Veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and celebrated voice in Hindi and Marathi cinema, has died at the age of 89. Tributes poured in from across the political and cultural spectrum following the news of her passing.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari described her death as “heartbreaking” and called it a major loss to the Indian music industry. In his tribute on social media, he highlighted her vast contribution across Marathi, Hindi and other languages, noting that her songs remain deeply cherished by listeners. He specifically mentioned popular Marathi tracks such as Ketakichya Bani Tithe, Sang Kadhi Kalnar Tula, and Nimbonyachya Jhadamaghe, praising their enduring appeal.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also paid homage, describing her voice as pure, soulful and spiritually uplifting. He said her singing had connected generations of music lovers and given expression to themes of love, devotion and emotion. Shinde recalled her extensive body of work over seven decades, including memorable duets with Mohammed Rafi such as Na Tum Humein Jano and Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche. He noted her contributions to Marathi devotional and film music, as well as her work in Hindi, Gujarati and Bengali.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar called her passing “heartbreaking”, saying it marked the end of a golden era in Indian light and classical music. He praised her melodious and soulful voice, which he said had enriched generations across multiple languages.
Kalyanpur was widely respected for her extensive repertoire, which included timeless songs such as Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche and Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhin Se Kar Baithe. Her voice was often compared to that of Lata Mangeshkar, leading to frequent confusion between the two singers early in her career. She also recorded two duets with Mangeshkar before establishing her own successful identity in playback singing.
She was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2023 in recognition of her significant contribution to Indian music.
(With inputs from ANI)
