Suman Kalyanpur passes away at 89; Tributes flood in for music veteran

Padma Bhushan Suman Kalyanpur, who is known for her songs in the Hindi and Marathi film industry, passed away at the age of 89. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other ministers paid tribute to the veteran singer and remembered her contribution to Indian music.Union Minister Nitin Gadkari called the demise of Suman Kalyanpur "heartbreaking", describing it as a "great loss to the Indian music world.""The news of the passing of Padma Bhushan Suman Kalyanpur, the popular, legendary, and senior playback singer in the Indian music world, is extremely heartbreaking. My heartfelt tribute to her. Suman Kalyanpur's departure is a great loss to the Indian music world. In Marathi, Hindi, and many other languages, she immortalised thousands of songs with her voice. Popular Marathi songs like 'Ketakichya BTithe', 'Sang Kadhi Kalnar Tula', 'Nimbonyachya Jhadamaghe' in Sumanji's sweet voice are still on the lips of music lovers today. Her unparalleled contribution to the Indian music field is immense. May God grant peace to the departed soul and give strength to Sumanji's near and dear ones to recover from this sorrow. Om Shanti," wrote Nitin Gadkari on his X handle. Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid tribute to the singer by calling her songs evergreen, which will "resonate in the firmament of Indian music.""With her candid, pure, and sattvic notes that restored sanctity to music, the sad demise of the senior and supreme singer Suman Kalyanpur has snapped a melodious thread that connected two generations of music lovers. Through her voice, she expressed the emotions of many generations, gave words to love, melody to devotion, and the companionship of music to life's tender moments. With the strength of her gentle, pure, and emotionally resonant voice, she carved out a unique place for herself in the world of music," wrote Eknath Shinde on his X handle."Over the past seven decades, she satiated connoisseurs with countless immortal songs. In the Hindi film industry, her many duets sung alongside Mohammed Rafi remain fresh in the memory of listeners even today. Songs like "Na Tum Humen Jano" and "Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche" further solidified the enchantment of her voice," he continued.He also remembered the singer's contribution to devotional and film songs. While paying heartfelt tribute to Suman, Eknath Shinde wrote, "In Marathi sentimental songs, devotional songs, and film songs as well, she left an indelible mark with her singing. Not just in Marathi, but in Hindi, Gujarati, and Bengali languages too, she sang numerous compositions. In recognition of her boundless service to music, the Government of India honoured her in 2023 with the 'Padma Bhushan' award, one of the country's highest civilian honours. Though she is no longer with us today, her voice remains eternal. Time will march on, generations will change, but Suman Kalyanpur's sweet, sattvic, and soul-touching voice will forever resonate in the firmament of Indian music. A heartfelt tribute..." Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered his heartfelt tributes following the demise of legendary singer Suman Kalyanpur. Acclaimed Marathi author Mangala Khadilkar, who penned the biography "Suman Sugandh" on legendary singer Suman Kalyanpur, paid an emotional tribute to the late artiste, recalling her humility, musical sensitivity and enduring contribution to Indian music.Talking to ANI, she said, "My name is Mangala Khadilkar. I am fortunate that I was able to write about her. There are many stories...Because that biography was written when YouTube was not there, Google was not there. People had very little knowledge about her because she was a very quiet person. But we forced her to break her silence. So she broke her silence. At that time, all rasiks and all of us were very happy. There are many stories. Recently, we sang one of her songs. There is a word in that song. I don't remember all the words, but she had sung that particular word so softly. There is a beauty in the expression of a young couple. That is how that word comes. She used to sing every word with a lot of thought. That is why her songs were different. I will not say that it was like somebody else's singing. Her songs were different. They were her own songs. She added, In Marathi, we say 'Apna Komal Aatmabhaan'. In Hindi, I would say there was a softness of nature, a softness of voice and a softness of singing style. All three were present in her. So whatever was created with the combination of all three was so beautiful that there are no words for it. When we kept a mobile phone near her bed and played that song, we asked, 'Suman Tai, who sang this song? Who composed this song?' It was very difficult for her to speak. But when it came to her guru, she opened her eyes and looked at us for a moment. She said, 'Guru Abdul Rehman Khan. At that time, the gratitude towards the guru and the gratitude towards music was completely filled within her. Our Indian Bhaavsangeet has reached great heights. Whatever she has left behind through her singing is a heritage of immense value. We sing songs of Lataji and Ashaji, and the next generation will sing songs of Suman Tai. That is the beauty of it.”Padma Shree Awardee Suresh Wadkar paid an emotional tribute to veteran singer Suman Kalyanpur, saying that it is a great loss for Indian music and she will always be missed.NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar called Suman Kalyanpur's demise "heartbreaking". He described her death as the end of the "era of gold in the realm of Indian classical and light music."Sharad Pawar wrote on his X handle, "The news of the passing of veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur is extremely heartbreaking. With her sweet, melodious, and soul-stirring voice, she enriched the world of Indian music. Her immortal songs in Hindi, Marathi, and numerous other regional languages have reigned supreme over the emotional realms of generations. With her demise, an era of gold in the realm of Indian classical and light music has drawn the curtain. I offer my heartfelt tribute to her and extend my condolences to her family."Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Tweeted, "With the passing of veteran playback singer Suman Kalyanpur, a sweet, melodious, and soul-stirring voice in the Indian music world has fallen forever silent today. For over six decades, she reigned supreme in the hearts of music lovers with her unparalleled singing. Her immortal melodies in languages such as Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, and others remain an invaluable treasure of the music world. Honoured with the 'Padma Bhushan' award, Sumanji enriched Indian music with her magical voice. The sweetness and emotive expression in her songs will forever linger in memory. Her demise marks a profound loss to the music world. I offer my heartfelt tribute to her. We share in the grief of her family. Om Shanti"Suman Kalyanpur lent her vocals to timeless classics such as 'Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche' and 'Naa Naa Karte Pyar Tumhin Se Kar Baithe'. Her voice was often mistaken for that of Lata Mangeshkar's.She also sang two duets with Mangeshkar before charting a successful career as a playback singer. Suman was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2023.