Bhubaneswar: Mortal remains of veteran Odia singer Pranab Patnaik were consigned to flames with state honours at Khannagar Crematorium, Cuttack on Friday. He had earlier breathed his last at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
The veteran singer was 88. He is survived by his wife Kasturi Patnaik and two sons.
His mortal remains were first taken from the hospital to his Lewis Road residence in Bhubaneswar where hundreds of people from different walks of life gathered to pay their last respects. From there the hearse carrying his body proceeded in a procession to the Khannagar Crematorium, Cuttack. There too a large number of people turned up to bid adieu to the legendary singer.
After his elder son, Satyakam, performed the necessary rituals, his body was cremated in the gas-operated crematorium.
Patnaik had been suffering from age-related ailments and had not been keeping well for some time. He had largely stayed away from cultural programmes in recent years. Whenever he attended such events, he had to be taken in a wheel chair.
His passing away marks the end of an era in Odia music. He will be remembered for his emotive voice and melodious singing style as well as for a rich repertoire of songs that continue to resonate with generations of listeners.
He made his playback singing debut with the film ‘Maa’ in 1958, marking the beginning of a long and illustrious career. He lent his voice to over 200 films. His ‘Majhire’ song from the film ‘Shesha Shrabana’ catapulted him to overnight fame.
Besides playback singing, he was equally adept at singing Odissi, semi-classical and traditional songs, as well as bhajans and Hindi ghazals.
Over the course of his career, he shared the recording space with several renowned singers, including Hemlata, Vani Jairam, S. Janaki, P. Susheela, Bhupinder Singh, Usha Mangeshkar and Haimanti Shukla.
A recipient of Jayadev Puraskar, Patnaik was also a recipient of seven-time State Film Award.
