Coronavirus update: Legendary playback singer Sandhya Mukherjee dies at 90

Legendary playback singer Sandhya Mukherjee died yesterday of a cardiac arrest. Mukherjee, 90, had been hospitalized on 27 January after testing positive for COVID-19. Her condition had been described of late as 'stable but critical'.

Mukherjee, who dominated Bengali film music for nearly four decades from the early 1950s, had rejected the government's offer of a Padma Shri award in the Republic Day honours list. The veteran felt humiliated at being chosen for an award that had been conferred over the years on innumerable artistes much junior to her.

A student of Hindustani classical music under the legendary Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and his son Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, Mukherjee started her career as a playback singer in Bombay in the late 1940s, singing for close to 10 Hindi films, including Anjangarh (1948), Ek Do Teen (1953), Baghi (1953) and Jagte Raho (1956) until she moved back to Calcutta for good.

Known for Bengali hits like 'Ganer Mor Kon Indradhanu' from Agni Pariksha (1954), 'E Sudhu Ganer Din' and 'Tumi Nahoy Rohite Kachhe' from Pathey Holo Deri (1957), and 'Ami Je Jalsaghare' from Antony Firingee (1967), besides numerous other film and non-film songs, Mukherjee worked closely with Hemanta Kumar Mukherjee, Salil Chowdhury, Nachiketa Ghosh and other top music directors of the era.

She also became known as the voice of the legendary star Suchitra Sen.

Popularly known as 'Geetasri', Mukherjee also played a crucial role during the Bangladesh liberation war by assisting Bangladeshi musician Samar Das to set up the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, a clandestine radio station broadcasting to erstwhile East Pakistan, and recording several patriotic songs for him.

Mukherjee won the National award for Best Female Playback singer in 1970 for her songs for Nishipadma (1970) and Jay Jayanti (1971). She was feted with the Banga Bibhushan award by the government of West Bengal in 2011.