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Legendary singer Dwijen Mukhopadhyay passes away at 91

Kolkata, Dec 24 (IANS) Legendary Bengali singer Dwijen Mukhopadhyay, gifted with a resonant voice and considered the last surviving colossus of the golden generation of Rabindra Sangeet, died at his Salt Lake residence here on Monday following age-related ailments, his family said.
Mukhopadhyay, 91, is survived by his son and daughter.
Born on November 12, 1927 – the year All India Radio came into being – Mukhopadhyay started his singing career in the 1940s, and remained one of the most popular artistes through the decades. He has recorded more than 1500 songs, of which about 800 are songs of Rabindranath Tagore.
The soulful singer was introduced to the folk music of Bengal, and Hindi film music, by eminent music composer Salil Chowdhury.
Mukhopadhyay and Chowdhury worked together both in Kolkata and Mumbai, churning out evergreen Bengali modern and Hindi films songs.
Mukhopadhyay gave voice to Chowdhury’s compositions like ‘Pallabini go Sancharinia’, “Shaymalbarani ogo Kanya’, “Klanti Name go” and ‘Ashar Chalane Bhuli’ – all still popular in Bengal.
Under Chowdhury’s music direction, Mukhopadhyay’s duets with Lata Mangeshkar for Hindi films like ‘Honeymoon’ (1960), ‘Maayaa’ (1961) and ‘Sapan Suhaane’ (1961) were well received.
Mukhopadhyay also performed the famous devotional song ‘Jaago Durga’ as part of the musical play ‘Mahisasura Mardini’ (The Annihilation of the Demon), which is a hugely popular radio programme broadcast by the All India Radio on Mahalaya, the pre-cursor to the annual Durga puja festival.
In the world of Rabindra Sangeet, Mukhopadhyay was a contemporary of great like Debabrata Biswas, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Subinoy Roy, Suchitra Mitra, Chinmoy Chattopadhyay, and Sagar Sen.
These singers, some noted for their melodious renditions of Rabindranath Tagore’s compositions, some for their exemplary presentations of the bard’s classical based creations, made Rabindra Sangeet a household name among the Bengali speaking population.
Mukhopadhyay bagged the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 2010.
Condoling the eminent singer’s death, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it an end of an era.
“Huge loss for the music industry of #Bangla. This is also a personal loss. We had felicitated him with ‘Banga Bibhushan’ award in 2011. Condolences to his family and fans”,” she tweeted.
With the family’s consent, his mortal remains were brought to Rabindra Sadan, the city’s cultural centre around 4:30 p.m., for people to pay their last respects.
The last rites were performed with full state honours.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.