her contesting the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 from her home constituency Madhubani. BJP in-charge for Bihar, Vinod Tawde, shared pictures of a meeting with Maithili and her father with Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, in New Delhi.
Singer Maithili Thakur is likely to contest the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 from her home constituency, Madhubani. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in-charge for Bihar, Vinod Tawde, shared glimpses of her meeting with Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in New Delhi.
Tawde addressed Maithili as “Bihar’s daughter” while sharing the pictures on X.
After facing multiple rejections on singing reality shows, Maithili Thakur finally shot to fame as a runner-up contestant on the popular music reality show Rising Star. On her father’s advice, the young and talented singer has been promoting Indian cultural heritage through folk songs and classical pieces that have resonated with people and helped expand her social media following. The singer was awarded the Cultural Ambassador of the Year Award by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, at the inaugural National Creators Award on 8 March 2024.
Maithili’s rise to fame
Maithili was 17 years old when she participated and almost won Rising Stars on Colors TV, judged by Shankar Mahadevan, Monali Thakur, and Diljit Dosanjh. Entering the reality show with a soulful rendition of Om Namah Shivaay, the singer from a remote village of Bihar, instantly became a favourite of the judges. Winning the ticket to finale round against where she was pitted against contestant Vikram Jeet, she entered finale along with Banett Dosanjh. As the audience voting decided the fate of the finalists, Maithili fell short of just two votes, thus settling for the second position. However, years of her hard word and dedication solidified her position, and the young singer won multiple awards to gain more popularity than any other contestant on the show.
Her early brush with reality TV
This was Maithili’s first shot at reality TV. Before Rising Star, Maithili participated in two other popular reality shows as a kid – Little Champs in 2011, and Indian Idol Junior in 2015, at the age of 11 and 15 respectively. However, she was eliminated in both the shows after reaching Top 20.
Before public memory of her Rising Star fame faded, Maithili created her own platform on social media, as suggested by her father, and sung songs her grandfather taught her as a young child. The songs instantly became a sensation among audience, as Maithili appeared on her social media along with her two younger brothers, Rishav and Ayachi.
Why Maithili couldn’t go to school
However, even before she considered a music career in Mumbai, Maithili struggled relentlessly to receive formal education. In a conversation with South China Morning Post in 2020, the singer revealed that she was initially home schooled as there were no good educational institutions in her village. Her grandparents were a huge influence for her as they used to sing spiritual songs and by age 3-4, Maithili started singing with them.
Realising her potential, her father brought their family to Delhi, and though the family didn’t have money to send her to school, she received guidance and tips from her father who also groomed her on “how to behave, how to greet people, how to not be hurt by things that people may say and to stay strong,” according to SCMP.
Tough days at a government school
When Maithili eventually got an opportunity to receive formal education at a government school, the experience was anything but unpleasant. In words of Maithili: “When I was eight years old, I visited a music school. A man from a government school asked my father which school I went to. After he explained I was home-schooled, the man offered to send me to a government school. They were quite mean – I was expected to stay in the music room and help other students prepare for music competitions. I didn’t know how to deal with this situation and I told my father. He wasn’t happy about it but advised me to go with the flow,” she told the outlet.
Finally, Maithili’s talent was spotted by a man who promised to cover her school fee and she got through Bal Bhavan International School. “I visited the school with my father and sang for the principal. It was agreed I would attend the school for free on one condition: I had to represent Bal Bhavan International School – and win,” she said in the interview.
On being bullied
It took time for Maithili to settle in the school life as she scored poorly in the first year as she didn’t understand English language. Students also made fun of her by saying: “Oh, you’re from Bihar, you are stupid.”
That didn’t deter Maithili from working hard and the following year, she studied really hard and got 90 per cent-plus. While the teasing stopped, she was still isolated and just focussed on studies. Soon her brothers joined her too at the school and their costs were covered too, the singer recollected her early days, considering it as a turning point in her life.
Maithili also shared how she wanted to become an IAS officer at one point. However, fate had other plans for her.