Kolkata

Popular singer-cum-music director Pratul Mukhopadhyay died of age-related ailments at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Saturday.

The 82-year-old singer was admitted to the state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for quite some time.

A medical board was formed for his treatment.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took personal initiatives to ensure the best treatment facilities for the singer and went to S.S.K.M. recently to enquire about his health conditions.

However, all efforts by the doctor to ensure the recovery of Mukhopadhyay proved futile and he died at 10 a.m. at the hospital.

Incidentally, the death of Mukhopadhyay coincides with the death anniversaries of two other legendary personalities from the state's music world namely Sandhya Mukhopadhyay and Bappi Lahiri.

Pratul Mukhopadhya was born on June 25, 1942, in Barisal of the undivided Bengal, now a part of Bangladesh. His father was a schoolteacher.

After the partition, his family shifted to Chinsurah in Hooghly district of West Bengal, where the singer spent his childhood. From a very young age, he was attracted to music, and when he was just 12, he composed the tune of a folk song scripted by Mangalacharan Chattopadhyay.

His passion for the Bengali language was evident in the song - Ami Banglai Gan gai (I sing in Bengali). His passion for folk music was evident in songs like Ami dhan katar gan gai (I sing the song of harvesting paddy).

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The Chief Minister in a message has expressed condolence over the death of Mukhopadhyay.

"I met the deceased singer at the hospital where he was admitted a few days back. His death is an irreparable loss for the music world of West Bengal. I express my heartfelt condolences to the family members of Pratul Mukhopadhyay," the Chief Minister's statement read.