BHUBANESWAR: With Pranab Kishore Patnaik’s passing, the golden era of Odia music has lost its last voice of the great troika. His was a baritone that transcended the boundaries of musical genres and had the power to soothe the romantic, stir the idealist and even awaken the inanimate.
In the company of greats like Akshaya Mohanty and Prafulla Kar, his oeuvre was distinct and matchless. Groomed in Hindustani classical music of the Gwalior Gharana, he was trained under Guru Kunal Adinarayan before entering the world of music, where he would be guided by maestros of Odisha like Balakrushna Das, Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and Binod Bihari Srichandan.
Patnaik infused a unique blend of sur, gayaki, expression and feeling into his renditions, making him a singer of rare versatility who mastered light music, classical, traditional and ghazal forms. He was fluent in multiple languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Assamese, and went on to sing for over 200 films during a career spanning five decades.
Born on January 20, 1938, Patnaik, the son of former Speaker of the Odisha Assembly Lal Mohan Patnaik, began his musical journey at the age of five. He made his singing debut in the Odia film ‘Maa’ in 1958 and went on to become a sensation before emerging as one of the most celebrated playback singers of the state. His riveting voice fitted a range of melodies, from bhajans to romance, from humour to melancholy.
In the healthy competition between contemporary geniuses Mohanty and Kar, Patnaik was often chosen by both and produced timeless songs.
The iconic ‘Maajhire’ from ‘Sesha Shrabana’, for which Kar composed the music, remains one of the all-time chartbusters of Odia film music.
The collaboration between Patnaik and Mohanty produced ‘Hai Se Harini Akhi’ in the film Jajabara in 1986. Patnaik was the lead singer, while Mohanty composed the music and wrote the lyrics.
Patnaik was also a vibrant symbol of Odia identity. Pick any Odia cultural symbol and he had a song for it, be it Lord Jagannath, Chilika Lake, Mahodadhi or the Bhagabata. Farmers and fisherfolk, among the state’s most common communities, found expression in his songs.
In fact, he probably sang more songs on boatmen than any other Odia singer. The oarsman’s song in ‘Sesha Shrabana’, ‘Chilika Tirey’ and ‘Chinha Achinha’ remain all-time greats.
Patnaik’s musical collaborations crossed regional boundaries. He shared the microphone with eminent singers like Vani Jairam, Hemlata, Usha Mangeshkar, Bhupinder Singh and S Janaki.
So expansive was his impact that Patnaik won the Odisha State Film Award for Best Playback Singer seven times for films such as Sindoora Bindu, Astaraga, Jhiati Sita Pari, Kanyadaan, Pratisodha Aparadha Nuhe and Asha.
He was also bestowed with the Jayadev Puraskar, the highest film award conferred by the Odisha government, for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the Odia film industry. He also received the Balakrushna Das Memorial Award in 2023, Gangadhar Rath Award in 2017, Prafulla Kar Award in 2011 and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1997-98.
He had a long association with All India Radio and inspired generations of singers. He is survived by his wife Kasturi Patnaik and two sons.
