Pratul Mukhopadhyay Iconic Bengali Folk Singer Passes Away at 82
Pratul Mukhopadhyay had been under treatment for a long time, with a medical board formed for his care. Exhaustive efforts by the doctors and individual initiative on the part of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for his recovery did not go far in preventing death for Mukhopadhyay. Coincidentally, his death was marked on the death anniversary of fellow iconic musicians Sandhya Mukhopadhyay and Bappi Lahiri, making it a saddening day for Bengal’s music fraternity.
Born on 25 June 1942 in Barisal (now Bangladesh), Mukhopadhyay’s toddler life is tinged with partition, after his family migrated to Chinsurah, Hooghly. His first compositions began at age 12: “Ami Banglay Gan Gai” (I Sing in Bengali). His penchant for folk music made him known later with songs like “Ami Dhan Katar Gan Gai” (I Sing the Song of Harvesting Paddy).
Mukhopadhyay’s font of inspiration will go down in history for taking on social issues with music, often singing with no instrumental accompaniment. His songs such as “Ami Banglay Gan Gai” and “Dinga Bhashao Sagore” are still a great source of inspiration. His death closes a great chapter in Bengal music, leaving an irreplaceable void.
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