Gwalior gharana exponent, singer Sunanda Patnaik dies in Kolkata

BHUBANESWAR: Noted Indian classical singer Sunanda Patnaik, reverentially referred to as ‘Guruma’, passed away in Kolkata’s Salt Lake on Sunday. She was 85.
Sunanda, the daughter of poet Baikunthanath Patnaik, was born in Cuttack and began her singing career with All India Radio at the tender age of 14. She was known for her high-pitched renditions and melodious voice.
Trained by Kundala Adi Narayana and later by Vinayak Rao Patwardhan of the Gwalior gharana in Pune, she received a master’s degree in music in 1956.She also received a scholarship in music from the country’s first President, Rajendra Prasad.
Sunanda was as adept at singing bhajans in Hindi and Odia as she was in pure classical. Her Jagannath bhajans — particularly ‘jeevana patra mo bharichha kete, mate’, which was written by her father — still remain popular in the state.
The Cuttack-born singer has received countless awards including the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1970 and 1971, the Indian Lifetime Achievement award in 2009 and the lifetime achievement award from the Orissa Society of the Americas in 2012. She also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award (Tagore Akademi Puraskar) in 2012. A film on her life — ‘Nilamadhaba’ — produced by the Films Division received the national award for best documentary in 2011.
Governor Ganeshi Lal, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Sarangi and state ministers Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi and Ashok Chandra Panda expressed grief at her passing.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of noted singer Sunanda Patnaik. Her place will always be special in the field of classical music. I heartfelt condolences with the bereaved family,” the chief minister tweeted.
Sunanda, a spinster, moved to Kolkata in 1983, where she launched a music institute, Vishnu Vinayak Sangeet Ashram, to teach Hindustani classical to students.