UP Tech Next Summit: Malini Awasthi wins hearts, dedicates song to UP CM's adviser on their wedding anniversary | Watch

Malini Awasthi is a celebrated Indian singer, often called the 'Folk Queen of India'.

In a heart-warming moment, renowned folk singer and Padma Shri awardee Malini Awasthi dedicated an impromptu song to her husband, Awanish Kumar Awasthi, adviser to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, at Moneycontrol’s UP Tech Next Summit on Tuesday.

Awasthi, who was seated in the audience, engaged in a brief and lively interaction with the host before revealing that it was their wedding anniversary today.

🎶✨ A musical moment at #UPTechNext!

Malini Awasthi (@maliniawasthi) performs a soulful folk song for her husband and UP CM Advisor Awanish Kumar Awasthi, creating a warm and memorable moment on stage. #MaliniAwasthi#AwanishAwasthi#UPGovt#Culture#Eventspic.twitter.com/SetMj3M8Ml — Moneycontrol (@moneycontrolcom) December 2, 2025

She sang the popular folk song "najariya lag jayegi" sang in Uttar Pradesh weddings.

Speaking about the institution of marriage, Malini said, "In India, we have managed to save our traditions and culture because of the very strong foundation of marriage. Marriage is all about family values and bonding. Any marriage requires a lot of understanding and companionship where you surrender your ego....Do get married and have children as fast as possible."

She said they have been married for 38 years.

The couple has two children: a son named Adwitiya and a daughter named Ananya.

Malini has worked for years on documenting and popularising the genre in India and beyond.

The Padma Shri awardee is a classically trained musician and is famous for her mastery over folk songs in dialects such as Braj, Bundeli, Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Kashika - a mix of Bhojpuri and Hindi spoken in Varanasi. She can easily traverse through complicated classical ragas, ghazals and songs in folk traditions like kajri, chaiti, dadra, phaag and sohar.