Kolkata: Legendary Bengali semi-classical singer Sandhya Mukherjee passed away on the evening of February 15 following a massive cardiac arrest, leaving behind millions of mourning fans of all ages across borders. She was 91.Her death was condoled by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.Mukherjee had been in the hospital since January 27 due to ill health and was put on vasopressor support and shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) earlier in the day following a drop in her blood pressure, PTI reported, quoting hospital sources.She suffered a massive heart attack at around 7.30 pm, the senior hospital official told PTI.Mourning Mukherjee’s death Mamata Banerjee said she would curtail a three-day tour to the northern districts of the state which had embarked on and would return to the city to attend her last rites.Deeply saddened that Geetashree Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, the queen of melody in Bengal, is no more. Her departure creates an eternal void in our world of music and in the hearts of millions of her followers here and in the diaspora.(1/3)— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 15, 2022Prime ministers on either side of the border also mourned her.The passing away of Gitashree Sandhya Mukhopadhyay Ji leaves us all extremely saddened. Our cultural world is a lot poorer. Her melodious renditions will continue to enthral the coming generations. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 15, 2022In a message, Sheikh Hasina said “Geetshri’ (distinguished musician) Sandhya Mukherjee not only spread musical magic throughout the sub-continent, her role in Bangladesh’s freedom struggle will never be forgotten.”During the liberation war Sandhya Mukherjee raised awareness about refugees crisis amid Pakistani atrocities in 1971 in then East Pakistan. She was one of the first foreign artists to visit Dhaka after Independence of the country in 1971.Bangladesh PMO release: pic.twitter.com/JLWmuOQ22I— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) February 15, 2022Mukherjee played a role in the Bangladesh liberation war, joining many leading artists who performed free concerts to raise money for the 10 million East Pakistan citizens who were forced to seek refuge in India.She also sang for the ‘Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra’ (Free Bangladesh Radio) in Kolkata, set up by the Government of Bangladesh in exile.When Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, returned to Bangladesh in 1972, he was greeted by a song sung by Mukherjee which was played on Swadhin Bangla Betar.Born in 1931 in Kolkata, Mukherjee was trained in the 1940s by Santosh Kumar Basu, A.T. Kannan and Chinmoy Lahiri. She began her formal training in the Patiala Gharana under the legendary Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.She began her career as a playback singer in the early 1950s.Cutting across borders, for millions of Bengalis across the globe, Mukherjee became the voice of an era of romance, where stars like Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen ruled the matinee lights.Mukhopadhyay has sung for numerous Bengali and Hindi films, and has worked with leading music directors, including S.D.Burman, Madan Mohan, Naushad, Anil Biswas and Salil Chaudhury.The singer, a recipient of the ‘Banga Bibhushan’, and National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer had refused an offer of a Padma Shri award when she was contacted by central government officials on the phone for her consent before Republic Day this year.She is survived by her daughter and son in law.(With PTI inputs)
