Bhubaneswar: Veteran Odia playback singer Pranab Patnaik died at a private hospital Friday, family sources said. He was 88.
Patnaik, who had ruled the Odia music and film industry for over five decades, suddenly fell ill and was rushed to a private hospital, where he died.
He is survived by wife Kasturi Patnaik and two sons.
Some of his popular songs include “Majhi Re”, “Mun Keun Sahare”, “Tuma Gaon Mahumachhi”, “Chala Ame Palaijiba Sahar”, “Prema Tini Jati” and “Smruti Tor Phere”.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, BJD president Naveen Patnaik and several other eminent personalities condoled his death.
In a post on X, Majhi said he was “deeply saddened” by the passing of the veteran vocalist, whose “soul-stirring voice” had enchanted Odisha.
“This unparalleled musical maestro, adorned with numerous honours such as the Jayadev Award, the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the State Film Award, has left an irreplaceable void in the world of Odia art and culture with his demise,” the chief minister said.
Majhi said Patnaik’s enchanting voice and timeless compositions would remain immortal in the hearts of Odias.
“In this hour of grief, I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and countless admirers, while praying to Lord Sri Jagannath for the eternal peace of the departed soul. Om Shanti,” he said.
Naveen Patnaik said the veteran singer’s “sweet singing style” had made several Odia songs immortal in people’s hearts.
“His contributions to enriching the music world will remain forever memorable. In this sorrowful time, I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members while praying for the eternal peace of the departed immortal soul,” the former chief minister said.
Senior politician Bijay Mohapatra also condoled Pranab Patnaik’s death and recalled his close association with the singer.
Born January 20, 1938, Pranab Patnaik drew inspiration from his father Lal Mohan Patnaik, a former Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
He received formal training in music under Guru Kunal Adinarayan before beginning his professional career.
Patnaik made his playback singing debut in 1958 with the Odia film ‘Maa’ and went on to lend his voice to more than 200 Odia films.
He was closely associated with the singing veterans and music directors such as Akshaya Mohanty, Shantanu Mahapatra, Balakrishna Das and Prafulla Kar.
Apart from playback singing, Patnaik contributed to Odissi music, folk, devotional and bhajan music, semi-classical compositions, traditional songs, Hindi geet and ghazals.
He was also closely associated with All India Radio.
He was honoured with several awards, including the Jayadev Puraskar, Balakrishna Das Memorial Award in 2023, Gangadhar Rath Memorial Award in 2017, Prafulla Kar Award in 2011, Big Odia Entertainment Award in 2010 and the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1997-98.
He also sang a number of duets with renowned national singers including Vani Jairam, Hemlata, Usha Mangeshkar, Bhupinder Singh, S Janaki, P. Susheela, Nirmal Mishra and Haimanti Shukla.
He was honoured with the prestigious Jayadev Puraskar, Balakrishna Das Memorial Award (2023), Gangadhar Rath Memorial Award (2017), Prafulla Kar Award (2011), Big Odia Entertainment Award (2010) and the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1997-98) and others.
