'My audience loves me, that's my greatest prize'
"E path jodi na shesh hoi…." -- the voice in Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen-starrer film "Saptapadi' that has kept generations of Bengali music lovers spellbound has fallen silent as singing legend Sandhya Mukhopadhyay passed away today at the age of 90 at eastern Kolkata's Apollo Hospital.
She breathed her last following a massive cardiac arrest around 7:30pm this evening while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 infection at the hospital, reports our New Delhi correspondent citing hospital sources.
Despite extensive efforts to revive her, she passed away, hospital sources said.
Her demise brought an end to one of the last Mohicans of the golden period of Bangla music that spanned from 1960s till present time.
Sandhya Mukhopadhyay is survived by her daughter Soumi Sengupta.
"Sandhya di appeared to have recovered from Covid-19 but there was a sudden deterioration in her condition today before she passed away," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.
The cremation of Sandhya Mukhopadhyay has been scheduled for tomorrow evening with full state honours, she also said.
Her remains would be brought to Kolkata's cultural landmark Rabindra Sadan at 12 noon tomorrow and would be kept there till 5:00pm before being taken to the crematorium, the West Bengal CM added.
The legendary singer had been admitted to state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on January 27 when she was diagnosed with Covid-19 and was later shifted to Apollo Hospital the same evening. There, she underwent treatment for Covid-19 and reportedly recovered from it, raising hopes that she could finally pull it off.
Earlier last month, Sandhya refused to accept the Indian government's Padma Shri award, saying it would be demeaning for her to accept the honour.
"After so many years, I have been selected for the award. I will not accept it as it is demeaning for me to take the award at this age when I am old and almost immobile. I am a disciple of Bade Gulam Ali Saheb and I have performed with him in stage shows. The whole country and my audience love me, that is my greatest prize," she had said on January 27.
Sandhya Mukhopadhyay will be remembered by millions for her role in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 when she joined leading artistes to perform concerts to raise money for the 10 million refugees who were forced to take shelter in India.
She also sang for the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in 1971 when its headquarters was located at Theatre Road in Kolkata -- set up by the then Bangladesh government-in-exile.
Her songs not only motivated Mukti Bahini soldiers but also played a crucial role in mobilising the common people to the war efforts by creating a patriotic fervour in their hearts.
When Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to a newly-independent Bangladesh in 1972, he was greeted with the song "Bangabandhu tumi phire ele..." sung by Sandhya Mukhopadhyay which was played on Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra.
With the lyrics penned by Abidur Rahaman and composed by Sudhin Dasgupta, one of the most prolific composers from West Bengal, Sandhya's voice made the song more memorable. It was an emotional reminder of the sufferings and sacrifices Bangladeshis underwent during the Liberation War.
Born in Kolkata on October 4 in 1931, Sandhya Mukhopadhyay had sung more than 1,000 songs and is noted for her playbacks in Bengali and Hindi films and her duets with the legendary Hemanta Mukherjee.
She sang under the direction of iconic composers including SD Burman, Roshan and Madan Mohan, among others.
Lovingly called "Gitasree", Sandhya Mukhopadhyay received the National Film Award for best female playback singer twice for her song in the film "Sandhya Deeper Sikha (1965)" and "Jay Jayanti (1972)" (a Bengali remake of 'Sound of Music').
She was conferred West Bengal government's highest recognition Banga Bibhushan in 2011.
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