Legend Of Bengali Music No More: Singer Sandhya Mukherjee Passes Away At 90

Veteran Bengali singer Sandhya Mukherjee passed away at the age of 90 in Kolkata on Tuesday. Mukherjee died following a massive cardiac arrest at a private hospital in the city of West Bengal on February 15. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law. After the news broke, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the family.

Recently Mukherjee was in news for not accepting the Padma Shri award as she felt it was too late. Her daughter, Soumi Sengupta said, "At the age of 90, with a singing career spanning over about eight decades, being chosen for Padma Shri is demeaning for a singer of her stature."

She further said that a civilian award like this is better conferred on a junior artiste and not 'Gitasree' Sandhya Mukhopadhyay. Although this was not the first time that an artist had refused to accept the honours. In 2015, film writer Salim Khan refused to accept Padma Shri. In 2005, historian Romila Thapar too refused to accept Padma Bhushan and returned her 1974 award in 1984 after the siege of the Golden Temple by the Indian Army.

Suggested Reading: Who is Sandhya Mukherjee? Why Did The Veteran Singer Who Refused Padma Shri

Sandhya Mukherjee Passes Away At 90

Just three days after declining the state honour, she contracted COVID-19 and was rushed to the state-run SSKM hospital with signs of lung infection and breathlessness. The Kolkata Traffic Police had created a green corridor for her to be taken to the hospital.  The doctors attending to her found her suffering from a serious heart problem which further deteriorated her condition on January 26 evening. Mukherjee had also slipped in the bathroom and had developed infection in her lungs. She was undergoing treatment at Woodburn Block.

On her death yesterday, PM Modi tweeted, "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."

Born on October 4, 1931, Mukherjee, also known as Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, was a playback singer and musician, whose specialisation was in Bengali music. In the past, she has been the recipient of Banga Bibhushan, which is the highest civilian honour in the state of West Bengal.

She has also received the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. It was for her songs Amader Chuti Chuti, from the film Jay Jayanti and Ore Sakol Sona Molin Holo, from the film Nishi Padma in 1971.