Suman Kalyanpur receives a national honour during her lifetime, while mourners and officials pay their final respects during her funeral with state honours in Mumbai on Monday.
MUMBAI : Veteran playback singer and Padma Bhushan awardee Suman Kalyanpur, whose voice became part of some of Indian cinema’s most loved songs and several memorable Assamese classics with Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, was laid to rest with full state honours in Mumbai on Monday.
The 89-year-old singer passed away at her residence in Andheri on Sunday night due to age-related ailments.Her last rites were performed at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle West, where family members, music lovers and admirers gathered to pay their final respects. Floral tributes poured in through the day as many remembered one of the most recognisable voices of Hindi cinema from the 1960s and 1970s.
Born as Suman Hemmadi on January 28, 1937 in Dhaka, then part of the Bombay Presidency, her family later moved to Mumbai, where she received her musical training and gradually entered the world of playback singing. Though she initially studied painting at Mumbai’s Sir J.J. School of Arts, music eventually became her lifelong journey.
She trained under noted musicians including Pandit Keshav Rao Bhole, Ustad Khan Abdul Rehman Khan and Master Navrang.Over the decades, Suman Kalyanpur recorded more than 800 songs in multiple Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Kannada, Odia and Punjabi.
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In the Northeast, she remained especially admired for her collaborations with music legend Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. Her voice gave life to Assamese songs such as “Milanor Ei Shubhokhan”, “Bijuleer Pohar Mor Nai” from Chikmik Bijuli and “Jibon Ghorir Protito Pal” from Kanchghar.
She was also known for evergreen Bollywood songs including “Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche” from Brahmachari and “Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhin Se Kar Baithe” from Jab Jab Phool Khile.For many years, listeners often mistook her voice for that of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar because of their similar vocal texture and tone.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several political leaders offered condolences following her demise.Suman Kalyanpur is survived by her daughter, Charu Agny.
Inputs from Raju Vernekar