Bhubaneswar: Veteran Odia playback singer Pranab Patnaik passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Friday. He was 88.
Born on January 20, 1938, Patnaik was one of the most iconic voices of Odisha. He was highly inspired by his father, Late Lal Mohan Patnaik, former Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. He began his formal training under Guru Kunal Adinarayan and started his playback career in 1958 with the film Maa. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he lent his voice to over 200 Odia films, working with almost all major music directors of Odisha and beyond.
Over his long and illustrious career, Patnaik was conferred with numerous prestigious honours. He is the only Odia playback singer to have won the State Film Award for Best Playback Singer seven times for Sindura Bindu (1976), Astaraaga (1982), Jhiati Sita Pari (1983), Kanyadana (1988), Pratishodha Aparadha Nuhen (1989) and Asha (1993), among others.
His other major recognitions include the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1997-98), Big Odia Entertainment Award (2010), Prafulla Kar Samman (2011), Gangadhar Rath Memorial Award (2017), Jayadev Puraskar (2016) and the Balakrishna Dash Memorial Award (2023) for his lifetime contribution to Odia music.
Films like Shree Lokanath, Suryamukhi, Sindura Bindu, Sesa Srabana, Chinha Achinha and Batighara took him to the pinnacle of popularity.
Known for his wide vocal range and unique, unparalleled style, Patnaik had rendered songs across genres including Odissi, folk, devotional, semi-classical, traditional, Hindi songs and ghazal.
During his illustrious career, he shared the stage and studio with renowned singers like Hemlata, Vani Jayaram, S. Janaki, P. Susheela, Nirmala Mishra, Bhupinder Singh, Usha Mangeshkar and Haimanti Sukla, among others.
His contribution to Odia music made him a household name and his songs will continue to resonate with generations of music lovers.
