Calcutta: Eminent musician and exponent of Tagore Song, Mr Pankaj Kumar Mullick, died of cardiac arrest today at his south Calcutta residence.
The 73-year-old singer put his “golden” voice on All India Radio in 1921 and continued his association with it till his last days.
Pankaj Mullick, who was also an exponent of Indian classical music, had been ailing for quite some time after two heart attacks. The end came at 12-0 p.m. after a sever cardiac arrest.
He survived by his wife and daughter.
Many eminent personalities of the music world including Raichand Boral and Hemanta Kumar Mukherjee, and the Station Director of All India Radio, Mr D.K. Biswas, called at his south Calcutta residence to pay their homage.
Pankaj Mullick, who constituted the great musical trinity with K.L. Saigal and blind singer K.C. Dey, was equally well-versed in Tagore songs, geet, bhajan and ghazal in traditional classical style.
Like Saigal’s “Babul mora naihar chuta hi jaye.” Pankaj Mullick’s haunting melody “Piya milan ko jana” continues to delight music lovers all over the country till date.
Pankaj Mullick received Padma Shri in 1970 and Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1973, earlier having been conferred the Sursagar award in 1932.
During religious ceremonies at his house, Mullick came in contact with the eminent actor-musician, Durgadas Banerjee who took him under his classical fold. He also learnt Rabindra sangeet.
He lent his voice in about 100 films besides composing musical score for many Bengali and Hindi films. He also had a large number of discs to his credit.
An innovation of Pankaj Mullick was the introduction of “sangeet sikshar asar” (music training class) in Calcutta station of All India Radio in 1929 and continued till 1975.
“Sad, very sad”- this is how Union Information and Broadcasting Minister L. K. Advani reacted when given by Samachar the news of the passing away of Mr Pankaj Kumar Mullick in Calcutta today.
Later, in a condolence message, Mr Advani Said: A great stalwart in the field of music has departed.
Mrs Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi, described the demise of Pankaj Mullick as a “very disturbing news.”
In a condolence message she said’ ‘We have lost a very great artiste who brought so much warmth, light and delight into our life.”
Mr P. C. Chatterjee, Director General of All India Radio, said that “the whole nation will grieve over the passing away of Pankaj Kumar Mullick, the great singer.”