BHUBANESWAR: The first radio artiste of Odisha Sanjukta Roy (91) breathed her last on August 15.
A disciple of classical instrumentalist late Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb of Gwalior, Sanjukta was allowed to perform at the launch of the All India Radio (AIR) station at Cuttack in 1948. Her performance was lauded by one and all. Thereafter, she began performing regularly for AIR-Cuttack, Bombay and Delhi stations.
It was former chief minister Harekrushna Mahatab who encouraged her to go to Mumbai (Bombay then) to learn classical music and she was awarded a scholarship by the Odisha government in 1954 to undergo intensive training under established masters and gurus in Hindustani classical music. She also had many Odia hits to her credit like ‘Bata Chada Subhata Nagar’, ‘Mane Paduchi Bou’, ‘Udigala Gendalia’, ‘Baga Baguli’, ‘Mahua Bane Lo’, among others.
For her contribution to the field of music, AIR-Cuttack felicitated her on several occasions apart from various other cultural organisations.