Bhubaneswar, 21 August (H.S.): Veteran Odia playback singer Pranab Patnaik, one of the most celebrated voices in Odisha’s music industry, passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Friday. He was 88.

Born on January 20, 1938, Patnaik made an enduring contribution to Odia cinema and music over a career spanning more than six decades. He began formal musical training under Guru Kunal Adinarayan and entered the playback singing industry in 1958 with the Odia film Maa. He went on to lend his voice to more than 200 Odia films and worked with several leading music directors.

Patnaik was widely recognised for his distinctive voice and versatility, performing across Odissi, folk, devotional, semi-classical, traditional and Hindi music, besides ghazals.

He was the recipient of the Odisha State Film Award for Best Playback Singer seven times, including for Sindura Bindu (1976), Astaraaga (1982), Jhiati Sita Pari (1983), Kanyadana (1988), Pratishodha Aparadha Nuhen (1989) and Asha (1993), among others.

His other honours included the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1997-98), Big Odia Entertainment Award (2010), Prafulla Kar Samman (2011), Jayadev Puraskar (2016), Gangadhar Rath Memorial Award (2017) and the Balakrishna Dash Memorial Award (2023) for his lifetime contribution to Odia music.

Songs from films such as Shree Lokanath, Suryamukhi, Sindura Bindu, Sesha Srabana, Chinha Achinha and Batighara helped establish him as one of Odisha’s most popular playback singers.

During his long career, Patnaik also shared the stage and studio with several acclaimed singers, including Hemlata, Vani Jayaram, S. Janaki, P. Susheela, Nirmala Mishra, Bhupinder Singh, Usha Mangeshkar and Haimanti Sukla.

Patnaik’s death marks the loss of a prominent figure in Odisha’s musical heritage. His distinctive voice and extensive body of work are expected to continue to remain part of the state’s cultural legacy and resonate with generations of music lovers.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda