Acclaimed classical singer and music director Padma Shri Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi passed away in Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning, his son Parthasarathi Panigrahi.
He was 82.
He is survived by two sons. His wife and noted Odissi danseuse Sanjukta Panigrahi had died in 1997.
Panigrahi was suffering from throat cancer and was undergoing treatment at his Bhubaneswar residence for the past few months. His family members shifted him to the Capital Hospital here Sunday after he complained of breathing problem but it was too late.
Born on August 10, 1932 at Gunupur in Rayagada district, about 400 km from here, Panigrahi began his singing career in 1948 as a regular artist of All India Radio.
Panigrahi, a doyen of classical music, lent his voice for several films in Odia, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. When he was just 19, he did playback for N.T. Ramarao in the super-hit Telugu film Ilavelpu. He has rendered his voice in at least 12 Indian languages. Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik described the death of Panigrahi as an “irreparable” loss to the world of music. “We are in deep distress because of the tragic demise of Padmashree Raghunath Pangirahi. Orissa lost a legendary singer and music director,” said Mr Patnaik. Information and public relations minister Arun Kumar Sahoo, while describing the departed soul as “gem” of classical music, a legendary person like Panigrahi is born once after hundreds of years.
Well-known for his own style of interpreting the Sanskrit epic poem Gita Govinda, composed by the 12th-century poet Jayadeva, Panigrahi was felicitated with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padmashree, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Jayadeva Samman.