Veteran Bengali and Odia singer, Nirmala Mishra, passed away at her residence in Kolkata’s Chetla area on Sunday after suffering a massive heart attack. She was 81 years old. Mishra had reportedly been battling age-related ailments for some time.
She suffered a massive heart attack around 12.05 am and was taken to the nearest nursing home, where the singer was declared dead, the doctor told PTI. He also added, “Her body will be kept at the hospital tonight.”
Singer Indrani Sen, who was one of her great admirers, is deeply saddened by the incident. As reported by TOI, she says, “I grew up listening to her songs and used to perform her songs in radio programs. Nirmala Di was a great human being and a very witty person too. Unfortunately, she wasn’t keeping well for quite some time and was almost bedridden.”
Rupankar Bagchi said, “She was one of the greatest singers and was blessed with a very melodious voice. Nirmala Di was a great human being and had a very friendly and warm nature. I have many beautiful memories with her.”
Her popular Bengali songs include Eamon Ekta Jhinuk, Bolo to Arshi, and Eai Banglar Mati Te, while some of her hit Odia songs are ‘Nida Bhara Raati Madhu Jhara Janha’ and ‘Mo Mana Beena Ra Taare’. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed grief over the demise of Mishra. The singer’s body will be taken to Rabindra Sadan around 11 am for her fans and admirers to pay their last respect, official sources said.
Born in 1938 in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, Mishra is a recipient of the Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das Award, which was conferred on the singer for her lifetime contribution to Odia music. She was also honoured with Banga Bibhushan, Sangeet Samman and other prestigious awards for her contribution to Bengali music.
